I love having my own chickens! But the process of deciding to get day-old chicks to building a coop to learning how to care for them has a steep learning curve. There are so many things I wish I would have known before I dove in head first. The first, and most important is this:
You would be CRAZY not to LOVE raising chickens: I was so nervous about this at the beginning. I was worried I would go through all the work and hate having chickens around. Don’t worry, honey; chickens are the best “pets” you will ever have!
A few weeks ago I published my list of “10 Things You NEED to know BEFORE you Get Chickens” at The Little Blog on the Homestead.
I am so thankful to Nicole for sharing her audience with me; because “Homesteaders at Heart” understand how exciting it can be to raise an animal that provides healthy and nutritious food for your family.
You can head on over to her site to see the complete list. Thanks Nicole for letting me share my love for chickens with your readers!
These are my pretty girls (from left to right: Daisy, Maggie, Lucy, Pecky, Ella, and Jill. Rapunzel is in the main image & Molly and Red are quite jealous they aren’t in any of the pictures. Next time Ladies!)
I just bought 15 day-old chicks. They are straight run Rhode Island Reds and Special Blacks. How long should I keep them in the 3’x6′ metal pen with the heat lamp on them before I can transfer them outside in a pre-built chicken pen?
Here’s the general rule, Denny. The first week of their lives they require an air temperature of 95 degrees, the second week 90 degrees, and so on – going down by 5 degrees per week until they’re ready to transition to outdoor temps. I keep my chicks in a very controlled warm environment for the first 4 weeks (think basement), then move them out to the garage for another couple weeks (with heat lamp), until I transition to the outdoor coop between 6-8 weeks (they are almost fully feathered at this point). I still keep the heat lamp on when outdoor night temps dip below freezing, but they would probably be just fine without it. Hope this helps. Best of luck!
I’ve thought about getting chickens, but I don’t think I’m brave enough. I am a total city girl! But my best friend is seriously considering getting some, so I shared your article to my FB so she could see. It kind of even makes me want to just go ahead and get some chickens!
If the article made you want chickens, you should watch my VLOG starring all of my ladies! They are wonderful, funny, and they lay eggs…what’s not to love. I never thought I would want chickens, or be able to tolerate caring for chickens, but I love them. Just Do It!