FWIW, I have both that brinsea plate and a larger premier one, and I far prefer the premier. They’re less expensive, easier to reset the height, have the option of a no perch cover, and seem to get just a little warmer. I used the brinsea plate with a special needs chick, and it didn’t keep her warm enough. It’s fine for normal bitties, but cost + everything else make premier the winner for me 
I agree, it is a bit%^ to adjust the legs on the Brinseas; and I usually just prop something under the legs to make it taller rather than try.
And the time I bought the Brinseas I wasn’t aware of the premier plates; if I had to replace them I would definitely go that route.
This cracked me up because it’s so true! Sunbathing chickens look like they were dropped from a helicopter onto a paved road and went “splat”. It can be a little disconcerting to see them like that for the first time… :lol::lol::lol:
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We kept about 15 laying hens.
We fed and cleaned water and feed containers twice a day.
The water container had a purple color.
We used a little pill to keep it clean, our vet’s recommendation.
Our chicken coop and yard were right by a sandy draw.
We bedded our chicken house with that beautiful clean sand from the creek.
We shoveled it into a manure bucket directly from the creek sides.
We swept it all out every weekend, cleaned it all well, put down a thin layer of sand and dust for mites and poured the last of the sand outside in a pile in the yard for dust baths.
Hens fought each other to be the first ones to use that.
In many years, we were lucky never to have a sick hen.
This thread has inspired me to restock our flock! After a devastating weasel attack in 2017, we were left with only 3. I just ordered 15 more hens from Meyer(an excellent source and super friendly). I can’t wait to pick them up at the post office-I can usually hear them from the parking lot:). I got 3 each-Barred Rocks, Buff Orpingtons, Welsummer and New Hampshire Reds(both new to me) and Americaunas! Can’t wait!
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Who knew COTH was just as good for Chicken-enabling as it is for equine-enabling? :winkgrin:
Thanks to everyone for all the great info and insight. I’m obviously much further away from having chicks than I originally thought. But I want to make everything “right” before diving in. As I get my pig barn in shape, I’ll update (and probably ask more questions). 
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Yay chickens! Really, the sure fire way to ensure the hog barn gets done quickly is to buy your chicks :lol: My coop wasn’t done when we got chicks, either, but it sure was by the time the could go outside!
@McGurk getting the legs off that Brinsea plate is sooooo frustrating! One of these days I know I’ll snap those little tabby parts and totally fubar it. Sigh!
@chestnutmarebeware it’s so true! There’s just nothing funnier than little tiny birds doing their little dust bath and sunbathing routine. OMG.
I’m collecting eggs for the incubator! The lady who raises our holiday turkeys is interested in some isbar cross chicks. WAHOO. Yay babies!
Oh oh oh. One more weird thing about babies–the crop is not a tumor. Lots of newbies on the FB chicken pages freak out about the crop.
(The face wiping is what had me worried with my first ones. Hadn’t read anything about that. Was concerned it was the start of a respiratory thing? Nope!)
Well, that was my original thought, but since there are going to be more expenses in purchases than I had anticipated, it may take longer than the chicks are comfortable with staying in the house!
Which begs the question - how late is too late in the year to get new chicks? Should you not add them in summer when its blazing hot out? Or not get them in the fall, because they don’t get full grown before winter sets in? Or does it really not matter?
I don’t think it matters a WHOLE lot, but if it’s warm outside, it’s easier to move them out a little earlier than “fully feathered.” If it’s chilly–either early spring or getting into fall–they really do need to be feathered to keep themselves warm.
Also keep in mind that if your chickens age into point of lay in the winter when the days are short, you may not see eggs until spring. Some of this is breed dependent, but the shortest days are usually the leanest days for eggs, so some hens just won’t start laying, even if they’re “old” enough.
I hatched the first week in March and the first week in April. My single March Crested Cream Legbar started laying at the end of August (then stopped, for the most part), the March Isbars and March birchen Marans started in September (and continued through the winter), the April black copper Marans started in October or so (and did pretty well through the winter) but the April Crested Cream Legbar are just NOW starting to lay.
So if you want eggs before winter, consider getting birds earlier rather than later.
