Looks like we need to get more chicks….
One of the things we knew we wanted when we moved to TN was chickens so we could have our own eggs. Eggs without all the extra junk, where we knew what the chickens were exposed to in the environment and food. And, they need to be pretty! I really wanted to look out in my yard and see a variety of colors and sizes of birds running around and have a basket full of colorful eggs—I think that may be what every girl dreams of when she starts a homestead! So, in the spring of 2022 (about 6 months after we moved here) we went to the local feed store and came home with 4 chicks from 6 varieties, plus 2 silkies for our girls. 26 pullets (girl chicks) later, we were set! Once we got through the first few weeks, we had lost 2 and quickly determined that 1 of the girls was actually a boy (Joe)—not bad overall. As of today, we still have 10 of those birds—we’ve lost the others to foxes, racoons, and neighboring dog attacks. We did have 1 successful hatched egg that has survived; however, it’s rooster (Nugget) as well so not much help on the eggs. And our youngest raised 12 chicks for 4-H, unfortunately after selling 4, we only have 4 of those left as well. So, we are at 15 chickens: 2 roosters, 9 3+ years old, and 4 1 year old. It’s time for new chicks.
Our first chicks were raised in the barn—that was terrible. It gets dirty really fast, they have very little natural light, they have no access to grass or bugs, they get pasty butt really easily, and they are in the barn so not exactly easy to remember they are there. The second round (the 4-H birds) we decided to do more research and make it easier for us and less stress for them. Brant and our youngest built this little outdoor brooder box and it is wonderful! It currently holds 10 chicks for about the first 6-7 weeks of life (then they will move to a larger space as they integrate into the flock). It has a brood plate for extra heat, 2 feeders and 1 waterer and gets moved to fresh grass on a daily basis. It stays in our front yard so super easy to see and virtually no mess! The other chickens are always coming up and checking them out and the chicks and chickens are quickly used to seeing each other. One of the best things we’ve done to make life easier and better for the animals in our care. Soon they will be in the field and in the coop like everyone else , the brooder box will be put away, and this season will be over—until we need new chicks again.
As people we often overcomplicate things that should be simple. Like raising chicks and feeding animals. However, as homesteaders we like to keep it as simple as possible. We jokingly call ourselves lazy, but really we just do everything we can to make our homestead run more efficiently. Why add extra stress and time-consuming things to your already busy day? This little brooder box is one of those things—we’ll share more, our little farm is full of them!
Learning to roost
The Brooder box
