MAMA HEN’S GUIDE
to raising spoiled-rotten chicks
If your chicks could make a course to teach you how they want to be raised, this would be it.
Did you know 99% of home chick brooder setups DO NOT meet all of a chick’s basic needs?
Chicks today are so misunderstood.
Because chicks are precocial—meaning they can walk and feed themselves shortly after hatching—people have been led to believe that chicks pretty much raise themselves.
Throw them in a box with some basic supplies (food, water, heat source)—then just let them be. When they’re fully feathered around 5 weeks, move them to their coop. That’s the traditional way of raising chicks.
But there’s nothing natural about this approach.
And it’s certainly NOT what’s in your chicks’ best interest. Scientific study after scientific study after scientific study shows that chicks raised the way mama hens raise them do so much better, both as chicks and later on as adults.
They’re significantly less fearful.
They’re more active and exploratory.
They have better spatial skills.
They eat more, dustbathe more, forage better, and perch earlier.
They form stronger social bonds and are less aggressive.
And they make better mamas themselves when they’re older (if they are inclined to broodiness).
The science is so clear. Chicks raised naturally just do better.
So why are we still raising our chicks with a hands-off, throw-‘em-in-a-box-and-leave-‘em-be approach?
Well, most of us don’t have mama hens to raise our chicks, for one. But it’s also because most of us just don’t know there’s a better way to raise chicks in our home brooders.
But here’s the truth. The information for how to raise chicks as naturally as possible in our home brooders is out there—in academic journals. It just hasn’t made its way to backyard chicken-keeping yet…
That is, until now…
3 things chicks need that they aren’t getting in traditional home brooders
Compared to chicks raised naturally, most chicks raised in home brooders are deprived of 3 main things:
Ample space to meet all their developmental milestones (with long-lasting effects on their future spatial navigation abilities)
Opportunities to explore novel objects and situations (so they’re able to live their richest lives with minimal fear)
The unconditional love and support of a caretaker (because they are babies, after all!)
Mama hens provide these things for their chicks naturally. But we humans need a little bit of extra help to understand how to integrate these into our brooder setup.
In this course, you’ll learn how to incorporate these natural experiences into your home brooder setup.
(For more on the science behind this, see sources here).
This is the only course you’ll find that’s based on the modern science of chick development, which, until now, has been almost entirely ignored in backyard chicken keeping.
For example, did you know your chicks need to be given special opportunities to navigate around solid objects that occlude their views on day 10 of their life in order to fully develop their spatial abilities?
No, of course you didn’t. Because nobody knows that, aside from natural science professors who specialize in chick biology research AND the people who take this course. (And yours truly, the ultimate chicken science nerd.)
In this course, you’ll learn about all the special developmental requirements your chicks need to meet in order to live their fullest lives as adults. You’ll learn exactly how to fulfill those requirements and on which days you need to do so, just like a mama hen would do.
Pippa has an “occlusion experience.” Occlusion experiences around day 10 of life are critical for spatial awareness development in your chicks.
Are you ready to raise your chicks the way nature intended—like a mama hen?
$50
PAY WHAT YOU WANT
This course is priced at $50, but truly no chicks should be deprived of this care due to their keeper’s inability or unwillingness to pay. So, my fellow featherbrain, pay what you want!
Please note: Although it’s important everyone has access to this info on how to best raise their chicks, purchases do ensure that I can continue making free content and courses like this.
If you think the information in this course is valuable too, spread the word to your Facebook groups and chicken forums! Let’s help as many keepers as we can to spoil their chicks rotten!
What kind of nutcase developed this course anyway?
Introducing yours truly, Bri Wyzard.
I am many things. A former research scientist. A life-long animal enthusiast. A shameless rooster fan-girl. A featherbrain (i.e., chicken-obsessed).
But mainly I’m known as the face behind the website and YouTube channel, The Featherbrain, where I apply the most up-to-date scientific research to the art of backyard chicken-keeping.
