Once we moved to a rural area, one of the first things we did was to look for a place that sells chicks. It was our dream to eat eggs that came from chickens we raised ourselves, and with consumer prices rising, we thought it would be a perfect time to get our own chickens.
Finding Chicks
We found a selling ad on the Kxjxjx app within our city. After contacting the seller via message, we were able to visit the place on that very day. The seller had a nice farmhouse with lots of chickens flying everywhere.
Purchasing and Setup
Each chick was $5, and he had about 20 chicks in total. We were being a bit spontaneous and ended up purchasing 14 of them. We did have a cardboard box prepared for them to stay in until they got bigger. After lots of googling, we found out that the environmental temperature should remain above 35°C (95°F) until they grow adult feathers that maintain body temperature even in harsh weather. So, we set up a red light bulb and connected it to a timer.
Provisioning Supplies
We visited a farmer’s store in Moncton. We love both stores, the Co-op and Clarence. They are located next to each other, but Clarence closes around noon on Saturdays. So, if we miss the time due to laziness, we simply visit the Co-op next door because they are open until 5pm. There are different types of chicken feed depending on their size, age, and the purpose of raising them, whether for egg laying or meat production. We purchased bedding, feeders, and dispensers for food and water, and ended up paying around $63 altogether.
Maintenance and Cleanup
Despite their adorable chirps, chicks produced waste constantly. Cleaning the bedding frequently was essential to maintain hygiene, as they tended to soil their food and drinking stations. They grew up so fast, and 12 chicks were a lot. We migrated them to a bigger housing within a couple of weeks.
Transitioning to Adulthood
After the first week of maintaining the temperature at 35°C, we gradually decreased it by 2-3°C per week until the chicks reached 6 weeks of age and were fully feathered, allowing them to tolerate lower temperatures.
To be continued on next posting :))
