Video: Day-old Baby Chicks First Time in Brooder
The first day of our adventure as brand new chicken owners began in the early morning of our 11 year-old daughter’s birthday. (Actually, our adventure began over a month and a half before then, but that’s another story!)
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Early Morning
Our 10 year-old son and I left around 8am to arrive at Bothell Feed Center right before it opened as we had visited the store the night before and baby chicks were going fast! Our oldest had her heart set on a Black Australorp so we wanted to make sure we got one that day. We were SO excited to pick up our new babies and had no idea what we were getting ourselves into! Even with all the prior “chicken research,” we have learned so much since!
To us, it was important to get all our day-old chicks on the same day so they accepted each other as “the flock” and could grow up together. We also wanted to adopt a second baby chick from the feed store to keep the Black Australorp company and warm while we traveled to Baxter Barn the same day to pick up the rest of our flock. What breed or hybrid was available depended on how many chicks were still available.
We Made It!
At the feed store, we were helped quickly and chose the two most lively baby chicks, from the Black Australorps and Gold Sex Links. We were reminded again that chickens are very social creatures and that a chicken always needs to be part of a flock and does poorly when left all alone. Good information to know! We put our baby chicks into a large shoe box with pine shavings, purchased them and went out to the car with our newest family members.
In the car, before we even buckled in, we decided to peek at our new babies. To our horror, the Gold Sex Link jumped out of the box and ping-ponged between the car door and seat down to the floor. She weighed so little that thankfully she did not ping-pong hard, but we were concerned she broke a wing, leg, or worse. Amazingly, she was just fine and feisty as ever. Thank goodness!!!
Home
On the drive home, my son and I smiled to each other often upon hearing the sweet, little peeps coming from inside the shoe box. At home, we held the chicks in our hands as they peep-peep-peeped softly and fell asleep. It was so hard to put them down, but we needed to leave to pick up the remaining baby chicks. After a while we gave in to our time constraints and introduced both baby chicks to their new brooder—their home in our garage for the next 6-8 weeks.
We dipped each of their beaks into their chicken waterer to ensure they knew where it was and how to drink from it—both did great! Watching them get settled in for just a little while longer, we then headed to Baxter Barn for the next part of our chicken owner adventure![/ezcol_2third_end]
More pictures from our First Day
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See what happens next!
Bringing Home The Urban Chickens: Part 2!
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Disclaimer: All information provided on this website is purely for entertainment purposes only and is not medical advice. If you are facing a chicken health issue, you should consult a veterinarian.
