Pros of Raising Chicks versus Started Pullets

 

Have you ever wanted chickens, but didn't want the hassle of raising little, peeping chicks into adult chickens? Or maybe you would like to buy chicks and raise them yourself, but are afraid they might die from a host of possible hazards (dog, cat, ect...)? Possibly you just thought it would be nice to have chickens, but don't know what options are out there to get them? Never fear! This two part series will discuss the pros and cons of raising chicks versus buying mature chickens. 

Probably the most common method of getting chickens is to start by purchasing day old chicks from a hatchery. For the first few weeks, there is very little needed to provide ample space and the chicks are generally low maintenance. The two most important things to keep an eye out for is the temperature of the brooder (chick's home) and the availability of feed/water. Essentially, check to make sure that the chicks are wandering around the brooder and chirping happily instead of bunching together and screeching. Chicks are especially vocal when it comes to how they react with their environment. 

My main reason(s) for purchasing day-old chicks primarily center around: getting used to the batch of birds, spread out starting cost, as well as limiting any chances for disease to arise. 

Buying day old chicks and raising them up to adults does take time, don't get me wrong. As a matter of fact, you'll spend 4.5-5 months getting them to maturity! However, during that time, you get used to what is normal about the flock, which will enable you to spot anything wrong with the flock in the future fairly quickly. If there is one thing that I have noticed, it's that each batch of chickens is different from the another. Some batches like to stay close together in a group, whereas others like more space. Some are more partial to bugs instead of grass, or vice versa. These quirks can be beneficial in the long run to accurately gauge what your flock really needs. Books and articles on chickens are really helpful, but are more-so a generalization of chicken behavior. Taking time to study your flock's behavior will ultimately make your chicken-raising experience better. I personally think that the raising period is also beneficial for the birds because they become more comfortable around their owner, which limits stress. Of course, part of this also depends on how the birds are cared for. Another benefit to starting with day old chicks is that every chicken breed is available as a day old chick (the options seem endless!). Started pullets (also known as point-of lay pullets) are typically only available for certain breeds, so there are fewer options to choose from. 

Starting out with day old chicks is one way to spread out the starting costs associated with chickens. For instance, chicks require significantly less infrastructure and space than adult birds. Although the closer they get to maturity, those items become more and more necessary, but during the raising period, larger coops, nest boxes, roosting bars, and the like, can be slowly incorporated. On the other hand, buying ready-to-lay pullets requires a fully functional setup to achieve success. I might also add that ready-to-lay pullets are anywhere from 5 to 8 times more money versus buying chicks. Of course, the value of the chick will increase as it gets older, but the cost is spread out instead of completely up-front. While I'm not advocating for "cutting it close" when it comes to having a proper set up for the chickens, it can be beneficial to have wiggle room when deciding the layout for a coop, or something related. For example, since I got a bunch of ducklings this spring/summer, I utilized my portable shelters during the raising period. A few weeks before the ducks were fully mature, I started planning on building a permanent barn for them to live in, which ended up allowing the ducks to transition into a permanent residence before they fully matured, which put less stress on them (and me). 

This last point really only applies if you have an existing flock. One of the last things you want to happen to a flock is for them to get some sort of disease. Two common ways for disease to pop up in a flock is either through a gross lack of sanitation, or contact with unfamiliar birds (wild birds or foreign chickens). Lets say there's an ad on craigslist or Facebook Marketplace that shows a flock of chickens for sale. This is a really great deal, and there are several of the breeds you like listed in this particular flock. So, you show up to buy the chickens (lets say that these chickens live in a coop with a run, and its not the cleanest of living spaces), then take them home and release them into your coop with your existing chickens. After a few days, you notice several of the chickens (both existing and new) start to show signs of sickness. Before you know it, some chickens start to die, and then the whole plan of expanding a flock backfires! As you can see, (even though this example is somewhat extreme) throwing a bunch of birds together from different backgrounds doesn't always work out well. In commercial chicken farming, this would be a huge violation of biosecurity (literally, "life-protection"). Not that buying birds off the internet is bad, it just means that you better have an extra coop to "quarantine" the new birds in so you can control any diseases that might pop up, which can be cost effective for a very small amount of chickens, but becomes impractical for large flocks. Raising chicks from day one allows their immune systems to become calibrated to the same environment that the existing flock is in, which makes for a smooth transition period later down the road, and eliminates the worry about disease. 

Tune in next week for "the Cons of Raising Chicks versus Started Pullets!"