Chicken Colored Egg Layers

Egg-laying chickens are mostly adaptable, amazing foragers, and can enrich your daily diet.

1. When taking your chicks home, give them access to warm (room temperature) drinking water as soon as possible. Gently dip their beaks in the water, so they know what it is and where it is. We recommend adding Chick E-lixir™ to drinking water daily for a natural approach to keeping chicks healthy by supporting developing immune systems and promoting bone growth. Chick E-lixir™ contains a unique blend of organic oregano essential oils, prebiotics, calcium, vitamins D & E, and electrolytes.
2. Chicks should have a brooding area of at least 105-degrees for the first hour and lower the temperature to 95-degrees over the next few hours. You can lower the temperature by raising the heat lamp. Chicks should be in a brooding area that has a surface temperature of 90-98-degrees for the first week. Lower the temperature by five-degrees per week until you reach 70-degrees. Temperatures may need to be slightly higher for bantam or polish chicks.
3. Chicks should have at least a ½-square foot of space per chick to move away from the heating lamps if necessary.
4. Block corners of the brooder with cardboard to make wider angles that are harder for chicks to pile on top of each other to prevent smothering.
5. If chicks appear weak or lethargic upon arrival, mix about two-tablespoons of sugar into one-quart of warm water and give to the chicks. After 16-hours, switch to the regular water.
6. To help chicks start eating, put chick feed on a small, flat surface, like a container lid, so they can easily find the feed. This helps deter them from eating the bedding. We recommend using NatureServe® Starter/Grower and sprinkling First Peep™ on top of the feed. First Peep™ is a non-medicated feed supplement that naturally supports digestive health in baby chicks the first few weeks of life. It contains kelp, essential oils, and prebiotics.
7. Use larger wood shavings as bedding on the floor of the brooding area. Do not use sawdust, sand, cedar chips or shavings, or newspaper. We recommend applying Coop Recuperate™ over the wood shavings. Coop Recuperate™ is the safe and natural way to care for your coop. Organic eucalyptus and lemongrass essential oils along with diatomaceous earth reduce odor and moisture and help improve the quality of your compost.