How I did it: 1. ordered day old female chicks
2. raised them up to 6 weeks with heat lamp, food, water and shavings in a brooder
3. built coop and run
4. moved them outside once they had enough feathers
5. kept feeding them
6. at 21 weeks, our very first eggs!

ours stay in a run all day; if we're home we let them outside the run for a little while before it gets dark, and they go back into the coop on their own.

Lessons & tips: -Order with others so you don't have minimum order issues
-Order for delivery when the weather will not be too cold or too hot
-Let the post office know they are coming
-keep baby brooder in bathroom or protected area until about 2 weeks
-have a 2nd brooder for 2-6 weeks old so they have room to run around
-make the run really secure - hardware cloth, and redundant security. predators can be very patient and smart.
-feed treats and enjoy chicken antics!

Resources: www.backyardchickens.com

Oct 08, 2008, 06:19PM PDT | 0 comments | 1 cheer