After working on building the coop all winter and getting the area in the house ready to receive my new pullets. I ordered them on the internet from Cackle Hatchery in Lebanon, Missouri. The type of chickens I wanted were pullets and would lay big brown eggs and were bred to lay. when the chicks are born the pullets are brown and the cockerels are yellow, pullets (female), cockerels (male). When they are one year old they become hens and roosters. The breed of my chickens are called Cinnamon Queens., brown with streaks of white. My chicks arrived at the post office on March 5Th 08 I ordered 15 pullets because I wanted to see how much room that they would take up. After picking them up and I had arrived home one of the pullets had expired, but the hatchery had put in a extra one for that reason, but the extra one was a cockerel and so I now I had 14 pullets and one cockerel. The chicks travel pretty well about all that they really need is heat, the chicks live off themselves for food and moisture for about 4 0r 5 days so the best time to to ship are right when they are first born.
I got them home as quick as I could , so, that I could get them warm and give them some water, as you put them in you dip their little becks in the water to show them what it is. put some paper towels on the floor so that they won't slip, throw a little chick feed on the floor to let them peck for food no litter because they would fill up on the saw dust and they could die. water at around 98 degrees so that when they drink the water won't lower the body heat, heat at around 95 to 103 and water at around 98. as the weeks go bye lower temps around 5 degrees each week.