Peep Peep! It’s Chick Season Again

It’s baby chick season again! Over the years, I’ve experimented with several different ways of raising chicks while they grow big enough to join the rest of the flock.

My first year, the chicks stayed inside the house until they had feathers. After that, they moved out to the garage before eventually making their way to the coop. The following year, I skipped the house stage and started them in the garage instead. Both methods worked, but chicks can get pretty messy and smelly, so keeping them close to the house wasn’t exactly ideal.

By the third year, I tried something different and set up a partitioned area right inside the coop for them. That worked better, but this year’s setup has been the most effective yet.

This season I bought a large Rubbermaid tote from Walmart and placed it directly in the coop under a heat lamp. Instead of using wood shavings, I switched to pellet bedding. The pellets have been great—they’re more absorbent, and the chicks don’t knock over their food and water nearly as much as they did with shavings.

Of course, the dogs have opinions about the new arrivals too. Harley absolutely loved the baby chicks and could sit and watch them for hours. Selah and Boaz, on the other hand… not so much. They seem to think of them more as chicken nuggets than future hens. 🐥🐔