How to care for new chicks

Congrats on your new babies! We hope you get as much enjoyment out of them as we do hatching and raising them! Here's a list of tips you might find helpful in caring for your new baby chicks. Please note, these are things We have done with success, but many different people have different opinions on raising chickens!

 

Brooder Heating:

- Baby chicks can not regulate their own temperature until they are fully feathered (approx. 6 weeks old) and need a consistent, draft free heat source (we suggest an adjustable heat plate during spring, summer and early fall. Winter time If kept somewhere like an unheated garage, we add a heat lamp too but with VERY close supervision.) Heat can be slowly weaned week after week until they get all their feathers in. In addition, they also need access to an area without heat incase they get too hot!

Week 1- 95*F

Week 2- 90*F

Week 3- 85*F

Week 4- 80* F

Week 5- 75*F

Week 6- 70*F / can be put outdoors without a heat source if fully feathered as long as the lows are above freezing temps*.

*If lows are below freezing, I keep them in the brooder until 8 weeks old. but wean completely off heat at weeks 6-7 and make sure they are well acclimated to the freezing temps before leaving them outside with no heat.

*It is NOT suggested to provide any supplemental heat after this point, even in winter time! The only time We give our hens heat in the winter is when it dips below 0*F and even then its just enough to keep them from getting frostbite. You don't want them dependent on a heat source incase of a power outage! Heat lamps pose a major fire hazard!

You can tell A LOT about how a chick is feeling by the way they act/sound.

-Loud peeping : "I'm cold / scared"

-Chicks piled very close together/on top of each other: "I'm cold!"

-Chicks scattered and/or have their wings out/panting: "I'm hot/stressed"

- Quiet/ comfortable distance from each other/ sleeping : "I'm happy!"

 

Giving new babies to a broody hen:

All hens are different and its hard to guess how a mama hen will react to new babies being introduced (even if they are ones she hatched herself). our tip to the most success is to gently sneak them under her late at night (remove any eggs). Typically the hens are too sleepy to realize what's going on and will wake up the next morning thinking their babies hatched! Watch them for several minutes to make sure she doesn't reject them, and check on them multiple times over the next day to make sure mom is doing her job! if you give babies to a mama hen, you get the bonus of not needing to provide any heat for them, Just make sure they have feed and water accessible.

**note- Baby chicks can not jump higher than an inch or two max at hatch! make sure if you have a mom hen raising them, that they are ground level at all times for the first couple weeks. Also, the older the babies are, the less success you will have getting a broody mama to accept them. I suggest no later than 5 days old for the highest success rate.

 

Feeding Chicks:

Chicks need special chick starter feed until approx. 16 weeks old (check your feed bag for the manufactures specific age suggestion). for the first 6 weeks, we don't suggest giving ANY treats or fresh food scraps. If you must, make sure they have chick grit accessible. 

DO NOT FEED MEDICATED FEED UNLESS YOU KNOW YOU HAVE COCCIDDIOSIS VIRUS ON THE PROPERTY.

Make sure they ALWAYS have access to fresh, clean water and for the first 2 weeks they should only have the smallest, shallowest chick water container (anything bigger and they can drown in the water wells). Some people who have larger waterers will add marbles or rocks in the water well areas to prevent the chicks from drowning

 

**helpful tip - chicks are MESSY! they love to kick shavings and poop in their food and water. As long as they are big enough to reach it, you can raise the feed and water up on blocks/etc. so that its not as easy for them to make a mess in.

 

Bedding:

I use fine pine shavings as bedding for chicks (we have tried straw in the past but had a couple chicks eat it and not do good.) Plain cardboard boxes/plastic totes/newspaper are not sufficient as the surface is too slippery for newly hatched muscles and the first couple weeks are critical in building up those legs! No matter the brooder container you use, make sure its not going to melt/burn from your heat source.

**NO CEDAR! Cedar wood, including shavings is toxic to chickens!!**

 

Pasty Butt:

it is VERY common for chicks up to 2 weeks old to get "pasty butt" where poop gets stuck to their rear ends and builds up if its not cleaned off, it can be fatal. Check your chicks daily for this, if you see one with some stuck, very gently soak in warm water (or use a warm wet paper towel) until its soft and gently clean it away. Usually by 2 weeks old they grow out of it and don't need help anymore (if you have chicks with a mama hen, they are usually pretty good about taking care of this themselves!)

**Note- I've noticed if I only give my chicks room temperature water and EM-1 it seems to prevent ( although not entirely eliminate) pasty butt!

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If you ever have any questions about your new additions, please reach out! we are always available for questions and we love knowing that our babies go to excellent homes!

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