Chicken Littles! 5 Fun Facts About Our Chicks
We are having a lot of fun with our newest arrivals! Our pastured poultry season planning begins in January each year, but things get real come April when these little fluffy guys start arriving. Because we raise our poultry outdoors the Utah winter weather just doesn’t work with our program so we have to wait until it gets a little warmer. We have deliveries scheduled from the hatchery every three to four weeks after our first group is here through the summer and fall, as we rotate each group of birds out of the brooder and into the pasture.
Here are a few fun facts about our chicks at the farm:
1. Chicks hatch with about two days worth of nourishment in them already, making it possible to transport them without food quickly to the farm. The United States Postal Service is the only company who will ship live poultry.
2. They are a Cornish Cross breed. Their feathers will be white and they are a bulkier bird than the laying hens most are used to seeing. Meat birds have been bread for their larger breast meat. Laying hens are bred for their eggs.
3. We purchase what's called "straight run", which means it's a mix of males & females. It is possible to purchase only males or only females but we really don’t have a preference.
4. We keep the temperature in their brooder around 90 degrees for the first week, then drop it two degrees per day so they can get used to “room temperature” before moving outdoors. We don’t want to give them a shock when they get to pasture!
5. Chicks stay in the brooder for about three weeks, long enough for them to get most of their feathers for warmth, and be strong enough to stay outside.
We plan on our first chicken to be available to purchase in June and will likely offer them online as we begin sales. Email subscribers will be the first to know - sign up here!