Homestead | Raising Chicks
The week before I was offered a job in NYC, I was literally sitting in someone’s backyard examining their chicken coop + meeting their girls in a debate about actually buying the whole thing. In that specific instance the coop was much too large to get through or over the fence, so I held off. Good thing because- NYC.
Fast forward SEVEN years and I’m still begging for them. After MUCH conversation and 2 books purchased and hours of scouring facts on the internet, I finally twisted Justin’s arm enough that he gave me the green light. Okay- it was yellow but as soon as I saw the switch from red, I packed Amos and I in the car and headed to Big R.
There are dozens of breeds of chickens as well as different types. We live at 7100 feet and the winters are long. We also have Amos and a dog and we want more babes to come so I wanted friendly chickens. I want them to be able to wander and not be scared.
I chose all of my breeds from the Type B category. Type B chickens tend to be a little friendlier, less scared and hardy for the winter months.
BREEDS
In all honesty, after personality type I chose based on which color of eggs they’ll lay. I don’t really care what our girls look like, just their pretty little eggs.
Easter Egger chickens lay green, aqua, light pink, brown and other variations in between. I bought five.
Americauna chickens derive from Araucanas, which is what I asked for when I went but she recommended Americaunas. Also, they didn’t have Araucanas. These sweeties lay green and/or blue eggs.
Jersey Giant chickens lay a variety of brown eggs. These are HUGE chickens. Up to 3x the size of normal chickens.
We bought ten girls altogether. And we love them. Amos’ favorite are the Jersey Giants, which is perfect because they were a last minute decision based off of the recommendation of the sweet girl at Big R. She said they’re so sweet and cuddly when they get older. I can already see that. When I hold the chicks their heart rate is always the most calm and they’re never scared.
We had an old trough that we filled with the soft bedding. The tougher bedding can get stuck in their little talons and cause discomfort. I bought a kitty litter scooper to clean their trough out each morning. We bought a water feeder for our girls with some electrolyte powder since they’re babies. And I happened to have a chick feeder that I’d bought from a thrift store to use for flowers. We bought a heat bulb and a clamp stand with a ceramic base so that the heat doesn’t melt it. We don’t need anything to turn into a This is Us episode over here. Amirite?!
As it is, Amos and I are cleaning their trough each morning and we fill their food twice a day. I can’t believe how much they eat. They’re so cute. My favorite is when they stretch their necks all of the way out while they’re sleeping. Amos loves to go check on them and wave at them and loves for me to hold them.
If you’re thinking about it. Do it! It’s a low cost to start, I think we spent $57 total and they’ll be laying eggs in four months. We spend $12 every five days on eggs… And I know they’ll keep bringing us so much joy.
