There really isn’t anything cuter then baby chicks in my opinion. About 5 weeks ago we got 30 cute little fluffy, yellow, chirping chicks delivered to our house. Now, fall isn’t the normal time for most people to get chicks because of the cold season approaching. However, we are not most people! We live in baked North Texas and with it being the middle of October we are still seeing temps in the 90’s! There are drawbacks and positives to the weather being like this. One of the positives is that we have the time to raise a batch of market chicks. This normally takes 8 weeks, give or take. Here is a sweet video on when the market chicks were released from their brooder and put into their first outdoor space.

Thoughts on Market Chicks

I know people are having a hard time with understanding how we can take these cute little chicks and love them and take care of them. And in 8 weeks butcher them and put them in the freezer. But, I think it makes more sense then going to the store and buying chicken without knowing how it lived it’s life, the things it was feed and then how it’s life ended. We care how we take care of chickens on our homestead. Check out this blog.

Feeding and Watering Market Chicks

We feed a medicated start and grow chick feed along with fresh water every day. It’s important to get them off to a healthy start. As market chickens there is a set amount of weeks that we want to feed them. When they outgrow our brooder they go into a small outdoor area where they will stay until they get big enough for them to be put into our grow out pen which is in pasture.

That is where we are in the process of growing out this fall’s market chicks. I like to go into winter with a freezer full of chicken. I have a page here where I have shared some of our chicken recipes. Please check it out.

Here is to your homesteading dreams,

Shawn