So you’ve decided you want to get baby chicks this year [and with the combination of egg prices and the adorableness of the peeping as you walk in the local farm supply store, we get it]. You’ve come to the right place. With almost half of the LIY team now proud chicken farmers, we’ve been sharing tips and tricks with each other as we’re learning the ways, and figured we’d put it in writing for anyone else who is looking to join the chicken world too!

When To Get Chicks

Chick season usually starts in February, and goes until May[ish]! You can get chicks from your local farm store [Tractor Supply, Runnings, Family Farm and Home, etc] or order direct from a hatchery and have them shipped to you!

After 6ish weeks, your chicks will be ready to go outside in a coop, and you’ll want the temperatures to be above 50 degrees at that time, so think through your timing there!

What You’ll Need for Baby Chicks

• Something to put them in. We use a stock tank [go big- remember they start small, but they will grow big fast!]. They’ll be a decent size when you move them to the coop, so you don’t want them too cramped in there! You’ll have a heat lamp in there, so plastic can get dicey!
• Pine shavings or a similar bedding for the bottom of the container.
• Heat lamps + light bulb holder to keep them warm! Just like newborn babies, they can’t regulate their own body temp! As they get older they need less and less heat! A good tip: if they’re huddled up under the lamp they’re probably cold. If they’re scattered and laying away from the lamp [avoiding it] they’re probably too hot. If they’re evenly balanced, you’ve got the light at the right height!
• Food + Drink holders [need to be low enough to the ground for them to reach, but also not big enough openings for them to fall and drown!]
• Chick Starter [their food]! This will be their food until they’re 18 weeks, at which time you’ll switch them to an egg-layer food!

For The Coop + Full Grown Chickens

• A Chicken Coop! You can go in a million directions here with price, style, color, size, etc. The general rule of thumb is 4 sq ft of space in the coop per chicken, and 8 sq ft of space per chicken in the run! Keep this in mind when you’re deciding how many chickens you want to get! The chicks are so cute and tiny but they get big quickly and require a decent amount of space!
• An automatic chicken door will be sooo handy! It automatically shuts each evening to keep them safe in the coop, and opens their door to let them out each morning! We have ours between the coop and the run!
• Feeder- we use this one because it holds so much feed, as well as this one!
• Water – we use a 5 gallon bucket + these attachments as well as this one [which plugs in in the winter to keep it from freezing!]
• Food – they’ll switch to a layer feed at this point!
• Nesting Pads will go in each box to give the girls a soft spot to lay their egg!
• We add in oyster shell crumbles as a supplement to keep the egg shells nice and hard!
• Chickens deserve treats too! We give ours dried mealworms for added protein, and they love to eat it out of our hands and come running when we get them out. They go crazy for these! Use code 15LIVINGIN to save on the brand we always buy!
• A few sprinkles of this in the coop will help keep it fresh!

A Few More Things To Keep In Mind

• Do your research about breeds that will work best for you! Do you want a big white egg a day? White leghorns! Do you want friendly, good brown egg layers? Buff Oprington or Black Astralorp [or others too!]. Want blue or green eggs? Easter Eggers [or others!]. Are you in it for the chicken style? Silkies are fun! There are SO many different breeds, each with different temperaments, different color eggs, and different anticipated egg laying frequency!
• Chickens, like people, have a certain amount of eggs available for their lifetime! Once the eggs are gone, they’re gone! Expect a few years of consistent egg laying from each girl!
• Don’t expect eggs right away! Most chickens will start to lay eggs at around 18-20 weeks!
• Their first eggs will be TINY! They’ll continue to get bigger until they’re all “normal” sized!
• Chickens will lay the most their first year, and less and less each year after
• Chickens tend to take a break from laying in the winter! You may get some their first year, but it will be much less than the warmer months!
• The more time you spend with your girls from day one, the friendlier they’ll be with you! They’ll come running when you step outside, eat out of our hand, and trust you! You can see in the photo above, our girl shadow has no knowledge of personal space!

Egg Safety

• Fresh, unwashed eggs can be kept on the counter for up to 2 weeks, and in the fridge for up to 3 months!
• Eggs have a natural protective “bloom” on them. Once they’re washed, they need to be refrigerated [but they can keep in the fridge for up to 2 months once washed!].
• Wash your eggs with warm water! I use this little scrubby to get them clean!
• For keeping on the counter, this is super handy!