Instructions
Start with healthy chicks. Purchase Sultan chickens from a reputable hatchery so you're confident that the chicks come from healthy parents.
Lay burlap down in the bottom of a cardboard box to give the new chicks a floor that is soft but provides good footing for their tender feet. Put chicken litter on top of the burlap and place the chicks inside the box. Change the burlap often to help keep the litter clean and fresh.
Arrange electric or battery operated heat lamps over the box so the temperature taken at one inch above the floor of the box is a consistent 95 degrees F. One or two 25 or 40-watt exposed light bulbs located at one end of the box also works. Cover the box to keep the heat inside and check the temperature often to keep it constant.
Pour feed and water into mason jar lids and place them in the bottom of the box. Chicks can live for about 72 hours on the egg yolk they consume prior to hatching, but they'll start eating right away if given the chance. After a few days to a week, the chicks are big enough that you can replace the lids with commercial feeders and waterers or with feeders and waterers made from plastic gallon milk jugs with a large hole cut in one side.
Feed the chicks a starter mash consisting of granules or crumbles with 18 to 20-percent protein and a cocoidiostat to develop the chick's immunity to cocoidiosis. Feed them nothing else to start but make sure they always have access to food.
Reduce the temperature in the box by 5 degrees after one week. Continue to reduce the temperature 5 degrees per week thereafter.
Remove the chicks from the box at 4 to 6 weeks of age and relocate them to an elevated enclosure to make cleaning easier.
Start adding chicken scratch to the starter mash once the chicks reach eight weeks of age. At 10 weeks, switch the starter mash to growing mash and gradually increase the chicken scratch so that the feed is half growing mash and half chicken scratch by the time they're 16 weeks old.
Provide housing that protects the chickens from the elements and predators. It also needs to be large enough to provide for exercise and nesting. The housing must allow for easy access to food and water and be easy for you to clean frequently.
Construct a Sultan chicken house with good ventilation, a thick layer of insulation around the outside along with a solid vapor barrier to keep the interior dry, and plenty of light. Sultans can actually be raised entirely inside but prefer some outside time for exercise and access to light.
Dust each bird with insecticide powder once a month to prevent parasites. Each bird also needs to be seen by a veterinarian for annual vaccinations.
Raise Sultan chickens together but isolated from other species, as these are docile birds who don't fight or defend themselves well against more aggressive types of chicken.
How to Raise Exotic Sultan Chickens
Sultan chickens are an exotic breed of chicken raised for exhibition and as pets rather than for their eggs or meat. Their temperament requires that they be sheltered and well taken care. They are naturally docile to the point of being tame, rather delicate (especially in wet weather and winter) and don't forage well for food.