It is Spring, Time for Chicks, this is one of our very first talks we did when we started Out Standing in the Field. Looking back, as we have learned a great deal since this talk went out, it was not put together all that well. We admit this and here is a re-write that should be better put together. So please read and hopefully enjoy, It is Spring, Time for Chicks, the re-write.

Spring has “sprung” as they say. The weather may not think so but the farm sure does. The flowers and trees are blooming (igniting everyone’s allergies). The grass is growing and weeds are getting a head start. It is time to start tilling the garden, getting the ground ready to plant the lovely little veggie seeds. Have not been able to do that yet as it has been raining for weeks. The donkeys are happy for warmer weather, goats are frisky, and of course, the chickens and guineas are nesting.

Today’s talk will cover how to hatch chicken and guinea eggs and make sure the little fuzzys are cute, happy, and healthy.

Baby chickens are called chicks, most people know that but most do not know about guineas, their babies are called keets. Many people do not know what a guinea is or have never seen one. There will have pics to follow to show just how cute the little guys or gals are.

We will talk about incubating, hatching and caring for the new chicks (we will just say chicks but we really mean chicks and keets). We will give a little overview of how we handle our chicks here on the farm. It will give you an idea of the work that goes into raising chicks and the process it takes to do so. We will also give you a list of the supplies you will need if you want to try hatching chicks and where to find the right supplies. There will be pics of the journey from egg to adult.

The chickens and guineas seem to have wanted to get a head start on the nesting and hatching this year so there are already several clutches. It takes about 3 weeks for a chicken egg to hatch and just under 4 weeks for a guinea egg.

So here we go with the eggs, incubator, baby bins, heat lights, green house pens and finally out side pens for all the little fluffys.

The type of chickens we have on the farm vary. We have Araucana, Turkens, Bantams, Top Knots, Jungle Fowl, Gold Sex Link and one poor, frilly “Show Girl” rooster. We will go into more detail about the parents at a later time, right now it is the chicks that are in the spot light.

We do not let our chickens set and hatch their own chicks here as it is to dangerous for both the hens and the chicks. This is a rural farm and as such it is far out in the country. There are many dangers with local predators such as coyote, racoons and bobcats. Of course, the farms’ own “domestic” cats are not above grabbing a chick if there is a stray one running about.

A mama setting a nest in the yard is no match for wild life and the mama chicken will fight and give her life defending her nest. We do not want anything like that happening to one of our fluffys so we take the eggs from the nest and put them into an incubator.

Incubators are wonderful inventions. They are normally made of foam with a heater coil and thermometer. Normally each one comes with its own instructions on how to set it up. However, each kind of bird or reptile has its own temp needs, so be sure you know what you are hatching and the temp that is just right.

Yes, you can incubate bird and reptile eggs. Incubators are very simple to use and not expensive to run. There are many kinds, sizes and brands of incubators. If you are considering one of your own, I suggest Tractor Supply or the Jeffers catalog, as they have many to choose from.

Ours came from Jeffers, we got a great deal on a wonderful product. As a matter of interest, we use Jeffers for many of our farm animal needs.

First things first, you must first find the mama chicken and her nest. If you have nice chickens that use the egg nests you give them, this is not hard. If your chickens are willy and devious and want to keep their eggs from you, you will have to “find” them. If your mama chicken refuses to give them up, you will have to “take” the eggs from her. This can be challenging but no one has actually have died doing this.

After you have the eggs, do a quick wash off with a damp rag. Do not wash them under running water. Do not put them in the fridge. If you are going for a larger clutch, you can leave the eggs on the counter for a couple of days to collect eggs more than one day, but do not wait too long. The longer you delay incubation, the fewer eggs will hatch.

It is best to set up the incubator a day or two before putting the eggs into it. This gives the incubator time to get all warmed up to the correct temp.  It also gives you time to watch the incubator and twitch the heat if needed. Now, put the eggs into the incubator and be sure to mark the date on each one with a sharpie.

You will also need to turn the eggs every day, very carefully. Turning is very important for the chicks development inside the egg so do not forget to do it every day. If the eggs are not turned correctly, the chick inside may develop wrong or be stuck to the shell.  Both of these things may result in a malformed or dead chick when it tries to hatch.

The moisture inside the incubator must be kept steady and correct for the kind of eggs you are hatching. Again, refer to the booklet that comes with the incubator. Each kind of bird or reptile will need a different moisture. Goose eggs require more moisture than chicken eggs do.

It takes approximately 21 days for chickens to hatch. Different chicken breeds, the way the eggs are handled, and how many days apart the eggs were laid will all make a difference in how closely the eggs hatch.

We normally let our incubator run at least 5 days longer than we anticipated the hatch day, just to be sure everyone gets their fair chance to hatch. There is nothing worse than throwing out the eggs to find an almost hatched chick inside.

