When I went to purchase things for our chicks, I was quickly overwhelmed with articles from experienced chicken raisers with large flocks giving their advice. I was a BEGINNER, with only 4 chicks to start out with. I didn't want to invest a whole pile of money into my chicks and really had to narrow down what was essential... and what wasn't. Here are some things that I found are not necessary for getting through the first few weeks while raising chicks. (Please note: This article is just my opinion! After I purchased my chickens, I thought that these were items that I needed to have to raise happy and healthy chickens..... and although these things are wonderful to have, I raised my chicks without them just fine!)

1. Coop

Coops are not necessary during the first few weeks of life! So, when you bring home a flock of chicks you can have a few weeks to get one figured out as long as you have appropriate shelter for your growing friends. I always suggest planning ahead... but in my case waiting to get a coop worked in my favor because I quickly wanted more chicks and would have needed a bigger coop almost immediately!

2. Roosting materials

Grown chickens love to roost while they sleep. If you plan to have roosting bars in your coop (which I highly recommend), you may find it beneficial to add in some things for your chicks to practice perching on. There are roosting toys that you can find online or in pet stores, or you can build them using things you have around your house if you don't want to purchase one which is what I ended up doing. Either way, these are not necessary for the first few weeks!

3. Brooder Boxes

Brooders are a fancier option for housing your chicks for the first few weeks. They are a step up from a DIY box or crate set up, but definitely a more expensive option. I opted against purchasing a brooder box, and made my own makeshift box with things I had in my house to cut down costs. The most important thing is that your chicks have a safe, clean space to live.

4. Medications

When you step into a farm supply store to stock up on the essentials you will more than likely notice a SLEW of different medications for chickens. If you want to stock up in case something happens you are more than welcome to have them on hand (beware of expiration dates if things go unused for a long period of time!) but they are definitely not a necessity to have right away if you have healthy happy chicks!

5. Brooder Plates

Brooder plates are fancier options for warming your chicks. Brooder plates are basically a little plug in heated plate that the chicks can sit under. It gives off more consistent heat and does not pose as much of a fire hazard, but they will set you back a little bit more financially and aren't necessary if you are cautious with a heat lamp. Heat is a necessity, brooder plates are not!

There you have it! These are the items that I found are not necessary to get chicks through their first few weeks of life. If you are looking to save a few bucks when you get started with chicks, these are where I would start!

If you are interested in more chicken reads.... I have an article about the NECESSITIES for raising chicks that you can read here: A Complete List of Everything You NEED to Raise Chicks for the First 6 (ish) Weeks - Beginner Friendly Chicken Raising (coopdeclem.com)