Raising chicks
Questions before buying the baby chicks :
1. Do I have enough time for the chickens ?
2. Do I have a safe chicken coop with enough space ?
3. Can I afford them ? What's my budget ?
Preparations before getting the baby chicks :
1. Red heating lamp when it is under 30 degrees celsius (~90F)
2. brooder ( I used a big cardboard box we got at costco )
3. chick starter feed
4. feeder and waterer
5. pine shavings ( not too small because they can't see the difference between them and food )
Action Plan
Week 1
- After getting them from the hatcher farm give them water, food and keep the heating lamp on 24/7.
- Dip their beaks into the food and water so they now how to eat/drink.
Mix boiled crumbled egg yolk into their food so they get protein and energy.
Week 2
- Hang the heating lamp a little bit higher so it is not too hot since they are growing stronger feathers.
- Always keep their environment clean and give them water/food and warmth 24/7.
Week 5
- Add kitchen scraps to their diet.
- As long as the temperature doesn't fall under 15celsius they don't need a heating lamp.
Week 20
- In this week they should be laying eggs but it can vary. So prepare a nesting box after week 15.
Dates and ATL's
Self-Management
Plan and manage activities to develop a solution or complete a project :
I wrote down what I need to buy for the first few weeks of raising chickens.
Research
Make a connections between a variety of resources :
Utilize different media to obtain different perspectives :
I made my research on different websites to have different perspectives and to connect them to have a good overall solution.
Thinking
Plan to achieve a goal, including identifying targets and outlining steps :
I outlined what I need to do for raising chickens with an action plan.
Self-Management
Keep an organised and logical system of information files/notebooks :
I made a daily planner/check list for my chickens to note down what happened each day.
July 24 Day 1
July 26 Day 3
Thinking
Identify trends and forecast possibilities :
After one week of having chickens I realised that they grow very fast and that they eat a lot. I started to buy some reserves.
August 6 Day 14
August 14 Day 22
Thinking
Identify trends and forecast possibilities :
After 31 days I moved the chickens to the chicken coop because they are too big for the brooder I had for them and they have enough feathers for the colder days.
September 10 Day 49
Thinking
Identify obstacles and challenges :
Use multiple processes and diverse perspectives to explore alternative solutions :
I built these 2 nesting boxes from 2 little stools we didn't need and a piece of wood. My first idea was to put hay under the stool so the chickens have a kind of nesting box, but I had a better idea where the chickens would have more space to sit higher since chickens like to be in a higher position. I will demonstrate that idea later.
September 30 Day 69
October 24 Day 93
Thinking
Troubleshoot systems and applications :
Evaluate solutions to problems :
Since we often stand on the area in front of the chicken coop door, the soil there got very muddy and to make it easier to step on it my grandpa and me put old leftover stones on the mud.