Chicken starter questions.

[susan]

Rural King has chicks! First question, they have straight run chicks for 99 cents each(minimum of 6) and Rhode Island Red pullets $1.99 each for minimum of 6. Not sure what the best deal would be. If I get chicks now, it's still cold and we have to get a coop built, so they will be inside in a big tub til they grow. That brings me to question #2. What size heat light do I need? They have 125 watt or 250 watt. Also clear or red faced. The room they will be in doesn't hold heat well. With both heaters going, when it's 30 outside, the room will be around 45 to 50. We're looking at spring pretty soon. coming up on daytime temps in the 50's and 60's. Nights are still chilly. Here's question #3. For 6 chickens, how big should we build the coop and run area?

Susan

[Cyngbaeld]

Are the straight run RIR too?

I posted how to build an electric hen. You can go as low as a 10watt bulb with it if they aren't outside where it is really cold. If you can't find the post, I'll look for it. I've used the 10watt bulb in my house when it was pretty chilly. I usually turn the heat off at night in here.

Build the coop as big as you can. You need room for a couple of nesting boxes, a can of feed, and the roosts and it needs to be easy to clean out. At least 4sf of coop space per bird and a couple of feet of roost space per bird so nobody has to sleep next to the bully.

[Cyngbaeld]

Can't find it, but I know I posted it somewhere here.

Take a cardboard box that is small enough to not take up more than half your tub, but big enough for all the chicks to fit in and room to grow a bit. Turn it upside down and cut a hole in the top about 3inches square. Now take an inexpensive porcelain light fixture and wire it to an electrical cord with a plug. I cut cords off any defunct appliances and save them for such things. Get a 10 or 15 watt bulb. I use the 10watt bulbs for exit signs because I got a bunch real cheap once. Screw the bulb in. Now cut the flaps off the box and cut a door for the chicks so when you turn the box upside down the chicks can go in and out as they please. Take another box that fits over the top of the first. Leave the bottom intact but cut off as much of the top as you need so that the door isn't blocked. Put the bulb thru the hole in the top of the first box and turn the second over it so that it protects the light and wiring from the chicks. They will at some point want to fly to the top of the box and you don't want them pooping on the wires. Plug it in and set the whole thing in your tub. Put food and water in the tub, but not in the electric hen. The chicks will go in to get warm when they need to but won't overheat.

[Valerie]

Kim, I like that so much better than just having a bulb hanging over the chicks. Its much more natural. Also, it would not add extra light to the chicks, so they don't get their days and nights mixed up like when there's a plain bulb hanging there.

[Cyngbaeld]

They seem to do much better with it, Val. I always have a problem with the brooders overheating if I use the standard heat bulb set up.

[Granny Smith]

Susan, if the straight-run chicks are RIRs, look at their beaks in relation to their comb. The ones that have combs that extend further up the forehead are usually roosters. That's how I've picked out straight-run chicks the last two times I bought them and didn't end up with any roosters.

That tip works for any breed I've ever had, not just RIRs.

[Cyngbaeld]

RIRs are easy. The males have a larger pale streak under their wings than the females do.

[susan]

It took me a while to get back on here. I may wait on getting them. Mike left this afternoon for Walk to Emmaus. He won't be back until sometime Sunday. So I'm on my own getting all of this set up and I have no idea how to do it. I'm more of a visual person and without pictures I can't begin to figure it out on the lights, plus I'm not electrically inclined at all. We may just end up ordering from McMurray. Their minimum is 20 or 25, then after April 1 it drops to 15. I'll probably go ahead and get supplies tomorrow while they're on sale.

Susan

[Cyngbaeld]

Susan, McMurray is one of the more expensive hatcheries and their stock isn't a bit better than anybody else. I much prefer Privett Hatchery. www.privetthatchery.com/ You can fill in your order with broilers to raise for meat. You won't need a bigger coop because they will be grown and in the freezer in a couple months. That's long before the layers are going to need the space.

[joanfromzone6]

years ago when folks had to decide which place to order from among a group of acceptable places, they would select the one closest to home - the logic being that a shorter shipping distance meant shorter travel time which meant fewer temperature extremes fatalities -

but, with modern shipping procedures and facilites, plus decent guarantees of live receipt, distance doesn't seem to play as big a part as it once did -

[Valerie]

When I used to order them, I decided based on who would let me order fewer than 25 chickens. Both times I went with Ideal in Texas. If I were buying now, I'd get them from our feed store. Their chicks look really good and I haven't seen any sickly ones in there.

[Cyngbaeld]

I like Privett a LOT better than Ideal. I can't say why on an open forum because Ideal threatened to sue me if I did so again.

[Valerie]

LOL, well you better not tell us then. They screwed my last order up pretty good, so I wouldn't use them again. I ordered 10 pullets, of six different breeds, and paid extra to not get "extra males for warmth". What did I get? Six pullets and 10 cockerels! And one of those pullets wasn't even the right breed. They were all healthy, though.

Fortunately, the past couple of years Rose and Dot have done their part to raise me some more babies.

[Cyngbaeld]

I have 8 bantam chicks in the living room, again.

[Valerie]

8 chicks and what 5, 6 little does?