Henny Penny Hatching Chicken Hatching
	Menu Home Contact Us Franchises for Sale Access to Instructions and Resources Parents FAQ Taking Chicks Home Galleries Enquiry Form Breeds Student Project Resources		TAKING CHICKENS HOME All You Need To Know                                                                         You will need to take home 2-3 chicks.                    ( Chicks are flock birds and need each other to be reared successfully). The chicks will require:- - draught proof environment in a room with 70 degrees (f) temperature - light producing at least 100 degrees (f) at floor level - bedding material - wood shavings - heat source until fully feathered approximately 5-6 weeks.           Initially for 3 chicks a large open topped cardboard box approximately 2’x 1’6” will suffice, shavings for bedding, a small feeder, drinker with a suspended lamp with at least a 60 watt bulb for heat. (Desk Lamp).             Any heat source must be carefully mounted to minimize fire risks. (Wood shavings, drinkers. feeder and food (chick starter crumb) can all be purchased at your local produce agent).   Pullets  (female poultry) start laying about 19 weeks of age. At this time they will require:-                                                                                                 - a special shed with nest boxes and perches - large feeder ( that can be hung and provides feed automatically – allow 6”per bird around the feeder for ample feeding space - a large automatic drinker (ask your Produce Agent for advise) - a secure fully enclosed pen to run into preferably on grass and in the shade. All the following drawings are from a book called `Barnyard in your Backyard'. (edited by Gail Damerow and published by Storey Publishing).  It is an excellent book for beginners who wish to raise chickens or any other farm animals.  It covers all aspects of husbandry. Chicken Coop and Run There are a number of ways that you can set up a `coop' and run for your chickens depending on how many chickens you anticipate owning!!  You need to be aware that dogs will try to get into your pen, so may crows and hawks depending on where you reside. An aviary can be modified with a run added to it ,if you are not able to build a coop!  Or  you may wish to be adventurous and build something unusual!  Have a look at the American site www.backyardchickens.com and see all the different coops that they have also simple ideas for nesting boxes etc.   We are able to obtain a small coop for about $250.( see photo below)  Contact Herman on 0430 044 722 Nesting Boxes Chicken Perches ( you can also use branches of dead trees !) The following are available at Produce Merchants. Chicken Feeders Chicken Drinkers The above items come in all sizes  therefore if you are only have 3 chicken you will need a smaller version for your set up.  Try introducing new chicks in the evening  (dusk time).  It appears that the older chickens accept new ones into the flock if they appear in the morning to have been there all the time!! We wish you lots of fun and enjoyment with your project.   Further information to help you answer your children's questions   STRUCTURE OF AN EGG   An egg is made up of five sections  (1) The Shell is made up of nearly pure calcium carbonate and is covered by a transparent substance known as the cuticle or bloom.  There are a number of minute pores in the shell to enable a developing chick to obtain oxygen during its hatching period and also to allow moisture evaporation. Closely adhering to the shell are two (2) Shell Membranes which act as a barrier for bacteria entering the egg.  Soon after an egg is laid at a temperature of 40 C it cools and causes the inner membrane to pull away from the outer membrane at the blunt end of the egg and form the air cell which can be used in grading to judge the approx. age of an egg. (3) The Albumen (white) consists of four layers - the chalaziferous layer being closely applied to the yolk. (4) The Yolk is surrounded by a thin Vitelline membrane and the  (5) Germinal Disc can be seen as a very smell spot on the centre surface of the yolk, from which the chick develops in a fertile egg.  Two twisted strands of thick albumen, the Chalazae, hold the yolk in the centre of the egg		Venues Schools Childcare Nursing Homes Retail Other Welfare of Chickens Health Issues