Time for Spring Chickens

In Spring many animals have their young. Female chickens, called hens, hatch their young (chicks) from eggs. Whether newly hatched by a hen, in an incubator or purchased from a feed store or hatchery, chicks need care.

Hens will protect their chicks until the chicks have matured enough to imitate chicken behavior.

If the chicks come from another source and do not have a hen, people become the mother hen for them, talking to the chicks, keeping them protected and warm by using a brooder box.

With new chicks, Western Montana Fair Poultry Superintendent and Regional Poultry Specialist Laura DeNitto said the best thing is to handle them.

"It is good for you, and good for the birds," she said. The chicks will get used to people this way and the people will get used to picking chicks up and checking their eyes and bodies to become familiar with them.

Chicks need to be in a brooder box with chick starter feed and fresh water at all times. Chick starter feed is offered as either medicated or un-medicated depending on whether or not the chicks have been vaccinated.

DeNitto said it is important to ask about vaccinations if the chicks are purchased from a hatchery or feed store. Chicks may be vaccinated against the protozoa Coccidiosis and Marek's disease, which is airborne. If the chicks are not vaccinated they can build resistance to Coccidiosis under proper living conditions. Customers can request their chicks be vaccinated prior to purchase from hatcheries.

To simulate the warmth from a hen, the chicks need a heat lamp starting at 95 degrees to stay warm enough. Each week the temperature (from the heat light) may be dropped five degrees as the chicks mature, according to DeNitto. Each week the chicks venture out from under the hen for longer periods of time while their feathers are growing.

Within the brooder the chicks need to have enough room to run around, eat and drink and stay warm. If the chicks are huddled against the side of the box or in a far corner panting they are too hot.

If the chicks are constantly huddled under the lamp they may be too cold. When weather is warm and sunny the chicks can be outside in a protected run or chicken tractor with their food, water and something for shelter and then brought back to their brooder for night. Chicken tractors are portable wire pens where the chickens are safe and can graze and scratch on the ground.

The chicks need to stay in their brooder until they are fully feathered and able to keep themselves warm by fluffing, at about six weeks to two months. In addition to growing feathers, chick behavior will also change. Happy and healthy chicks will begin acting like adult chickens by scratching the ground, dusting themselves and socializing.

When it is time for the chicks to be introduced to the rest of the flock, it is good to watch any interaction with other chickens until the flock is established. Sometimes other chickens will peck at and attack newcomers to their flock.

DeNitto said some challenges in raising chickens can be predators and weather. "Nothing is predator proof," she said. "The best thing is to always evaluate your coop, yard and run [for safety] where your chickens are kept."

DeNitto recommends chickens be kept in an enclosed area, with chickens always being put in at night. Predators like the family dog, magpies, crows and skunks will try to get chickens, she said.

Chickens do handle cold better than heat, although their coop should be free of drafts said DeNitto.

There are certain chicken breeds that can be hardier than others. The main thing to look for, said DeNitto, is small-combed breeds. Combs are the small fleshy ridged strips of unfeathered flesh along the top of a chicken's head. Chicken breeds with bigger and taller combs can be more prone to freezing or frostbite than breeds with smaller combs. The big comb tips or even the whole comb can freeze, turn black and fall off because the chickens have no way to keep them warm.

DeNitto has raised chickens for 28 years and enjoys everything about them. "I love having chickens as a hobby; I love watching them, I love their eggs and the opportunity for outreach to the community."

For more information on chickens or the Sanctioned Poultry Show in Missoula contact Laura DeNitto at 406-273-4645.