If you’re planning on raising baby chicks for the first time in your life, you may have a lot of questions about what you should know and what you should be doing in order to successfully raise them to happy healthy adult chickens.
There’s a lot to know when it comes to raising chickens, especially young chicks. They have many needs that are different than other young animals and require some special care to keep them in good health.
But fear not! Raising chicks is actually quite easy – but some research and knowledge before raising them will definitely help.
This guide will give you everything you need to know to prepare, purchase, brood, and raise your chicks to happy adult hens and roosters. Keep in mind, this guide is geared towards those who want to raise baby chicks themselves, not using their own broody chicken to hatch and raise them.
This guide is broken down into different sections that give you information on all of the numerous different aspects of acquiring and raising baby chicks. In order to not overwhelm you with information, this guide has some general information and then links on each section to more detailed information on individual topics. I hope you find all of this information helpful and that it helps you to feel more confident in raising your own baby chicks!
Conducting Research
First, before anything else, do some research on raising chickens. When raising any animal there’s a lot of both basic and advanced knowledge you should know about the animal.
Raising a chicken or other similar bird is very different to raising a car or dog. There are a lot of unique considerations and things you should know in order to prepare yourself.
Some things to consider as you research where you want to buy your chicks:
- Do you want to buy in person or online?
- What breeds of chickens do you want.
- How many chicks are you wanting? How many do you need?
- Cost – how much are you willing/able to spend on the chicks as well as the items needed to raise them.
- Where will you keep them?
This ultimate guide will provide you with everything you need to get started on your chick-raising journey – so keep on reading!
Where to Buy Chicks
One of the first things you need to know about raising baby chicks, is simply where to get them. The first thing that might come to mind is a local feed supply store or one of the many online hatcheries that can deliver chicks to your local post office [Where to Buy Chicks: Farm Supply Stores vs Online Hatcheries]. However, besides these two options there are plenty of other options available to you, each with their own benefits and some that require some warnings.
Note: Before you actually go out and purchase or receive your chicks, make sure you have a place to raise them, and all other necessary supplies purchased first!
Preparing a Brooder
After figuring out where you want to buy your chicks and an estimate of how many chicks you want, next you should work on preparing a safe place for you to raise them – aka, a brooder.
When baby chicks are very young, they’re susceptible to temperatures and various environmental dangers. As such, they’re typically raised in a brooder for the first 4-8 weeks or so. A brooder is simply a heated housing area in which to raise chicks or other baby birds.
What do you need for a brooder?
01 The Brooder Housing
Some examples of housing for a brooder include large plastic bins, kiddie pools, cardboard boxes, tents, metal troughs, wood & wire hutches, etc. You could easily DIY a cheap pallet brooder for your chicks, find something cheap off Facebook marketplace, or order something from Amazon. The main idea is that it will keep your chicks contained, protect them from outside threats (such as other animals and weather elements), and will help hold in the warmth of the heat source while maintaining sufficient air circulation.
02 A heat source
For the first week of their life, chicks will need to be kept in an area that’s about 90-95 degrees. The entire area doesn’t need to be kept at this temperature, in fact, it’s better to have both warm and cooler (but not cold) spots in their brooder so that they can move around to the different areas to adjust their body temperatures. Week two and onwards the temperature needs of your chicks will decrease slightly each week until their young adults.
Typical heat sources are radiant heat plates or heat lamps. The heat plates tend to be the best option as they’re safer and less susceptible to fire hazards. Heat lamps, while widely used and for the most part are safe, do tend to be more prone to fire hazards.
On a side note: I don’t particularly recommend using a heat lamp line the one in the picture below. The lamp is too close to where the chicks are which can pose a danger (from chicks jumping into the light, possible burns, if the bulb explodes glass could go everywhere etc).
03 Substrate/bedding
Bedding can be as simple as shredder paper towels to store-bought pine shavings. The main purpose of bedding is to provide soft cushioning for chicks feet and prevent them from slipping on smooth surfaces. Substrate or bedding also helps absorb ammonia from your chicks excrements and can help keep them cleaner and keep bad smells (at least a bit) less noticeable.
