Springtime always brings chicks!
- Laura Wayte
- 4 days ago
- 1 min read
Now that winter is over, the farm starts the work of raising new roasting and laying hens. Our brooder barn is filled with enclosed and heated boxes, pictured here, where the chicks feed and grow. They are very vulnerable to cold so the heat and shelter are essential.
The chicks arrive at 2 days old and spend the next 3 to 5 days in a hot box, protected from the cold. After that, the boxes will be opened and so can free roam in a larger pen with the heaters available in the boxes when they sleep or need to warm up during the day.
The layers will remain in the brooder barn for 10 or 12 weeks and then go out to learn how to roost in the trailers and live on pasture for the rest of their days. The Cornish crosses will go to pasture after 4 weeks.
You can imagine the sound of all the peeping and the constant motion of fluffy little animals running around. Chickens are immediately mobile after hatching, and it is fun to watch them tumble over each other as they veer about. They are constantly tasting everything they encounter, learning what is and is not food.
Once they are hearty enough, with adult feathers growing in, the birds will be transitioned outside to fresh pasture and their new homes. This involves some training on the part of the laying hens. For the meat birds, we are rolling out new chicken schooners to shelter them. I'll follow up with photos of their progress later in the season.
