Let's Talk About Chick Season
Chicken season approaches and the price of eggs keep rising, I’m sure a lot of people are tempted to raise chickens themselves. Before you flock (no pun intended 🤣) to your local farm store and start buying all the chicks (minimum requirement is 4 usually, and is dependent on state laws) please consider the following 10 fun facts….
1. Female chicks are called "pullets". They are considered pullets till they start laying, then they are hens. Most hens do not start laying eggs until 18-22 weeks of age (that’s about 5 to 6 months old depending on the breed). Production hens such as Australorps, Rhode Island Reds, and ISA Browns can start laying as early as 18 weeks, laying 1 egg daily. Silkies may not start laying till they are 8-9 months old, and with silkies they will have a small egg, and may only lay 2-3 times a week.
2. For the first few weeks of their lives chicks need to be kept at a temperature of around 95 degrees Fahrenheit. Each week it drops 5 degrees and they should not be outside in the weather till fully feathered (about 6 weeks old). I often take mine on field trips outside wrangled and supervised at around 3 weeks of age, so they can enjoy the sun, grass, dirt, and grub.
3. Chicks need to eat…SURPRISE! And like the price of everything else chicken feed has gone up. Chicks will eat starter/grower till 4 months of age and then you switch to layer feed. A 50lb bag of layer is about $20 depending the brand, and no that’s not organic.
4. Chickens molt…what does that mean? Not normally their first year of age, but nearing winter, your chickens will lose their feathers and stop laying for a while. To help, you can supplement with extra protein as they get in their new feathers. It’s not pretty, and you'll think somebody was pillow fighting in the run, yard, and every where else!
5. Chickens don’t lay eggs as often in the winter months. The days are shorter and they’re bodies need so much light to produce eggs. Depending on where you live, this will affect some people more than others. Some people supplement light and others choose not to. Your chickens first winter, does not normally slow down and if so, usually only a little. By second winter you'll think their broken, gone on striker, or simply just being freeloaders.
6. Depending on the breed, egg production drastically slows at 3 years. The average lifespan of a chicken is 5-10 years. With that being said… some people add new chickens to their flock every year. Some sell them off, some keep them till they grow old, some purposely buy dual purpose birds to cull after their production years.
7. Everything loves chicken! Predators such as foxes, coyotes, dogs, cats, hawks, and even raccoons will hunt your chickens. You won't even know you have a predator problem really... till you do. Chicken wire is to keep chickens out not predators. You will want something called “hardwarecloth” if you want to protect your chickens properly.
8. Chickens will poop everywhere and I mean everywhere so be prepared to clean their pen often, or if they are free range be sure to check your step, or look before you sit. Many people have specific shoes they use for outside, or the chicken run, to help keep other areas clean. Personally, I suggest looking into “deep litter method” for coop cleaning; it's life changing.
9. Chickens love to dig holes and will destroy bedding around flowers in the yard. They eat bugs which is nice when you need help with pest control for your garden and yard plants. That being said, they also eat plants. So, if you have a vegetable garden that they can get to, flowers, shrubs, etc -- say goodbye, unless you take proper precaution to guard your plants. Of course that’s if you let them free range your yard.
10. Chickens can get medical issues just like any other animal and it’s usually difficult to find a vet that deals with chickens. When you do find a vet it is likely that the cost will out weigh the value of the bird. For many of us whether we want to or not, we become a vet tech and handle the issues ourselves with education through YouTube and Facebook chicken groups.
I’m not trying to discourage anyone from raising their own food in fact I think it’s great! I wish I had done this long ago and my kids could have been part of the process. It is a learning, bonding, and just beautiful experience. I have seen people comment in posts how chickens have saved their family. It sounds crazy, but they truly have helped so many people. However chickens are animals, they do require attention and proper care. Not a lot, but some. You can spend thousands of dollars on setting them up or a couple of hundred. I mean the possibilities are endless really.
So while I get that you don’t want to spend $7 on a dozen eggs, double think your decision before you go gung ho on being a chicken farmer. It will cost you more than that at first, but you should earn it back (depending on how crazy you get with it) and the experience with your family makes it a bit priceless. Just do your research, tons of groups on Facebook and videos on YouTube.