04 Feed and water dispensers
Your chicks will of course need food and water. These should typically be placed near your heat source, but not directly under it. Feed should be easy to access, but you don’t want your chicks getting in the food, making a mess, and wasting feed. Water dispensers should offer a shallow dish for your chicks to access but you want to make sure they can’t get in the water and get too wet or drown.
That’s really all you need to set up a basic brooder for your chicks!
There are, of course, other things that can be purchased to bring your brooder area to the next level. Items such as thermometers and outlet timers for lights will help increase efficiency. Perches, mirrors, and other toys will help keep your chicks happy and entertained while in their brooder.
Most of the items you’ll need for a brooder can be easily found at local hardware stores, pet stores, or farm/feed supply stores. You can also purchase them off online retailers or find items second-hand from online markets.
Your brooder set up can be as simple or as extravagant as you would like. What’s important is that it will provide a safe and warm place for your chicks to grow for the first couple weeks.
Other Supplies
Besides the brooder and the items (such as a heat source etc) mentioned above, you’ll also have a few other necessary and optional supplies to buy.
Feed & Snacks
Your largest ongoing expense for your chicks, which will eventually be full grown chickens, is their feed.
Young chicks should be fed a Starter Chick Feed. This will have the nutrients they need to sustain their rapid growth and development. Typically comes in a crumble form which is easier for your chicks to eat and digest.
There are multiple brands sold in stores and online that have feed formulated specifically for chicks. If you’re not sure which one is right, check the label on the bags and they should tell you which feed is right for the age of chick you’re needing to feed.
Medicated vs Non-Medicated Feed – There’s some arguments both for and against both options. Medicated feeds contain Amprolium (a common anticoccidial medication) and is an option for chicks that have not been vaccinated against coccidiosis. If your chicks have been vaccinated for coccidiosis, then you should stick with non-medicated feed (do NOT feed a chick that’s been vaccinated for coccidiosis with medicated feed).
Snacks or fruit, vegetable, etc can be fed to your chickens in small amounts. You don’t want any snack to make up more than 10% of their daily diet – doing so will make them eat their chick feed less which can lead to vitamin and nutrient deficiencies.
If you plan on feeding your chicks snacks you may also want to purchase some chick grit. Since chickens in general don’t have teeth, they rely on ingesting stones and other coarse material that will sit in their digestive systems and help grind up food.
Coop & Run
Something else to purchase and set up before getting your chicks is the coop that they’ll be moved out into once they become adult chickens. While you could wait and purchase or set up a coop after you have your chicks, it’s really best to at least know what you’ll be doing for the coop before you get them.
Chicks grow extremely fast and will be outgrowing their brooder before you know it!
Receiving Your Chicks: pick up or delivery
After you’re done some research, decided where you want to get your chicks, and have a brooder and all other necessary items prepared – Congratulations! It’s time to get your chicks and become an official raiser of chickens.
Whether you’re planning to drive somewhere and pick your chicks up in person or are waiting patiently for them to arrive in the mail, excitement abounds.
Some tips for when it comes to picking up your chicks:
If buying in person at a store: Store employees most likely won’t let you directly pick out and handle the chicks, but before you buy them, make sure to look them over and check that they’re healthy and good to go. On the way home in your car, make sure your chicks don’t have air conditioning blowing on them directly.
If possible, keep them in a warm, safe area where they won’t get jostled around too much – being moved around too much can lead to leg and feet injuries. I recommend keeping them in the box or container that the store packs them in. You don’t want spastic chicks running around your car and pooping, and you want to keep them in as calm an environment as you can as to not stress them out.
If purchase online and being delivered: If you purchased your chicks from an online hatchery or marketplace, then you should expect your chicks to either be delivered to you directly or through your local post office (most online hatcheries do this option). To ensure your chicks are delivered safely, make sure you only order from approved sources with good reviews. Try to only order chicks for delivery during warmer months. Being delivered in the cold can be deadly for chicks so it’s really best to have them delivered in late spring to early fall.