I got mine the first week in May. It was nice that I was able to put them outside earlier than if they were hatched earlier in the spring, but it also messed a little with the beginning of egg laying. Two or three of the five started laying in the late fall, but with the shorter days, the other 2 or 3 didn’t start laying at all until the days started getting longer again.
Ok - so maybe we’d be still be buying eggs for a while if we got chicks later rather than sooner. I just wanted to make sure buying in summer or fall wouldn’t affect their health/viability.
I vote for earlier because I sell eggs and if I don’t have spring hens “coming on line” in the fall; I don’t have enough production over the winter to keep my regular customers supplied.
However, I will also say, since my brooders are on my glassed in porch and I do not have a “grow out” area; by the time the birds are feathered out and able to be outside, I am really tired of chickens on the porch.
So you have to find a balance between those two things.
A sheltered grow out area would solve that nicely, but my spouse is opposed to building anything that might result in more chickens, however practical.
I have had the best luck with Orpingtons and Easter Eggers in terms of laying fairly early (18 - 20 weeks) and laying through their first winter. Next month I’m also purchasing some Golden Comet (popular commercial bird) pullets at point of lay to ensure good egg production this winter.
@TheJenners - you don’t want to heat them over the winter, especially where you live. Completely unnecessary, and if they grow dependent on it and then the power goes out, they are more likely to get sick. You’ll just want an outlet for some sort of heated water appliance, preferably kept in the run rather than the coop part. You want chickens to be dry-dry-dry and well-ventilated up at the highest point of the coop. Keep them dry and out of drafts and you won’t have any winter trouble. Mine just survived -30F without any heat just fine :yes:
I wouldn’t buy once it’s hot in the summer, I’d rather have the chicks come earlier in the spring. Too hot is hard on them. If you want the eggs as soon as possible and as plentiful as possible, definitely choose a sexlink. Different hatcheries give them different “brand” names like Golden Comet, Black Star, etc, but most people you talk to should understand what you want if you say red, black, or golden sexlink pullets. The reds will be a reddish brown color with white through their tail and a bit in the wings, the blacks will be mostly black but have some red feathers along their neck and breast, and Amberlinks will be a golden color with white, I do believe.
If you do choose to get sexlinks, I highly recommend not feeding typical 16% protein layer feeds. I would feed an 18-20% All Flock type feed and put a dish of oyster shell out on the side. I really like more protein for my layers, and birds that lay as much as the sexlinks seem to really benefit from more than 16%.
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Great point about going for the higher protein feed for layers! Couldn’t agree more.
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I’m a complete feed nerd :lol:
:love-struck: & I appreciate your Nerdness. :encouragement:
I’ve been feeding 16% forever.
I do make them plain oatmeal with plain yogurt every morning & always add any eggshells I have on hand crushed into that.
If I have surplus eggs, I also mix one into the oatmeal.
Extra protein & calcium in their breffy - about 1/4 cup per hen.
Treats are raisins (iron) on occasion & BOSS daily.
Along with any veggie scraps & if I have chicken bones they get those too.
You might say I spoil them :rolleyes:
But I may try switching to higher protein pellets in Winter.
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That is egg-cellent to hear!! You notice I haven’t said anything on social media yet… too much advice too early. Garden is busy enough!
So, feed nerds–how do we decide what brand to feed? My guys do crumbles and I like that, but I don’t know how to suss out of I should feed nutrena or blue seal or purina or what.
The birds get lots of extras, but how on earth do you “rank” the basics?
And holy cow organic is soooooo much more expensive :eek:
Good choice! You can message me anytime if you have any questions and don’t want a group pile-on
Honestly, I don’t really care about brand, I read tags. For myself, breeding heavy heritage birds, I feed 20%+ protein and make sure that it includes animal protein, that’s very important to me. So, what I usually end up getting is the local store brand of broiler crumbles. I raise chicks on 28% medicated turkey starter for the first 8 weeks, the only brand available here is Nutrena. I rank feed by the quality of protein and little else, and that works for my goals. I’m very anti-organic and anti- non-GMO. I prefer to support our conventional farmers, and I’m not paying twice as much for feed regardless. I also don’t want feed with a bunch of legumes like peas instead of soy.
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