Raising your own chooks is very rewarding, with many people finding that they get hooked on having a brood of chooks fossicking about their back yard.
Equipment You’ll Need to Raise Your Own Chooks
If you’re looking to rear baby chickens, you’ll need a brooder cage. This is a nursery to home the chickens in while they grow from babies into stronger and more robust teenagers. Critically, your baby chickens will also need a heat source for at least 4 to 5 weeks in their brooder cage to keep them warm if they don’t have a mother hen around to provide this heat for them.
This heat source can be either a radiant heater or a heat lamp. We stock quality Bainbridge infrared heat lamps and bulbs. Your baby chickens will also need a suitable baby sized feeder and a suitable baby sized waterer that prevents accident prone chicks from hypothermia or from drowning in their own water. We supply quality Bainbridge feeders that are specially designed for chicks and small birds and Bainbridge gravity feed waterers that are perfect for baby chicks and small birds. Like many other baby animals, baby chickens will also need an absorbent litter for the bottom of their brooder cage that can be easily cleaned out and renewed. We stock 14 kg packs of light and absorbent Superior Shavings pine wood shavings. Finally, baby chickens will need a highly digestible and high protein and energy food source such as a crumble that meets the growing chick’s requirements. We carry quality WA made T & R Chick Starter Crumbles with vitamins, minerals and probiotics.
If you opt to buy incubated eggs to raise as chooks, you’ll also simply need an egg incubator to maintain the right temperature and humidity for the eggs over the 21 day incubation period. Incubated eggs also need to be turned at least three times a day to ensure the developing embryo doesn’t get too close to the shell, which can be fatal. Mother hens actually turn their own eggs intentionally when they’re on the nest. Luckily, we stock quality incubators that automatically turn the eggs every two hours as well as manual egg turning incubators. Our incubators can also hatch a variety of eggs, including guinea fowl, turkey and geese eggs.
When it’s Time to Move in With the Big Kids
After your baby chickens have done the 5 weeks in their brooder cage, they can then be moved into a larger secure chook pen if temperatures aren’t getting colder than around 13°C at night.
What Breed of Chook is Best for Me?
Farmco’s top two picks for new chook owners are the trusty Isa Brown and the Rhode Island Red. Isa Browns are recommended because they’re fantastic egg layers, great with people and hardy as well. Our second recommended beginner chooks are Rhode Island Reds because they’re also robust and easy to care for chooks that like human company and lay lots of eggs.
Talk to people you know with chooks because there are an enormous diversity of chicken breeds: some are more social, friendly and easy to catch; some more vocal and dominant; and some more hell bent on hopping over fences. Some breeds are also more prone to broodiness. Broodiness is fantastic if you’re keen to land a clucky hen that will raise baby chickens for you in the future, but it’s a good trait to avoid if you don’t.
For any other chook related enquiries drop into FarmCo Moora any time or give us a call on 1300 327 626.
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