debbie26pet Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 i put a message on here earlier on today about rearing myown babies instaed of full grown ones. well a lady has emialed me saying I have some hens approx 4 weeks old and some that hatched yesterday and today. I also have some Rhode island reds that are approx 6 weeks old which are definately girls. It is difficult to sex chicks until they are a reasonable age. I do have some Silkies which are great for a small garden. I have black or white ones. These are not far off point of lay and they are beautiful. what would i need to raise some are these good breeds for my family (4 kids and cats) we have a indoor rabbit hutch the wire one with plastic base, advise please one excited mummy and kids Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 I really would reconsider taking on chicks until you are more experienced. Sexing chicks is not easy (unless they are from one of the few breeds which are distinguishable from the off because their feather colours are sex linked)....even the experts make mistakes sometimes. Also rearing chicks is not easy for a novice. You will need specialised equipment such as a brooder etc. You would be better off getting a couple of point of lay chickens from a breeder and looking after them for a good while until you are confident that you know what you are doing. Deciding what to do with male chicks is also not an easy matter for the novice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
debbie26pet Posted February 1, 2008 Author Share Posted February 1, 2008 we have spoken about it and we are gonna go for ones that are ready to lay or just strated and we are hopin to go and reserve this weekend any tipsadvise whatto look for Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...