Chicks are most susceptible to getting chilled during the first week or two after they hatch, so extra attention will need to be given during this time in order to keep chicks warm, protected and fed. In nature, the mamma hen takes care of all of that naturally with her babies running swiftly to cuddle in her feathers when she calls, but when you care for chicks yourself you have to replace their mama.
For the first week or two it is very important to have your chicks in a brooder situated in a climate controlled setting like a spare bedroom or laundry room in your home. While that may sound smelly and messy, you can use absorbent paper towels in your brooder to keep them from making a mess and to make daily cleaning easier.
If you choose to place a brooder in a place without climate control be sure to check your babies frequently through the day and night to be sure they are not too warm nor too cool as the temperatures change. Remember, baby chicks need you to be their mama and create the perfect environment!
Once your chicks are days old, they will have started getting some feathers and can more easily adjust to changing temperature. Although you still need to make sure they are kept warm enough, they are also growing fast and its time to move them to a place where you won't mind their playful mess-making.
Ideally, you'll have a garage, workshop, basement or another predator-proof and draft-proof environment that's not in your main living space. Why not the main living space? Baby chicks, just like grown chickens, love to "scratch" their bedding materials, which creates a very fine dust that gets everywhere. The older they get, the more dust they make. Baby chicks also have a smell It's not decidedly bad, nor do we find it overwhelming, but you may not want it in your house once they are a couple of weeks old.
If you don't have a garage, workshop or basement in which to keep them, pick the next best option. Do you have a three season porch where it won't get too cold? A spare bedroom whose surfaces you can cover?
If none of the above, does your kitchen have an eat-in area not too close to prep surfaces that you're willing to sacrifice for a few weeks? Choose the best possible option keeping in mind that wherever you keep them, they must be safe from predators and drafts. Creating a Suitable Living Environment This is the one of the most important part of raising happy, healthy chicks. The baby chick house also known as the "brooder" Baby chicks need to be protected from drafts but still have adequate ventilation.
This can be in the form of a cardboard box with holes for ventilation, a large plastic storage bin, an unused bathtub, or even a kiddie pool! All of the above have been used with success. Whatever housing solution you go with, make sure it provides 2 square feet per chick. It sounds like an awful lot, but as they get older and bigger you'll realize why this is necessary. A heat source Baby chicks need to be kept pretty hot.
Think sauna! The first week of their lives they require an air temperature of 95 degrees, the second week 90 degrees, and so on - going down by around 5 degrees per week until they're ready to transition to "outside". We have a LOT to say about heating sources, since we have seen over and over again how watt infrared heat bulbs can cause fires. We really can't recommend them.
Despite the higher price tag, we strongly prefer any of these heaters over heat bulbs: Sweeter Heater Brooder Heating Plate Cozy Coop Heater You can learn more about the pros and cons of each of these heating methods on each respective product page. If you use a heat source that does not emit light we suggest leaving a light on in the room with the chicks for the first week or two so they can find warmth in the middle of the night.
Chicks look for something dark to get under and can't find the heater in a dark room at night. If, after careful consideration, you still feel that a high-wattage infrared heat bulb is the way to go, we recommend and only offer for sale the red heat bulbs, for a few reasons: one, with a bright white light constantly glaring it can be hard for chicks to sleep--and their cheeping will make it hard for YOU to sleep, too!
The red light is darker and provides them some respite. Two, red lights help prevent them from pecking one another. After placing your chicks in your brooder, pay close attention to how they behave. If they're crowded together directly under or adjacent to the heat source, they're cold. Lower the heat source or add another. If, on the other hand, your chicks seem to be avoiding the heat source like the plague, they're too hot!
Move the heat source farther away from them. Happy chicks will be contentedly exploring all around the brooder. Please do not listen to anyone who tells you a regular old watt bulb will suffice to heat your chicks!
That advice is deadly. Chicks really need a heat source designed to produce heat, not light. Absorbent bedding Baby chicks are big poopers, so make sure to line the floor of their housing unit with an absorbent material. The best, we think, is to spread pine or aspen shavings about 1" thick.
Resist the urge to use newspaper! It's not nearly as absorbent and the slippery surface can lead to a permanent deformity called "splayed leg" which can ultimate result in the other chickens picking on the affected bird to death.
