NATURE'S HATCHERY

             Shipping Nationwide

Raising Chicks Successfully

Day of arrival through Maturity

When you place your order, we will give you a

hatch date that your birds should ship on. Since

we are dealing with live products, it is hard to

guarantee any aspect of the industry, but we

do our absolute best to fill your expectations.

About 2 days before your birds are scheduled

to ship, it is a good idea to set up your brooder

and preheat it to ensure there will be no

problems when your birds arrive. You will need

a large appliance box or 2-3 foot high circle of

cardboard to cut down on drafts, (if you make

your own brooder), a red 250 - watt heat bulb with a brooder lamp that has a ceramic socket, feeders, waterers, and 2-3 inches of pine shavings or straw for bedding (do not use cedar, as it will kill the birds). When all is set up, hang your heat lamp securely about 18 inches off of the bedding with 2 feet clearance from all other structures. Place a thermometer under the bulb at chick level to ensure that the temperature stays at 95 degrees and holds. Your local feed store should have chick feed. They come in breed appropriate types, the waterfowl should be fed a waterfowl starter, and chicks should be put on a chick feed. Turkeys and broilers need a bit more protein- many dealers carry a super high protein mix for turkeys, and a lesser feed designed just for broilers, to maximize growth. Do not buy pelleted feed, as the chicks can only handle small granules. We do not recommend medicated feed, especially for inoculated birds or waterfowl as it will kill these in particular. Layer feed contains too much calcium and will kill chicks as well.

                                        Hatch day is a very busy day here at the                                               hatchery, as there are multitudes of chicks                                           needing to be taken out of the hatcher and                                           packaged into boxes. Depending on the                                                weather, and the quantity of chicks                                                       ordered, we may just place the chicks in a                                            box and ship them; at other times, when                                               the weather is cooler, we may need to

                                        cover the holes and/or put a heat pack in to ensure a safe arrival. We do our best to get the birds to you in good condition, and the Postal System does the rest!

Shipping can take 1-3 days, in which the chicks are fed through the yolk of the egg, (they draw it into their abdomen just before hatching). There are usually no problems during shipping, and losses are uncommon.

Upon arrival at your post office, the carrier will call you to notify you that your chicks are in. Before you leave to pick them up, take some sugar water in a bottle or other small container (1 part sugar to 4 parts warm water) or chick electrolyte with you, to perk up any droopy birds (use the cap & dip their beak in before putting them back).  Before taking the box home with you, open the box in the presence of the postmaster to verify live delivery. You will need your carrier's signature for any losses that occur during shipping if you want to be reimbursed.

If chicks appear stressed or "sleepy", just give them more of the electrolyte. Do not chill them on the way back by keeping them out of the box with the windows open, etc.

                                      When you have your birds safely home,                                               place them in your pre-heated brooder, and                                          dip their beaks in the water first, then the                                            feed to teach them where to find it. you                                                 should observe the chicks for the first while                                          to make sure they are doing well- if they                                               huddle under the heat, they are too cold, and the lamp needs to be lowered a tad. If they pant, spread out, and/or stay in the corners or along the sides, it is too hot, and they need the lamp raised. Chicks should be active, with some sleeping, some eating and drinking, and others running around. Be careful with waterfowl, as they can sometimes arrive dehydrated, and over-drink. You should check on your birds quite a few times during the day and especially the first night (a necessity in cool weather).

You should change the bird's bedding several times per week or as necessary. keeping waterfowl with other types of birds especially makes this important, as they like to scatter water, which causes a damp environment for other birds (turkey poults, especially, need clean, dry bedding).

As your birds get older, you can put them out

on range, provided they are well feathered out

on their backs or heads, whichever comes first.

This should be about 6 weeks old for most types

of fowl, and 8-10 weeks old if you are raising

them in a cold climate.  A pen that is covered

with netting is a good idea to minimize hawk

and owl predation for the first few weeks when they are still small. In summer's heat, ensure that the birds have a constant supply of fresh water, and a good amount of ventilated shade at all times of the day.

It is imperative to keep feed in front of growing chickens, turkeys, guineas, gamebirds etc., as they can be cannibalistic, especially in confinement.

                    Just before your birds begin to lay, (usually about 20-                         30 weeks), it is a good idea to switch them to a breeder                        ration appropriate to the variety, and put the chickens                         on layer feed. This will cause them to produce in                                  optimum condition. Set up nest boxes in dark spots of the housing to familiarize the hens with them before they lay, and  provide 16-18 hours of light daily. A good free range diet of insects and plants ensures optimal health.

When birds begin producing, check nests 2-3 times

per day to ensure egg freshness, and change nest

material about 4 times per week to ensure the cleanest

eggs. No males are needed for the hens to lay eggs,

but if you want your eggs to hatch, you will need them, about one male per five to seven females. If you are planning on hatching the eggs in an incubator, store the eggs for no more than seven days in a cool (not cold), humid room, preferably on a slight angle. You can place them on an incubator turner for best results if you wish. If you want to let your hens set, first ensure you have a setting breed, (Orpington, Wyandotte, Cochin, Brahma, Muscovy, etc.,) and just let the eggs pile up in the nests until there are 10-20 eggs. If you never disturb the birds in any way before or during the hatch, your hen should set for about a month, and then come off with a sizeable hatch, which they are good at taking care of.

Feel free to call us at any time to ask questions. We work with birds year round and should be able to answer any questions you have. We look forward to serving you!

Nature's Hatchery

630-428-7860

natureshatchery@yahoo.com