Care Guides
Care Guide: Live Hatchlings
When you first receive your hatchlings, there's a few things you will want to do upon their arrival to give them the best start after their journey from our homestead to yours!
Be sure your brooder is set up before their arrival with appropriate bedding (we like pine shavings- avoid cedar due to respiratory issues), a heat lamp set roughly 12" above the bedding that they can get completely under AND completely away from, room temperature water in a chick waterer (the addition of a poultry electrolyte packet for the first day or two will give them an extra boost and encourage them to keep drinking!), and starter crumbles available free choice 24/7. I like to initially keep my waterer near the heat lamp area so they can warm up and drink at the same time.
A SPECIAL NOTE ON HEAT LAMPS/BROODER PLATES:
While brooder plates are increasing in popularity due to their safety, it is NOT recommended to use a brooder plate initially when you receive shipped chicks. Shipped chicks need to rapidly increase their body temperature immediately upon arrival, and brooder plates do not get to a high enough temperature to do that adequately. If you prefer to use a brooder plate, we recommend using a heat lamp for just the first 48 hours then switching over to the brooder plate.
When transferring your hatchlings from the box to your brooder, it's a good idea to gently dip their beaks into their water so they know where to find it and allow them an hour of quiet time to warm up, drink, eat, and settle in.
As your hatchlings grow and develop feathers over the next few weeks, you'll notice they will need less and less heat. You will need to raise the brooder plate or raise the heat lamp gradually as needed. They will tell you what they need: huddling beneath the heat source means they're cold and it needs lowered; crowding under shadows or far away from the heat source means they're hot and it can be raised. Your hatchlings are ready to leave the brooder and go outside without heat when they are fully feathered.
Care Guide: Hatching Eggs
When you first receive your shipped hatching eggs, there's a few special things you can do to increase your chances for a successful hatch!
Once you receive your eggs, you will want to candle them to check for any cracks and to check the condition of the air cell. Allow the eggs to "rest" and settle from their journey overnight before starting incubation. For fully detached air cells, we like to incubate those upright (air cell up) for several days before initiating turning.
We highly recommend using a separate, calibrated thermometer to ensure the temperature of your incubator is correct. Some incubators (the styrofoam models are especially notorious) will have a dashboard reading that is several degrees off from reality which can cause development to start but a failed hatch.
Remember, shipping can be hard on eggs depending on how their trip goes. Shipped eggs can have anywhere from a 0-100% hatch rate, with an overall lower rate expected when compared to non-shipped eggs.