Doodledootoo Posted January 21, 2010 Share Posted January 21, 2010 I keep seeing "day old chicks available" on poultry sites. What do people want with day old chicks? If you bought day old chicks, how do you care for them - do you stick them with your existing hens and hope one of them adopts them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redwing Posted January 21, 2010 Share Posted January 21, 2010 Buying day old chicks cuts out the expense and potential problems associated with incubation If the breed sold is autosexing then you will be assured of getting girls The chicks will need to be bought home in a warm box and placed in a brooder with aheat lamp/electric hen, hens will not adopt day old chicks and more than likely will harm them and chicks will not survive the outside world alone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doodledootoo Posted January 21, 2010 Author Share Posted January 21, 2010 Ahhhh....so all the fun of raising chicks with some of the doubt and worry of noisy boys taken out of the equation! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redwing Posted January 21, 2010 Share Posted January 21, 2010 If they are autosexing then yes no boys which is a huge bonus! Also its a popular way of buying table birds and cost effective, they can cost as little as £2 each which makes it a reasonable priced grown chicken (my estimates fully grown will have cost about £6-7 in total so cheaper than free range supermarket chicken) if you have to buy the eggs and an incubator it makes it very expensive especially if you just raise a couple of groups a year Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doodledootoo Posted January 21, 2010 Author Share Posted January 21, 2010 Yes, that makes sense as well. Thanks for answering Redwing. I'll stop scratching my head in wonder when I see it now! Although............it's quite appealing. The idea of getting 2 or 3 day old chicks and raising them.......aaaaaggggghhhhh, stop me! I cannot get any more chickens! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atsw Posted January 21, 2010 Share Posted January 21, 2010 They are also a god-send when hatching eggs fail to hatch. This happened to us last year, when our Buff Orpington went broody. She was initially sat on 6 Light Sussex eggs, but none made it to hatching, so on day 23 we swapped the eggs for day-old chicks. Andrew Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chick wiggle Posted January 21, 2010 Share Posted January 21, 2010 Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww, what a lovely picture, they all look so happy and content Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 Don't forget that often day olds are sold 'unsexed'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
