I'm thinking of raising chickens that lay eggs

yeah its a great idea

chickens are a good way to start being self sufficient

That really sounds like something very fun to get into. I remember my aunt used to have chickens and i'd have fun looking for the eggs. They weren't really caged so you'd have to look all over the property until you found where one liked to lay. Anyway good luck and i think when i have a big enough yard i'm going to do the same.

Today one of my friends found an egg next to my roosters' coop. Then we found out that the egg was fertile and little Pepper was a hen. I'm a bit nervous myself because I've never actually cared for a chicken from the egg, but I got my chickens from the infamous Avian Pox, which made them sick, I cared for both at about a month old out of the egg. Any information you can tell me besides that I should take about five degrees off of the heat every week?

Thanks. =D

with young chicks always make sure they have water, feed and warmth

make sure the water is very shallow and raised just a little from the floor of the coop---they will try and drown in it

don't handle them very much they are very fragile

don't give them too much room to wander around in and get lost from their sources of warmth, food, water

give them something dry to bed in

if you see them all huddled together right under heat source they are to cold