On September 9, I reported that the eggs we had in the incubator had started to hatch. We ended up with 26 chicks and 25 have survived. We left the baby chicks in the incubator for 24 hours until they dried and then placed them in a 100 gallon water tub with a warming light over it keeping one end of the tank 100 F degrees. Chicks arrive with at least 48 hours of energy and after that start to drink water and eat chick starter (fine ground high protein grain). We left them in the tank for two weeks and then moved them over to the old barn.

We have a special area fenced in quarter inch wire to protect them where they have room to run around in the day and sticks to roost on. We still have to use the warming light as many of our nights are in the low to mid 50's. The little chicks huddle in a circle under the light avoiding the middle where is ti most hot. they adjust where they sit based on their need for heat. Our little chicks are very spoiled and have lots of TLC.

If you want to compare how our little chicks are raised versus what happens to the chickens that turn into your dinner or lay your eggs, it is not a pretty sight in either of these videos. Thank goodness someone shares these videos to educate us.

Our chicks will graduate in a month to the chicken yard and start enjoying the search for bugs and worms and grass seeds. They are free range and at night snuggle against their mom's on the roost waiting to grow up and lay eggs.