How to raise baby chicks
Nothing screams spring like walking into a feed store overflowing with baby chicks. Hearing their little chirps and seeing all the materials you need to raise them are certainly enticing.
Trust me, every year I battle the temptation to add to my flock.
Luckily with a little forethought and planning, learning how to raise baby chicks really couldn’t be easier. After so many years of raising many different flocks of chickens, I’ve been able to find a set up that works for me.
Following some simple guidelines will make raising baby chicks simple, fun, and rewarding.
Why raise chicks
What I love most about raising my own chicks is having my options over varieties. You may not know this yet, but raising chickens is definitely one of the more fun parts of homesteading.
Between the beautiful feathers and breeds of the chickens themselves or the colorful egg basket they provide, chickens are hands down collectibles.
All the time I see people in my farming Facebook groups rehoming chicken flocks of older hens, roosters, or extras from hatchlings. Picking up an established flock is actually really great if raising chicks in your home isn’t for you. However, established flocks are very much a get what you get situation.
Secondly, knowing how your chickens were raised and fed from the beginning is such a luxury. Day old chicks generally are hatched out in an incubator and shipped from a hatchery. In most cases, you’re not going to be sold a sick bird.
I’ve made this mistake before. While we had our first flock of hens, I thought it would be fun to add just a couple frizzle chickens to our flock as a present to our mom.
Completely naive, I found a lady on Facebook and she sold me a couple of older chicks. Little did I know that they had leg mites that would spread to my entire flock.
Because I was new I didn’t think to quarantine the birds or check their health to begin with.
My point being that learning how to raise baby chicks at home has multiple benefits, not only for being able to choose your chickens but to have better control over their health.
Where to buy chicks
You really only have a few different options when it comes to where to buy your chicks. Like I mentioned above, the most common place is buying from a feed store.
Chicks are in your face and readily available to be taken home. Every time I’ve purchased chicks I generally pick up the majority there.
Second is from a private breeder. This is the riskiest way, like I said before with the sick birds. When buying from a private breeder, keep your eyes sharp for their living conditions and the health of the adult birds.
I purchased three chicks out of my new flock from a breeder this year. I was able to tour the coop, see the adult birds, and see their living conditions. Everything was clean, the birds looked healthy, and the chicks were hatched in an incubator and were kept in a clean brooder. It was a safe buy for me.
Thirdly, you can hatch your own. This is something I have yet to do myself, but would definitely be interested in. Fertilized chicken eggs hatch in 21 days. With the right equipment and attention to detail, you can order the chicken eggs you want and hatch them at home.
Lastly, you can order chickens directly from a hatchery. I love getting Murray McMurray hatchery catalogue in the spring. It’s a great way to study all the different varieties. Keep in mind though, because they are usually shipping your order of chicks there is always a minimum order. Order with friends or start off with a larger flock!
What you need
Right next to the chicks in the feed store you will see stands and isles of chicken supplies, but what do you really need?
Let me tell you….
Chickens are pretty basic. They need shelter, warmth, food and water.
You’ll want to decide on your brooder first. For those who may not know, a brooder is a designated place to raise baby chicks in a controlled environment.
Over the years I have found a galvanized horse trough works perfectly. It has high walls, easy to clean, and has thick sturdy walls to attach a heat lamp too.
Speaking of heat lamps, this is a crucial aspect to keeping your chicks alive. When you bring your chicks home they will instantly need to warm up. Chicks need to be at around 90-95 degrees F. In their first few weeks (slowly lower the temp as weeks go on). I prefer to clamp a red bulbed heat lamp to one side of the horse trough.
I choose one side to allow the chicks to either escape the heat or sit right underneath it.
Food and water feeders are pretty easy to pick out. Your options generally are galvanized feeders or plastic. Avoid putting in bowls of water, chicks can easily drown if they fall in.
I also always pick up a probiotic and electrolyte powder to mix in their water for the first couple days. Most likely they have been born, shipped, and sold all within the same day. Giving them the nutrients and the energy gives them a nudge to perking back up.
This one isn’t totally necessary and actually controversial, but I like to provide a feather duster that hangs about the trough, by keeping it high and low enough off the ground, the chicks can snuggle under it like they would a mother hen. It’s comforting and actually saved our chicks lives when the heat lamp unexpectedly failed one night.
