You can inquire about purchasing by sending an email to 4chicky@mail.com
- Deposits may be required for some orders.
- Payments can be made in cash, or via Paypal or Venmo.
Preparing for your chicks
There are lots of websites and forums with information about raising chicks. These are my recommendations.
- Use a plastic storage bin for the brooder, they are easy to clean and leakproof
- For the first week, I use newspaper covered with paper towels or rubberized shelf liner from Dollar Tree
- After the first week shaving are best for most babies. I find hay to work better for ducklings.
- Regular chick feeders and waterers work well. I use then with glass canning jars as they are less likely to be knocked over than the plastic jars they sell to go with them. Quail need a special, no drown waterer the first 2 weeks.
- I use medicated feed for all my babies to prevent Coccidosis. It does not contain antibiotics and does not contribute to microbe immunity. Waterfowl are fine with Amprollium medicated feed, despite internet claims that it is toxic, that is very old information.
- For a heat source, I use clamp on metal lamps from big box stores. Incandescent bulbs are also available there as “rough service bulbs”. A 60 watt bulb is plenty for indoor brooding.
- NEVER use a heat lamp indoors, despite what the feed stores try to sell you. They are pushing product, but these are very dangerous, only use them in places you are ok with them burning down. Seriously – Don’t do it !!!
- I use tabletop lamp dimmers to adjust the heat output from the bulbs. This saves energy and means you don’t have to keep adjusting the height of the lamp as the chicks grow, just adjust the lamp to be dimmer as they grow.
- Covers are optional for about 2 weeks (10 days with quail), but have a screen top ready. If you have pets that could try to play with the babies, then screen tops are needed from the start.
- Watch for “pasty butt”. This is a dried accumulation at their vent and can kill the affected chicks. Soaking and pulling the manure off is the only cure. This is most often caused by temperatures outside the comfort zone, either too cold or too hot. Listen to the chicks and watch them sleep. If they are fairly quiet and sleeping under the edge of the lamp, then the temp is perfect. They need to be able to move in and out of the warm zone under the light.
- Too much heat kills chicks much faster than too little.
Picking up your chicks
If you can bring a small box, that is lined with paper or cloth towels, that will be ideal. Very young chicks need to be crowded together for shared body heat. A 6 inch square box can easily hold 6 – 8 chicks. Older chicks need more space for traveling. Cut some small holes high on the sides for ventilation. The size and number depend on the outside temps and how long the trip will be.