New to chicks and don't know where to start? This post has everything you need to know in order to raise healthy, happy chicks! If you have any questions, please feel free to ask in our chat!
BROODER:
A brooder is where you keep your chicks until they are feathered out and ready to go outside to the coop. You can use anything from a cardboard box to a multi-layered brooder. The brooder should be a safe spot for chicks and have some sort of top to keep them inside and kids/pets outside. Before we had our chick dream house built, we used plastic storage totes and cut out the middle of the lids and attached hardware cloth (that way they had plenty of fresh air, but it also kept them safe).
It’s also important for chicks to be in a space that’s draft free. Even the slightest bit of wind can chill a chick. I would suggest having walls on your brooder that are at least a foot high. You can get your chicks out of the brooder to play with them (in fact, I encourage it), but make sure to limit their time outside of it so they don’t get too cold.
BEDDING:
The most common bedding for chicks is pine shavings (the bigger flake size, not the fine). Please make sure its PINE and not cedar, as cedar is toxic for birds. Pine flakes are what we use for our chicks. You will need to clean this out at least weekly - depending on how many chicks you have and how much space is in the brooder, you may have to change it more often.
If you find your chicks are eating the pine shavings (pecking is normal, but actually eating it can be detrimental to their digestive system), please switch to puppy pads with paper towels laid over them for a few days until the chicks realize what is actually their chick food. The paper towels will have to be changed often to insure a dry, clean environment, but it will be safer for them.
Another popular bedding is sand. We don’t personally have experience with it, but you can read more about it here: https://the-chicken-chick.com/chicken-coop-bedding-sand-litter/
Newspaper, straw, and cardboard are NOT recommended for bedding. They are too slippery, which can cause spraddle leg (which I will talk about later). They’re also NOT absorbent at all and create an unfortunately perfect environment for chicks to get sick.
TEMPERATURE:
This is probably the MOST important factor in raising chicks: consistent temperature. The reason they need heat is because they don’t have feathers to help regulate their body temperature. The BEST way to do this is to use a Brinsea EcoGlow heating plate (or an offbrand version).
I LOVE the heating plates because the chicks can go under it as they need to, just like they would with a momma hen. With heating plates, you don’t have to worry about adjusting the temperature and I find that chicks start to feather out faster when using them. I also find that my chicks are less likely to have pasty butt (which I’ll talk about later). I love how low maintenance it is. I literally just plug it in and forget about it.
A heat lamp is also an option, but I don’t recommend it because the temperature is so inconsistent and it’s also a fire hazard. The only plus for a heat lamp is that it’s a cheaper short-term option (but if you lose several chicks, it ends up costing more in the long run). If you do decide to do a heat lamp, make sure you have at least 3 thermometers in your brooder (one at each end and one in the middle). Only put the heat lamp at one end of your brooder and make sure that chicks can get away from the heat if they need to. Heat lamp bulbs come in different strengths and sizes, so you will have to adjust them accordingly to get the right temperature for your chicks. You will also need to check the thermometers at least 2-3 times throughout the day to make sure it’s staying consistent. The temperature should NEVER be above 95 degrees. I know many websites recommend 90-95 degrees for the first week of their life, and to decrease the temperature by 5 degrees every week.. but this has never worked for us. We had chicks dying left and right when we followed this formula. You should always base the temperature on how the chicks react to it (which I will discuss shortly).
Shatter resistant or safety coated bulbs are potentially toxic to chickens, so make sure to avoid these. These bulbs typically have a coating containing polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), which releases toxic fumes when the bulb gets hot enough.
When chicks are cold, they will cheap LOUDLY and CONSTANTLY. They will all be huddled together while awake and will usually look drowsy and weak. When they are cold, they will not eat or drink, and you SHOULD NOT force them to do so until they are warmed up. It is possible to rewarm a cold chick, but it will be important to keep a close eye on them for the next few days.
Chicks that are too hot will pant and usually have their wings held away from their bodies. They will also attempt to get as far away from the heat source as possible. When they are too hot, they will get diarrhea and will eventually lose the lining of their intestines which causes problems with them absorbing food. When this happens, the best thing you can do is give a powdered probiotic in their water (you can also typically find these at your local feed store).
Chicks that have the proper temperature will be active, running around, sleeping all over the brooder (although they still may cuddle together and look like a little, fuzzy carpet), pecking at anything they discover, and cheeping quietly and happily. There is a HUGE difference between distressed cheeps and content cheeps.
WATER:
It’s important that chicks have clean, fresh water at all times. I highly recommend nipple waterers for chicks (and chickens). It’s an EXCELLENT way to keep their water clean, because they tend to kick their bedding into regular waterers. This can cause them to get coccidiosis (which I will talk about later), and it’s also a hassle to have to clean out their water several times a day. We use these nipple waterers and just set them on top of our EcoGlows (so it also conserves space).
You can also buy the water nipples separately and make your own. We recommend these if you’re going that route.
We used these regular waterers before buying the nipple waterers. These are great because you can use them for both feeders and waterers (ours are just used for feeders now), and they’re more stout so they fit in shorter brooders more easily. If you use these as regular waterers, we recommend elevating them slightly so they don’t kick as much bedding into it, but make sure the chicks can still reach it!