Lastly, pick yourself up a bag of chick starter feed. Generally you can find two kinds unmedicated or medicated. The food is higher in calories and is a small crumble so the chicks can easily eat it. Later you’ll switch your hens to an adult layer feed.
How to prepare for incoming chicks
On the day you go to pick up your chicks you will want to make sure everything is set up for their arrival. This means having water and food available and most importantly having their brooder and heat lamp up and turned on.
When your chicks make it home, they will be stressed and cooled off. Pick them up one by one and dip their beaks in the water. This lets them know where the water is in their brooder.
Once they are in their brooder and comfortable, it’s important to leave them alone.
It’s super tempting to pick them up and snuggle them, take their picture, let the kids hold them. I can’t stress enough how crucial it is to let the chicks rest and get to their new home. The first day is not the day to socialize the babies.
I’ve lost several just from the stress of transporting the first day over the years.
The first 24 hours
The first 24 hours is really important. I urge you to check on your chicks often throughout the day. Without disturbing them check to make sure you’re seeing each of the chicks eating and drinking. If a chick doesn’t access the water it’ll be pretty apparent that they are failing to thrive. Usually if you’re going to lose a chick it’ll be in the first 24 hours.
You’ll also want to make sure their water is clean and cool.
Watch their behavior towards the heat lamp. If they are huddled together and not moving much they are likely too cold. Move the heat lamp down and check the temperature of the brooder. If they are hanging on the outskirts of the lamp or panting, it’s too hot. This is why I like giving heat to one side of the brooder only so the chicks can make a choice where they are comfortable.
Playing with your chicks
Now that the chicks are healthy and happy feel free to hold them! Keep in mind, the chicks shouldn’t be without their heat source for more than a few minutes. Hold them firmly enough that they don’t fall but gently enough that you aren’t squeezing them.
Part of learning how to raise baby chicks is constantly checking the health of your birds. Chicks can get something called pasty butt.
Cute name right?
Basically when the chick deficafes it can get stuck to their tail feathers and sometimes block their vents. Try to catch this as soon as possible. Take a warm, damp paper towel and gently remove the blockage.
Check to make sure that one chick isn’t getting picked on either. This can present itself by open sores, missing feathers, and lethargy. This can happen if you purchase chicks who have more than a week age difference. When buying chicks really aim for purchasing chicks within a few days of each other.
How long do I keep them in a brooder?
You will want to keep your babies protected in a brooder until they are six weeks old. At six weeks they are getting in their adult feathers and are quite a bit bigger.
After a few weeks of being at home, you are totally fine to take your chicks on little outdoor adventures. For a short amount of time you can let your chicks play in the grass, scratch at the dirt and feel the breeze.
It pretty cute to see their reactions.
Moving out
After six weeks you are pretty safe to start introducing your chickens to their permanent home.
In some situations you’ll be introducing them to an older flock, in which case you will want to take some extra precautions.
Chickens have a strong pecking order. If you’re unfamiliar with the term, it means chickens establish dominance and have their rank among the flock. It’s not uncommon to have the lowest ranking chicken abused or pecked to death or to the point of needing isolation.
I bring this up because new baby chicks are at risk for being at the bottom of the totem pole.
In my experience, I find it best to introduce the flock slowly. I let them play outside the coop together. You’ll usually see the older chickens hanging out in one area snd the babies all together.
A couple times I’ve put the babies in a secure dog crate inside the coop overnight. This gives the babies safety and tells the older hens they are moving in.
Overtime everyone gets used to one another and the pecking order is reassigned.
In the case of these being your only chickens, you’re in luck. It couldn’t be easier.
At this point, your chickens shouldn’t of had any supplemental heat and should be acclimated to the temperature. Simply lock them in their new coop and allow them time to learn their surroundings. It’ll take a little bit for them to find their roosting spots.
Your job is to observe and make sure that everyone knows where the water and food are at and that all your chickens are happy.
That’s it! That’s the quick rundown of how to raise baby chicks. I’m wishing you all the best with your new chicken raising endeavors.
