10 Helpful Facts for Raising Chicks on the Homesteadby Alexa Lehr | The Pioneer Chicks | March 12, 2024This post may contain affiliate links. See our Disclosure for more information. Whether it’s your first time brooding chicks on the homestead or not… there’s always new tips and tricks to learn...

Broody Hen 101: Troubleshooting a Broody Henby Alexa Lehr | The Pioneer Chicks | June 13, 2023This post may contain affiliate links. See our Disclosure for more information. A broody hen can be a great asset to the homestead flock! When a hen goes broody, she wants to set on...

How to Care for a Sick Baby Chickby Alexa Lehr | The Pioneer Chicks | May 30, 2023This post may contain affiliate links. See our Disclosure for more information. Chicks are often hardier than we give them credit to be, but they are also small and dependant when they are...

How to Treat Crooked Toes in Chicksby Alexa Lehr | The Pioneer Chicks | May 16, 2023This post may contain affiliate links. See our Disclosure for more information. So, the chicks have hatched and are now running around the brooder like wild things… all except one, who seems to hop,...

Homestead Chick Growth Guide (with pictures)by Alexa Lehr | The Pioneer Chicks | May 9, 2023This post may contain affiliate links. See our Disclosure for more information. Your homestead brood’s needs will change rapidly as they grow. In order for chicks to mature into healthy, productive adults, each crucial milestone...

Splay leg is a condition that will cause a chick to not be able to stand and walk properly. It is an unhealthy condition that can even lead to death if the splay leg is not addressed quickly. However, splay leg can be fixed in young chicks, and chicks who...

Should Chicks be Fed Medicated Chick Starter Feed?by Alexa Lehr | The Pioneer Chicks | April 11, 2023This post may contain affiliate links. See our Disclosure for more information. Raising a healthy brood of chicks, naturally, is always the goal on the homestead! When deciding what to feed your brood,...

How much does it cost to raise chicks? Do you know how much of an investment those cute little fluff balls will be for your homestead budget? I didn’t either until I started keeping poultry expense records for my 4-H poultry project each year. Every year I would record what...

Coccidiosis is a very common chicken disease that is most prevalent in young chicks and chickens. It is a protozoal disease that destroys the intestinal lining in a chicken’s gut. Acute coccidiosis can lead to death. The coccidia protozoa are found nearly everywhere there are chickens present. It naturally exists...

What is coccidiosis? Coccidiosis is one of the most common chicken ailments to affect young chicks. Coccidiosis is a protozoal disease that destroys the intestinal lining, causing malnutrition and sometimes unrepairable damage to the instestines. Since coccidiosis is so common, it is one of the biggest health concerns when raising...

When a mama hen can’t be used to raise your chicks, that means you are responsible for providing them with a safe and protected area in which to grow for the first few weeks of their life. A brooder can provide the perfect oasis if it is set up in...

An external heat source is critical for raising young chicks since they can’t control their own body temperature for the first few days of their life. Their fluffy down feathers do not help trap body heat which makes it difficult for chicks to maintain a stable body temperature on their...

Chicks need supplemental heat to stay warm, healthy, and to mature into strong adults. Supplemental heat is most crucial for the first 4 weeks of a chick’s life. However, the supplemental heat will need to be weaned off starting at 1 week of age. Once the chicks are old enough,...

Raising a healthy homestead brood means knowing what to feed chicks as they grow and mature. Chicks can eat just about any food from a very young age, however, it’s important that we monitor what foods they eat, how much they eat of any given food, and how frequently we...

Once you start raising chicks, pasty butt becomes a part of everyday lingo. And yes, pasty butt is just as gross as it sounds. Knowing how to identify, and most importantly, how to treat pasty butt in baby chicks is essential to raising a healthy brood. However, you should also...

Should I buy chicks from breeders or hatcheries? As a homesteader, you may find yourself asking this question. Even if you haven’t asked yourself this question, it is a good question to consider when deciding where to source your homestead flock from. While both sources have their advantages, there are...

Spring on the homestead often leads to a major case of chick fever! Whether you are looking to start your first homestead flock or wanting to add to your existing homestead flock, there are some things to consider before getting chicks this spring for the homestead! These 6 tips for...

It’s the dilemma that every homesteader will face at some point in their chicken raising experience… how to tell if a chick is a pullet or a cockerel? Knowing how to sex chicks and chickens is a helpful skill to have on the homestead. Being able to tell male chicks...

You may have a good start on knowing how to raise baby chicks, and you probably already have a plan for when those chicks are mature, but what about while they are growing? Learning how to manage growing chickens is important for the health and well being of your future...

I have incubated hatching eggs using both an incubator and a broody hen. Starting off using an incubator to hatch eggs made me realized just how much easier it is to let a mother hen hatch eggs! Honestly, I thought caring for a broody hen while she is incubating eggs...