Farming from Day 1

So you want to build your dream farm, but do you know where to begin? If you had chickens on your mind you may be interested in knowing more.

I think starting with something easy is the perfect way to explore farming. Tractor Supply started selling chicks that got my gears spinning. We bought the chicks and all of their supplies at Tractor Supply, which was awesome.

Hatchlings need a heat lamp, starter feed, waterer and shavings inside a tub. You can even use a large storage tote from walmart to start them in. Hatchlings at Tractor Supply are purchased by the half-dozen and it is a lot easier to maintain than you would think.

I quickly learned that they needed their shavings changed every couple of days. They grow quickly and they have nowhere else to move around so the shavings can become caked and smell. After about 2 weeks we decided to find a chicken coop.

We purchased an extra large chicken coop from TSC because we will eventually use the structure as one large coop, but for right now this coop can house 15 chickens. Perfect.

I have always gone back and forth of building vs. buying a chicken coop, but for $399 you get a walk-in run and 4 nesting boxes. Something to this scale would cost more to build. Moving right along...

The chickens were housed inside the garage with the heat lamp and shut up in the coop for the next couple of weeks. During that time we actually bought 6 more chicks and put up garden mesh fencing to divide the two groups.

This made the transition move to smoothly because the first batch, 2 weeks older, was able to see the new batch of hatchlings and there wasn't an issue of sharing food and water. Once I took down the mesh they acted like nothing changed.

After the second batch was about 4 weeks old we moved the chicken coop down by the pig pen. While we were tending to the chickens in the garage we set up a pen for two piglets that arrived. That post is on the Farming page as well on how to build a simple hog pen.

This transition was a little harder because the chickens were used to being in the garage and had no reason to migrate into the coop at night. I built a small door for the coop and I would let them out in the morning to eat and at dusk I would move them one by one back into the coop.

The chickens did not appreciate this and after 3 days they realized what I wanted them to do. Now I don't have the issue of moving them by hand, they migrate themselves. The next couple of days after they learned to move up in the coop at night I would still close the door as protection, but now I leave it open.

Overall the chickens and the coop are working out really well, but no eggs yet. They are still too young to be producing, but I'm enjoying the process of caring for 12 chickens.