Many people also swear by paper towels, changed often, and we must admit that they're a nice option. DON'T use cedar shavings, no matter what friends or your local feed store tell you: the aromatic oils will irritate your chicks' lungs, and make them more susceptible to respiratory problems later in life.
Baby chicks have special needs when it comes to water. Dishes can make it easy for chicks to drown, and they'll certainly do naughty things like walk in it, spill it, kick their bedding materials into it, and poop in it -- meaning you'll have to change it constantly. For the best results, we recommend you use a specially-designed chick waterer , like these. They come in a number of different sizes and shapes, all sufficient to do the job. Keep in mind that even with the best drinker, except for a nipple drinker, those rascally chicks will still kick bedding materials into it and find ways to poop in it from time to time.
Raising the waterer off the ground somewhat will help starting their second week of life , but no matter what they're going to get that water messy, so plan on changing it a few times a day. A feeder Once again, we recommend you resist the temptation to use a dish or bowl for feeding your chicks.
Chicks will jump in and kick the feed all over the place, poop in it, and worse case scenario: they'll tip it over and trap a baby underneath. This has happened! Spend those few extra dollars and buy a "real" baby chick feeder, or borrow one from a friend. They come in many shapes and sizes, and we offer them all at very reasonable prices. Bonus: Roosting Poles Chickens love to roost on poles or branches when they're resting. You don't HAVE to provide your brood roosting poles, but they'll be even happier if you do.
We like half inch diameter wooden dowels. Try them about 5 inches off the ground. They may like it so much they won't roost on top of your feeder and waterer! Feed Fortunately this one doesn't require much thought! Suppliers have formulated special feed complete with everything baby chicks need. It's called "starter feed" and comes in either "crumbles" or "mash" referring to how ground down it is.
Either is fine. The only thing to know is that if you've had your chicks vaccinated against Coccidiosis, they'll need an un-medicated feed. If not, or if you've only had them vaccinated for Marek's Disease, medicated feed is a great way to keep them healthy those first few months. One way to help both groups acclimate to each other is to place the two groups in side-by-side runs. Place the groups next to one another for one week to help the birds become familiar with each other.
This can also alert you to potential personality clashes that may be difficult to resolve. Another strategy is to let the new group free-range first and then introduce the existing flock.
This places the focus on new surroundings rather than new flock members. In either case, add additional feeders and waterers to the run to prevent the new birds from being deterred from eating and drinking. During the introduction period, a new pecking order will be established. Watch the group closely after the introduction. Content birds will continue their routines without changes in personality or feed consumption. Consistency is especially important during transitions, so continue providing free-choice, high-quality, complete feed and fresh water.
Our starter-grower feeds are formulated to provide all 38 essential nutrients chicks need from day 1 to week Wait until week 18 to introduce any treats to the diet; at that time, laying breeds can also be transitioned to a complete layer feed. Read biosecurity tips from our farm. Have questions? Related Education Content. Is Your Chick a Pullet or Cockerel?
Frequently Asked Teenage Chicken Questions. A balmy degree F spring day can quickly chill a brooder baby. Keep this in mind when you remove chicks from brooders to hold them. Checking for pasting up only pulls them from safety for a few seconds to a minute. Watching TV with a new baby endangers its health. Wait until little ones are older before you remove them from brooders for more than a few minutes. Four-week-old chicks handle temperature fluctuations much better than four-day-old babies.
Subscribe for more great stories like this! It would be even more helpful if your chicken heat table listed the temperatures as Fahrenheit and Celsius. Hi Liliet, if your chickens are fully feathered and already acclimated to the cold, they can endure temperatures of 0 degrees F C without a problem. They can range outside at even colder temperatures if they have a place where they can get out of the cold, and to perch and fluff their feathers over their feet to warm them up. Keep in mind that using heat for fully feathered chickens keeps them from acclimating, so you will want to gradually turn the heat lamp off more and more, starting with the warmest parts of the day, to allow them to get used to colder weather.
Good luck! Your email address will not be published. Notify me via e-mail if anyone answers my comment. Add to Favorites Reading Time: 4 minutes Do chickens need heat in winter? Hi Blair, thanks for the suggestion. I updated it to reflect both Fahrenheit and Celsius. Thank you for the chart! Is there a recommended outside temperature before letting your chickens outside. Leave a Reply Cancel reply Your email address will not be published. Now is not the time to let babies stay outside the brooder more than a couple of minutes.
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