Basically, I’m the nerd who spends all her free time studying chickens (both through personal experience and the latest studies) so I can help all of us spoil our chickens rotten in the most fun and effective ways possible.
I made this course, Mama hen’s guide to raising spoiled-rotten chicks, because I wasn’t satisfied with the traditional method of raising chicks.
After raising my first batch of chicks traditionally, I just knew there had to be a better way.
The traditional brooder method treats the mother hen as if she’s superfluous—just stick the chicks in a box with some supplies and that’s all they need. Nurturing not required.
But that was just too different from what I knew chicks were getting in nature.
How could mama hen be superfluous? Is she really nothing to her chicks but a heat source? I knew my chicks must be missing out on something important in my brooder—I just didn’t know exactly what they were missing out on (or how much they were missing out on, for that matter).
So, I read literally hundreds of scientific papers on chicken behavior in nature, chick physiology, chick brain and behavioral development, and chick experimentation before putting this course together. And of course, I gleefully tested everything out on my own chicks first—and with incredible results!
My goal with these techniques is to both give my chicks the best lives I can possibly give them, and to develop the closest relationships with them I can possibly have. And to help you do the same.
Through imprinting, ample space, a safe and ultra-enriched environment, and unconditional love, I’ve managed to develop a method of raising chicks that’s as close to the mama hen method as possible.
And the difference between my adult chickens who I raised this way versus those raised more traditionally (before I knew any better) is staggering.
My adult chickens who were raised using the methods in this course have reduced levels of fear, are more explorative, more closely bonded to each other, and forever view me as their mama hen. They were tame and snuggly from day 1 and continue to be so to this day. They literally scream in excitement at the top of their lungs when they see me coming.
I put this course together so anyone who wants to do so can raise their chicks like a mama hen. I read hundreds of scientific papers to gain this knowledge (no exaggeration), and I’ve condensed everything that applies to our backyard chicks into this easy-to-follow course.
Is Mama hen’s guide to raising spoiled-rotten chicks right for you?
This course was made for two kinds of people.
#1 The newbie
This course was made for the newbie who wants to keep chickens as backyard pets—egg-laying pets, perhaps, but pets all the same.
That means this course is right for you if:
You are a total beginner.
You don’t have the first clue about birds. Crop? Choanal slit? Nictitating membrane? What’s that?
You’re confused by all the contradictory information you’re finding on raising chicks.
You’re overwhelmed by the sheer volume of chicken advice out there—especially because so much of it is conflicting.
You’re terrified that, despite your best intentions, you’re going to end up killing your chicks.
You just don’t know where to start.
You’re looking for clear, concise, and up-to-date information all in one place.
You want step-by-step help in raising chicks.
You want your chicks (and future adult chickens) to love you and to be as tame as possible.
You care about giving your chicks the best quality of life possible.
#2 The disillusioned seasoned keeper
This course was also made for the seasoned chicken keeper who isn’t fully satisfied with the traditional method of raising chicks and wants to do better for her feathered friends.
That means this course is right for you if:
You want your chicks to have the best possible start in life.
You want your chicks and future adult chickens to be low in fearfulness.
You want your chicks and future adult chickens to be tame. (If this is you, you’ll definitely want to see the lesson on imprinting.)
You want to have a closer relationship with your chicks (and future adult chickens).
You want to meet all of your chicks’ natural needs.
You want your chicks to have closer social bonds with each other and to be less aggressive.
However, if you are a seasoned chicken keeper, know that not everything in this course will be new for you. This course has, after all, been made with the total beginner in mind. This is one of the reasons I’ve made this course “pay-what-you-want,” so you don’t have to pay the full-price if you only want to watch some of the videos.
Are you ready to raise your chicks the way nature intended—like a mama hen?
$50
PAY WHAT YOU WANT
This course is priced at $50, but truly no chicks should be deprived of this care due to their keeper’s inability or unwillingness to pay. So, my fellow featherbrain, pay what you want!