The only thing we do NOT recommend is using an open dish for water. This could easily lead to a chick drowning.
To help with the stress of moving to a new home, we recommend adding Poultry NutriDrench to their water for the first couple days. It should only take a few drops and will look like waterer down tea when mixed together.
FOOD:
It’s also important that chicks have chick grower/starter feed available at all times. It’s formulated to be easily digestible for young chicks who do not have grit. Grit is what chickens use to break up their food in their crop, because they don’t have teeth to chew it up! Chickens get grit naturally from the soil when they are outside, so you don’t typically have to provide it. Chicks do not need grit if they are fed the proper food. Protein is very important for growing chicks. We recommend 18-20%, depending on what’s available at your feed store. It’s a bit of a debate on whether you should feed chicks medicated feed or not. Medicated feed contains amprolium, which is meant to combat coccidiosis. Chicks that are given the coccidiosis vaccine should NOT be fed medicated feed because it cancels out each other (we do not vaccinate our chicks). We personally don’t feed medicated feed because in our experience, we haven’t seen a difference between the two. We are also breeding toward disease resistance and only keep hardy, healthy birds for our breeders. Chicks also slowly build up an immunity to coccidiosis naturally if they are given a clean, dry brooder to grow up in.
TOP CHICK ILLNESSES/COMPLICATIONS:
Spraddle leg is a fairly common complication in chicks where they basically look like they’re doing the splits. It is usually caused by a slippery brooder floor (although it can also be caused by a difficult hatch, vitamin deficiencies, or incubation temperature fluctuations) and makes it impossible for the chick to walk properly (if at all). The good news is it’s EASILY correctible (although the earlier you catch it, the better), and all it takes is a band-aid, vet wrap, or pipe cleaner. You simply make a brace that keeps the chick’s feet in a slightly wider stance than its typical proper position, that way their muscles strengthen so they can walk correctly. Wrap the brace just below the knee joint so that the chick’s feet are underneath its body. It should be snug, but not so tightly that it cuts off circulation or prevents growth. There should NOT be any kind of indentation in the chick’s leg. The chick should be closely monitored to insure its staying warm enough, able to eat, and able to drink. They may require assistance at first but should quickly get the hang of using their brace. At first, I always help them stand (MANY times a day) to help them build those muscles. If they are flailing about so much that they aren’t able to stay under their heat source, I relocate them into an incubator (because unfortunately I can’t monitor them every second and I don’t want to risk them becoming too cold). I also add Poultry NutriDrench to the chick’s water in case it was a vitamin deficiency and it also gives them a little boost.
Crooked toes tend to accompany spraddle leg. These are also EASILY correctible with tape or vet wrap. You simply position the toes correctly on the sticky side of the tape and then wrap the tape over it – kind of like a little shoe.
Pasty butt is a condition where the chick’s poop sticks to its vent and builds up to form a blockage (which can be fatal if not quickly removed). Pasty butt can be caused by stress, temperature fluctuations, or something they ate. If your chick has pasty butt, GENTLY clean it off by soaking it in warm water (I typically add dish soap) and carefully removing it a little at a time. DO NOT JUST RIP IT OFF because you can tear the chick’s delicate skin. After it’s clean, apply a little petroleum jelly to keep poop from sticking to it again. Do NOT use oil, because it can become rancid. If multiple chicks are getting it, I typically add Poultry NutriDrench to their water to give them a little boost (Are you seeing a trend here with the NutriDrench? It works like magic!)
Coccidiosis is the most common cause of death in chicks. Its an intestinal disease that’s caused by parasites that love warm, wet conditions and is transmitted by poop. It damages their intestinal lining which keeps them from absorbing the nutrients from their food. Symptoms are diarrhea, lethargy, unkept appearance, failure to grow, and loss of appetite. The good news is that it’s EASILY preventable by keeping their brooder and water clean and by not overcrowding them! The only way to 100% diagnose them is by having a vet do a fecal float test, but most chicken owners can recognize the symptoms and simply treat it. If one chick tests positive, then they all need to be treated with Corid (amprolium) and you will often see improvement in 24 hours. The first thing to do is CLEAN THEIR BROODER and disinfect all feeders and waterers with 10% bleach in water solution. Then use Corid as a substitute for their typical drinking water and make a fresh batch daily: 9.5cc of Corid 9.6% liquid per gallon of water (or Corid 20% Soluble Powder – half teaspoon per gallon of water) for 5 days, stop treatment for 2 weeks, then treat for 3 additional days (ALWAYS READ THE LABEL FIRST BEFORE ADMINISTERING MEDICATION). After the second round of treatment, they need to be given a vitamin supplement (such as Poultry NutriDrench) for B1, A, and K that was lost during their treatment. (This is the same treatment for adult chickens as well and there is no egg withdrawal period.)
*DISCLOSURE: This post may contain amazon affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. These products are products that I used and recommended before becoming an affiliate and all opinions stated are my own. If you find these products cheaper somewhere else, I absolutely recommend buying them there. I became an affiliate just to make a little extra cash (again, at no cost to you) on the basis that you were going to buy the product anyways.
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