Chick Hotel

Well, we have had extra work with the little chicks this week. We decided to remove them from the coop where their mum and the rest of the hens are as there were too many dangers for them there. So here's box life for a chick.

The first thing to remember about little chicks is that they love to be warm, they cope much better without water than they do without warmth. It's pretty hot here in the summer, so our chicks don't need much additional warmth, certainly they do not need a heat lamp, though if you live in a colder climate or raise chicks in colder months of the year they will need a substantial heat source. We are quite amused as our chicks are being warmed by an energy saving lightbulb..... it seems to provide just enough of a heat boost for them.... very comical. Really they need 35 C (which is about 95 F), especially for the first week of their lives, but you can usually take it down to about 30-32 C (which is 90 F) in the second week....and more later.

I wont write a long post about raising chicks as there are millions of websites which do a far better job of it that I would. There are a few things that we feel help though....

• We like to give our chicks sugar water for the first few days, it helps them get a little energy boost and cope that bit better with life outside the egg.
• Raising chicks is not as complicated as it seems.... the best thing to do is remember to keep them warm and watered, food can be simple too, there are plenty of places that will sell you starter food for chicks, or you can make your own mix of corn and grains (if you can grind them)
  
• Don't worry if you lose one or two.... in fact the general recommendation is to have 25% more chicks than you need, to allow for losses
• If they make a lot of noise, loud peeping... something is wrong, this can be as simple as being stuck behind a feeder or being too cold. You'll know, just think of babies, they get noisy when something is wrong.

Of course, if anyone wants to know more about our simple and pain-free chick raising methods... or would like to critisise them.... feel free to contact us... We arn't very complicated people and we are generally good at replying.

The most important thing is keep it simple and in the words of the great Lance-Corporal Jack Jones "Don't Panic, Don't panic!!"