Getting chicks need advice

[mapel walnut]

Hello I am getting chicks for the first time. I have had chickens for awhile now but never baby chicks wondering what I could do for a brooder and just basic stuff about raising chicks. Please send advice. I live near a small town in Alberta Canada and am going to order from a hatchery hopefully this will work out.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Hi, welcome! Check out our Learning Center, everything you need to know is there. Just go to our Home Page and you will see it.

 

[ChickenShepherd_6116]

Welcome to BYC! My best advice is make sure you have space for them to grow a lot in the brooder! Chicks are pretty easy (until they aren't lol). If you give them food, water, shelter, and be a loving care-taker, they will be happy. Having a game plan for the first couple weeks of life is super helpful. Make sure you have an outdoor coop and run setup for them; they grow fast! And as always, ask if you have any questions!

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Food, water, shelter yes... but you also need to be able to keep them warm the first few weeks until their feathers grow in. They will need chick starter crumbles for feed and not much else, but if you start feeding them anything else, like mealworms for treats or even a bit of lettuce from the table, you'll want to start giving them Chick Grit. Grit is very important because chickens have no teeth. Instead they have a very strong muscle inside called a gizzard. And if that gizzard has grit in it, it can grind up very tough food your chick might get hold of. But without grit, your chicken can get very, very sick. So keep a bowl of grit handy, always!