WELCOME TO THE ADOPT-A-CHICK PROGRAM:

The Basics of Raising Chicks:
Chicks need warmth, food, water, and dry flooring. That about it.

Warmth:
Week One: 80-85 degrees
Week Two: 80 degrees
Week Three: 75 degrees
Week Four: 70 degrees
Keep them at about 70 degrees or a little lower thereafter. A light bulb will usually keep the chicks warm enough it place directly over the box. You can use heat lamps (available at hardware store) but generally a light bulb hovering over the box is enough. Place a thermometer on the floor of the box and check the temperature regularly. The chicks will indicate if it is too cold by huddling together or too hot by scattering apart away from most intensely heated areas. You are doing it right if they appear to be wandering around comfortably and aimlessly. Do not overheat the birds: make sure you lower the temp each week – most easily done by lifting the light a little farther from the box. Be sure the temperature in the box is constant.

Food: The feeder jar flips over to screw into the trough (with the holes). You will only need to fill the feeder once a day at most – and in the beginning much less than that. For the first six weeks you will feed the starter crumbles (9lb bag in your kit.) At the end of that you will start to transition them to pellets (3lb bag in your kit.) Transition them by mixing an increasing percentage of pellets into their crumble feed. You may want to raise the feeder on a little piece of wood or block as they chicks grow so that they do not have to bend too low to get at food (and they will spill less.) Do not feed them table scraps.

Water: Change the water every day. Chicks need access to clean water all the time. This is the very critical part of a health brooder box. Clean the waterer occasionally with mild soap and water (and make certain it is thoroughly rinsed.) Fill the jar and screw on the top (holding upside down.) Flip it to create a vacuum and let the water flow into the water trough. These waterers and feeders can be tippy, so make sure you place them on a stable and level part of the floor.

Dry flooring: Chicks need “grippable” flooring. 2-3 inches of clean shavings accomplishes that. Change the shavings every few days to keep them clean. When the chicks are older you can use shredded paper flooring, as well, but make sure it is regular not glossy paper with no plastic whatsoever. Straight cardboard or newspaper is not grippable enough; the chicks will run the risk of splaying their legs and can injure themselves permanently.

FAQ: Here are the most common questions we hear and our stock answers.

“They are so cute. Can I hold one?” – NO. But…
1. Yes, if you must, but remember they are fragile and need to be treated extremely carefully. It is tempting to hold them and pet them and squeeze them but the less you handle them the better off they will be. Always wash hands before and after holding a baby chick.
2. They have very delicate legs and wings, so be especially careful that they always have a grippable surface to walk on. Splayed legs from walking on raw cardboard or slippery surfaces can permanently disable the birds.
3. If you need to lift or move a chick slip one hand under her tummy to support the hips (to keep her from hurting her legs and joints) and wrap your other hand over her wings (to keep her from excessive flapping).
4. We can not stress enough how easily these little ones can get hurt by unsupervised handling. If children must pet them, ask an adult to hold them and the child should use only one finger to touch the feathers lightly. Always clean hands before and after touching a bird.

“Can I take them outside?” - NO. But…
1. Wait until the chicks are four weeks old before taking them outside. Exposure to the real world means exposure to all the other diseases of wild birds.
2. Wait until the chicks are four weeks old to start exposing them to grasses and other lawn plants. If your lawn is treated with any fertilizers or pesticides keep the chicks off it.

“Are they going to give me bird flu?” – NO. But…
1. You can give them sicknesses, so best to leave them to strengthen and grow up on their own.
2. Avain flu is extremely rare (especially in the United States.) More common is chicks contracting colds from drafting or sub-standard brooder conditions.

“Oh my gosh, one died! Dina and Rob are going to be so mad.” NO. But…
1. Chicks don’t just die for the fun of it, so get to the bottom of what happened. Too hot? Too draftly or cold? To hastled by young children petting and holding it?
2. Just call and let us know. We can take it away for you, if you would like, too.
3. Your children will not be scarred for life. Trust us. Many children have raised chicks with varying success rates. Say a prayer over it or just hide it or do whatever you think will ease or deny the loss and move on.

“This just isn’t working out. Can I give them back?” YES. But…
1. Call first and ask questions before you give up. These chicks should not take more than 3 -5 minutes a day in care.
2. We insist the chicks be in loving, careful environments. The moment you feel you can not provide that, let us know. You are doing us a huge favor by adopting them, and we do not want it to feel like a burden.

Online sources for information:
The Hickories Website (www.thehickories.org): Messageboard open for all chick stories, questions, photos etc. Contribute as often and as much as you can.

University of Mississippi: http://www.msstate.edu/dept/poultry/growchix.htm

Backyard Chicken Forum: http://www.backyardchickens.com/ (Beware, this site has a ton of information and can suck up all your time!)