Raising your own chickens

Raising your own chickens can be fun and rewarding.  There are many ways to start your flock.  You can order the chicks from the internet, run down to your local feed store to buy chicks, or (this is my favorite) contact a local breeder for chicks.

The drawbacks of day-old chicks

You need the infrasturucture, such as a brooder and heat source, to raise immature chicks.  They require a very controlled environment and care to survive.  The first few weeks are crucial to a chick’s surival.  Incorrect heating can cause pasty butt and other ailments.  Get it wrong and your chicks die.  

An easier way

Started chicks are the answer.  Why should you go out and invest in a brooder, heater, starter feed, etc.?   Do you really want to learn how to treat the dreaded pasty butt?

Our chicks are between five and six weeks when they appear on this page.  They are fully feathered and can regulate their temperature like an adult chicken and go outside. 

Cost breakdown for our started chicks

• Day-old barnyard chicks:  $4 each
• Started chicks: $4 plus $1 per week, so a five-week old chick is $9 and a six-week-old chick is $10