Chicken math is a thing because they are addictive. Even if you aren’t “addicted” things happen and you lose a chick, or a hen and want to replace one… you can’t usually just replace a chick. Chick minimum is usually 4 from stores. You can’t replace just one hen if you find a hen for sale because of the pecking order, it’s best and easiest with 2 and it’s still a slow acclimation into the flock. Hens can be vicious and cruel. I can post different information on this later.
By all means though, if you still want chicks, or to maybe just start with hens. Let me know and I’d be more than happy to help!
3. Chicks need to eat…SURPRISE! And like the price of everything else chicken feed has gone up. Chicks will eat starter/grower till 4 months of age and then you switch to layer feed. A 50lb bag of layer is about $20 depending the brand, and no that’s not organic.
4. Chickens molt…what does that mean? Not normally their first year of age, but nearing winter, your chickens will lose their feathers and stop laying for a while. To help, you can supplement with extra protein as they get in their new feathers. It’s not pretty, and you'll think somebody was pillow fighting in the run, yard, and every where else!
5. Chickens don’t lay eggs as often in the winter months. The days are shorter and they’re bodies need so much light to produce eggs. Depending on where you live, this will affect some people more than others. Some people supplement light and others choose not to. Your chickens first winter, does not normally slow down and if so, usually only a little. By second winter you'll think their broken, gone on striker, or simply just being freeloaders.
6. Depending on the breed, egg production drastically slows at 3 years. The average lifespan of a chicken is 5-10 years. With that being said… some people add new chickens to their flock every year. Some sell them off, some keep them till they grow old, some purposely buy dual purpose birds to cull after their production years.
7. Everything loves chicken! Predators such as foxes, coyotes, dogs, cats, hawks, and even raccoons will hunt your chickens. You won't even know you have a predator problem really... till you do. Chicken wire is to keep chickens out not predators. You will want something called “hardwarecloth” if you want to protect your chickens properly.
8. Chickens will poop everywhere and I mean everywhere so be prepared to clean their pen often, or if they are free range be sure to check your step, or look before you sit. Many people have specific shoes they use for outside, or the chicken run, to help keep other areas clean. Personally, I suggest looking into “deep litter method” for coop cleaning; it's life changing.
9. Chickens love to dig holes and will destroy bedding around flowers in the yard. They eat bugs which is nice when you need help with pest control for your garden and yard plants. That being said, they also eat plants. So, if you have a vegetable garden that they can get to, flowers, shrubs, etc -- say goodbye, unless you take proper precaution to guard your plants. Of course that’s if you let them free range your yard.
10. Chickens can get medical issues just like any other animal and it’s usually difficult to find a vet that deals with chickens. When you do find a vet it is likely that the cost will out weigh the value of the bird. For many of us whether we want to or not, we become a vet tech and handle the issues ourselves with education through YouTube and Facebook chicken groups.
I’m not trying to discourage anyone from raising their own food in fact I think it’s great! I wish I had done this long ago and my kids could have been part of the process. It is a learning, bonding, and just beautiful experience. I have seen people comment in posts how chickens have saved their family. It sounds crazy, but they truly have helped so many people. However chickens are animals, they do require attention and proper care. Not a lot, but some. You can spend thousands of dollars on setting them up or a couple of hundred. I mean the possibilities are endless really.
So while I get that you don’t want to spend $7 on a dozen eggs, double think your decision before you go gung ho on being a chicken farmer. It will cost you more than that at first, but you should earn it back (depending on how crazy you get with it) and the experience with your family makes it a bit priceless. Just do your research, tons of groups on Facebook and videos on YouTube.
Chicken math is a thing because they are addictive. Even if you aren’t “addicted” things happen and you lose a chick, or a hen and want to replace one… you can’t usually just replace a chick. Chick minimum is usually 4 from stores. You can’t replace just one hen if you find a hen for sale because of the pecking order, it’s best and easiest with 2 and it’s still a slow acclimation into the flock. Hens can be vicious and cruel. I can post different information on this later.
By all means though, if you still want chicks, or to maybe just start with hens. Let me know and I’d be more than happy to help!
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