Buckeyes are a large heavy breed developed for the cold winters and the humid hot days of Ohio. Mine do very well in our hot/dry summers. They like any creature require shade, water, and occasionally moist dirt to bath and cool down. They do forage; they should not be confined. Lots of WATER in hot weather.Almost any non-medicated check starter feed works well...a local feed store should be able to give you guidance on a starter, a developer (often the same as starter) , and layer. Baby chicks eat all the time. It is best to have multiple feeders and waters. The ones that use a quart jar size container are great. Always have extra feed if you are not near the feed store. My chicks are unsexed...meaning that approximately half will be cockerels...all but two will be meals for your family. Buckeyes are brooders and great moms. The real joy of having a backyard flock is observing the mothering and the chicks behavioral growth. Keep two roosters in case something happens!! I sell in units of twenty-five plus a few as loss coverage. Chicks shipping boxes are designed for twenty-five and one hundred. Keep the box as a reminder of how small the chicks were...the birds will grow to be larger than the box. I supply day-old chicks to very satisfied backyarders for six dollars ($6) each plus the USPS Express shipping fee.