It feels like forever but finally the first chicks will start to poke through the shells. The first crack is called “pipping.” The first time you see this, you will freak out like a new parent and worry what to do next. Do nothing, this is something the chick must do, you can not help or hurry it along.  The urge to pick up this wonderful, little new fluffy is almost irresistible but resist, the chicks will not thank you if you give them a big squeeze.

The new chicks will need to stay in the incubator a day or two until they are clean, dry and stable. Then, they can move to the nursery bin with a heat light. There are many kinds of “brooders” made for this but we use plastic bins for our fluffys. We like the bins better as they are lighter, easier to handle and totally washable. We also keep our fluffys inside for several weeks before they are ready to move outside, so plastic bins are better for us.

If you have an outside house, green house or chicken house, a commercial brooder is great. They are larger and set up with heat lights already in them. Again, there are many kinds, sizes and brands to choose from depending on how many chicks you plan to hatch at one time and where you plan to keep them.

Chicks will need a heat light to keep them warm as at this stage they can not regulate their own body temp. They are very fragile at this stage so avoid drafts and handling them to much.

These little fellows grow quickly and eat a huge amount of chick starter daily. Make sure to keep fresh water and plenty of chick starter available to the chicks. They eat a lot, grow fast and make a good bit of mess so you must keep an eye on them.

We use sand in the bottom of our plastic bins to help keep them clean and dry. We clean our plastic bins about twice a week.  Depending on how many chicks and where you keep them, you may need to upgrade the size or numbers of your bins. The chicks need room to move around and grow. All the supplies you will need can be found at Tractor Supply, in the Jeffers catalog, or your local feed store may carry some.

In a couple of weeks, the chicks will start wanting to explore outside their bins. This is not good as they could easily get hurt. We keep a grate on the top of our bins while the chicks are inside to discourage them from flying out the top.

In just a bit longer, weather permitting, the chicks can go outside to the green house. We use our green house for this stage as it is secure from predators, safe from cold and wind. We hang heat lights in the green house for that extra bit of heat the chicks will need until they can fend for themselves.

We may be over protective but we like to keep the chicks in the green house for several weeks but they will outgrow it sooner than you expect.

Chicks at this stage eat and drink constantly so make sure to keep an eye on the food and water levels. As with most farming needs, there are so many different kinds, sizes and brands of feeders, waterers, feeds and medications. All of these things can be found at Tractor Supply or the Jeffers catalog. Your local feed store may carry some of the items you will need also.

When the chick flock has out grown the green house, it is time for the summer house. Several years ago, we converted a portable garage into a summer home for the adult chickens. We have since moved the adults to a larger chicken yard with a house. The empty summer home is perfect for the growing chicks. It is totally covered on the bottom with small wire to keep the chicks from squeezing out through the holes in the larger wire that is covering the sides of the pen. The double wire keep the chicks in and the predators out. The top is covered as well to keep the wind and rain off the birds. The summer house gives the chick flock a large, safe place to run, jump, grow and learn to fly. They are still eating like “birds” so keep their food and water full.

It takes several months of growing before the chick flock will be ready to face the great outdoors on their own. When that time comes, the chick flock will move over to the “big chicken yard” with all the adults. There is always some yelling and screaming for mommy at this move. The chicks often do not like the great outdoors as much as they thought they would. The adults are not sure what the new kids are about and they may not like them moving into their house. However, after a few days, things will settle down.

You may have to retrieve some of the chicks from odd places and save them from themselves a few times but they will settle in. Now, you have new young adult chickens joining the community. It takes about eight months or so for young hens to start laying eggs.

We normally only keep a couple roosters and give the others away to keep the number of males down. Too many roosters cause fighting and are rough on the hens. Our girls are kept healthy and happy. Happy chickens will lay longer, have less medical issues, and generally have a better life. Happy chickens also lay more eggs. We do sell eggs but that is a discussion for another day.

This white, fluffy is silkie bantam, which means she is a cute, fluffy, mini chicken.

Turkens are great chickens, very sweet, lay daily, and are very hardy. No, there is nothing wrong with them, they are supposed to look that way. But many people do not like them, due to their naked necks.

This group of chickens are Turkens, top-knot (with the white bouffant), Cochin (with the fuzzy feet), and Araucana (they lay the green and blue eggs). All of these kids are very sweet and easy to handle.

We hope, It is Spring, Time for Chicks has been fun and informative for you. You may even what to try your hand at raising chicks. If can be a lot of work but it can be fun and rewarding too. This is also something that the kids might enjoy. It can be part of your science lessons, watching chicks grow.

In case you are considering taking on chickens or if you already have some, check out our Chicken Journal in the Out Standing in the Field Store. There are two versions of this very helpful farm tool. There are general information pages, chore charts, Flock logs, and more. This journal will help you keep track of all your chicken needs, duties, and numbers.

Grey Chicken Planner

Thank you for visiting and please come again for another edition of Out Standing in the Field.