Many people love baby chickens because they are cute and adorable.
No wonder so many people want to keep them as pets.
But having baby chickens as pets is not easy at all.
It takes a lot of effort and patience.
How to handle baby chickens
As chickens grow older, it is a lot easier to deal with them.
Because by now you are familiar with their behavior, and they are also not as delicate as they were when they were infants.
But while they are still babies, looking after them can be quite a difficult task.
One has to be very gentle and careful while handling baby chickens.
Listed below are some steps that are needed to be taken into consideration to handle baby chickens flawlessly.
Manage your time
Baby chickens need a lot of attention while growing up. You cannot afford to neglect them.
Plan the schedule of your day such that you should have enough time to give to them.
If you have any plans of going out, make sure there is someone back at home, who will keep a constant eye on them.
If you are too busy and can’t manage your time according to the infant chickens, then you should not have them as pets.
Give them a secluded area to live in
You should keep in mind that as the chickens will grow, they will occupy relatively more space.
It is better to give them a place to live that is a little away from your living area.
But it is also necessary that the place they live in is not too far away from where you live.
As it can make it difficult for you to keep a constant check on them.
You can use an area of your house that is not in use. It could be a car porch, a basement, or some other working space.
But you need to make sure that the area is safe for them and it is proper ventilation.
Also, baby chickens tend to make a lot of mess.
They would spill water, waste food and what not.
So you must be mentally prepared for it and should have a lot of patience.
Set them up with the right environment
First, you have to provide the baby chickens with a suitable temperature to live.
The required temperature varies at different stages of their growth.
During the first week of their lives, they need to be kept in a place where the temperature is about 95 degrees F.
While during the second week, 90 degrees F is a more suitable temperature for them to live.
Similarly, with every passing week, the temperature required is 5 degrees F lesser than the previous week.
This should go on till the time they are finally ready to be taken outside.
Second, make a small, warm house for them, for example, a card box.
But it should have proper ventilation for them.
For this purpose, one can create holes in the cardboard box.
It will also make them feel protected and safe. They should not be devoid of water at any point.
It should be available to them all the time.
Always check up on your baby chicks
Keep a check on the baby chickens all the time.
They might do things that could harm them. They could also end up spoiling their food or water.
Therefore, it is essential to monitor them continuously.
They should also be kept under observation, as it will let you discover a lot of things about their behavior.
If they crowd together in one little corner or portion under lighting, this means they are feeling cold, and that you need to make adjustments according to that.
If they are too scattered, it shows they are feeling too hot and that you need to fix that for them.
As much as we love and adore baby chickens, taking care of them while growing up can be challenging and would require discipline. T
One needs to act upon the steps suggested and be patient with them.
Once they are grown-ups, your efforts will show good results.