Please note: Although it’s important everyone has access to this info on how to best raise their chicks, purchases do ensure that I can continue making free content and courses like this.
If you think the information in this course is valuable too, spread the word to your Facebook groups and chicken forums! Let’s help as many keepers as we can to spoil their chicks rotten!
This course is NOT for everyone.
This course is not for you if:
You are raising meat chickens, like broilers. Some of the information will still apply, but broilers have special requirements that aren’t covered in this course.
You are looking for the easiest way to raise chicks. Although the methods in this course aren’t hard, this course has been designed with your chicks’ best interests in mind. So, you’ll learn what’s best for your chicks, not what’s easiest for their keepers. If “easy” is more important to you, stick with the traditional method.
You view your chicks as livestock. This course is developed from the philosophy that chickens are more than “just livestock.” They are sentient social beings worthy of a high-quality life. There’s a reason this course is called Mama hen’s guide to raising spoiled-rotten chicks. Mama hens adore their babies, and you should adore your chicks too if you’re going to purchase this course.
What’s included in this course?
This is a pre-recorded online video course with several hours of videos that you can complete at your own pace (and rewatch as you please).
The videos are divided into 4 modules.
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*Where to brood your chicks and what temperature your room should be
*What type of enclosures you need for brooding your chicks
*When and how to give your chicks more space in their brooder enclosures
*Why chicks need different bedding their first week of life (and what to use)
*The 5 types of bedding that are safe for chicks following their first week of life
*The 5 incredibly popular bedding types that AREN’T safe for your chicks
*Options for brooder heat sources
*Everything you need to know about brooder heat plates
*How to use heat lamps as safely as possible
*When to stop using supplementary heat
*What kind of light your chicks need in their brooder and the duration of light your chicks need
*How to create a light schedule for your chicks if you’re raising them out-of-season
*The food your chicks need at different ages
*The difference between medicated and non-medicated feed and how to determine what’s best for your situation
*Why some people use electrolytes in their chicks’ water, and guidelines for whether you should or shouldn’t
*When, why, and how to give your chicks grit
*When it’s okay to give chicks treats, what to give them, and how much
*How to find the feeders and waterers that are best for your situation
*How many feeders and waterers you’ll need and how to best clean them
*How to prevent chick drowning
*Which toys your chicks need for proper development and when to introduce them to your brooder
*Which additional accessories your chicks need (for example, dustbathing accessories)
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*The weird things you need to know about chicken anatomy so you don’t accidentally kill your chicks or chickens
*The weird things you need to know about chicken anatomy so you don’t freak out when you first notice them
*Parts of your chickens that may need special care (for example, when spurs need to be trimmed)
*How to prevent chick health problems
*What chick pasting (also called ‘pasty butt’) is and how to treat it
*The most common chick diseases and health problems and how to recognize them
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*How to train your chicks to eat and drink
*How to train your chicks to a nipple waterer
*What the most common chick sounds are and what they mean
*How worried you need to be about chick poop making you sick
*How to imprint your chicks on you (my FAVORITE video!)
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*When and how to take your chicks outside for brief outings
*When and how to permanently move your chicks to their coop and run safely
*When your chicks should be roosting and how to help them roost at night
*How to set up nesting boxes for your chicks
*The tell-tale signs that your chicks are getting close to laying eggs
*How to help your chicks learn to lay in the nesting boxes
*What to expect with your chicks’ first eggs (spoiler alert: they are small and WEIRD!)
Imprinting 2-day-old chicks on me. You’ll learn how to do this in Module 3.
Are you ready to raise your chicks the way nature intended—like a mama hen?
$50
PAY WHAT YOU WANT
This course is priced at $50, but truly no chicks should be deprived of this care due to their keeper’s inability or unwillingness to pay. So, my fellow featherbrain, pay what you want!
Please note: Although it’s important everyone has access to this info on how to best raise their chicks, purchases do ensure that I can continue making free content and courses like this.