Introducing Your Chicks to Their Brooder
Now that you have your chicks, it’s time to introduce them to their new home.
First make sure your brooder is set up. You may want to turn the heat source on an hour before adding your chicks to make sure it’s properly heated up and at a good temperature. Make sure there is food and water on hand that will be easily and safely accessible for your chicks.
Open the carry container with the chicks and pick each one up and gently set in the brooder – preferably near their food or water source first. Chicks will often readily find a heat source, but sometimes need help finding their food and water sources. You may want to gently dip their peak in the water to help them learn where it’s at and for the food you can sometimes get them to go to it by gently tapping in the area where the food is.
After that just let them wander around and explore themselves. They’ll most likely find the heat source and hunker down to recover from their ordeal. They’re still babies so sleeping often is to be expected and not anything to worry about 😊.
Taking Care of Your Baby Chicks
Your chicks should be checked on several times a day, though there’s no need to constantly hover over them (though you may want to since they’re so cute!).
Ideally you’ll want to make sure they always have food available. If the feeder gets dirty and pooped on (Which I assure you, it will), then you’ll want to clean the feeder our with soap and warm water or even a bit of white vinegar and then rinse it off well and dry it before refilling with fresh food.
Check out our feed guide here –> Complete Guide to Feeding Chicks and Young Chickens
Similarly with the water source. Make sure your chicks always have access to fresh clean water. You may need to clean the waterer out several times a day. Your chicks will most likely be pooping in the water as well as kicking substrate up into it – this is all just par for the course.
Depending on what kind of substrate you’re using, how much of it is in the brooder, and how many chicks you’re housing, you may need to clean the substrate once or twice a day. You can spot clean the brooder substrate throughout the day and sprinkle on some fresh bedding to replenish what you take out. I recommend buying some cheap gloves that you can wear when removing pooped on substrate, don’t do it with your bare hands (please). Areas of damp substrate, which you’ll most likely find around the waterer, should be promptly removed and dry substrate added. Any areas of wet pose a danger for your chicks. Make sure the waterer is away from the heat source so that it won’t dry up the water too fast.
As your chicks grow you may want to raise their feeder and waterers up a bit. This will make it easier for them to reach and will also help keep the containers cleaner. As your chicks get older, they will start to jump and flutter around a bit. Don’t be surprised if you have chicks jumping to the top of their waterer after 1 week or so. Because of their jumpiness, there’s potential for the feed and waterers to be knocked over so you’ll want to secure them as best you can.
If you’re busy and work full time, it’s perfectly acceptable to just refresh the feed/water/substrate twice a day. When you first get up and then later in the day when you get home from work. Just make sure that your chicks have enough feed and water to last them for the hours you’re gone and that they have a reliable and safe heat source.
Heating & Temperature Control
You already know that baby chicks need a heat source, but it’s also important to know that the amount of heat they need will change with each week of their life until they’re fully feathered.
To keep your chicks healthy and comfortable, try to stay within these temperature ranges:
Week 1 – 90 – 95 (33 – 35)
Week 2 – 85 – 90 (30 – 33)
Week 3 – 80 – 85 (27 – 30)
Week 4 – 75 – 80 (24 – 27)
Week 5 – Fully Feathered – 60+
As you can see, the first couple weeks decreases by about 5 degrees each week. At about 5 weeks old your chicks will have decent feathers, but still won’t be considered fully grown or feathered. They should still be kept in a protected environment and supplemental heating provided if outside temperatures are cold. If it’s late spring or summer out then they should be good to go outside so long as the night time temperatures don’t go to far below 60 degrees.
Controlling temperature – There are a couple different ways to control the temperature of your purchases heat source. Heat plates can often be raised or lowered by adjusting the heating plate lower or higher on its support legs. For heat lamps, you can also raise or lower them closer or you could set them on an automatic thermostat that will turn the lamp on/off to maintain your wanted temperature.
