5 Essentials to Care For Your New Baby Chicks

2. Shelter

You will need to prepare a cozy place for your new babies BEFORE they arrive. This warm, safe home is called a “brooder”. A brooder is basically a replacement for a mother hen consisting of a container, bedding, food and water.

Container

First, you will need to find a container for your chicks to live in when they are small. Baby chicks don’t take up much space for their first few weeks. You can even have them inside your house! Your babies’ first home can be as simple as a cardboard box or a junky old Sterilite container you’ve got laying around. Clear containers are fun when you have little kids watching ChickTV, but opaque containers work just as well.

If you think you will be raising several rounds of chicks you might want to invest the time into making a nicer brooder, or if you’re short on time and high on cash-flow you can purchase a kit!

Bedding

Next, you will want to choose some type of disposable bedding. Bedding is the material you put in the bottom of your brooder box. Bedding soaks up moisture, helps the chicks feel comfortable, and helps their legs form properly.

If you put your babies directly on a smooth container floor they can develop a debilitating condition called splay leg AKA spraddle leg.

The ideal bedding is disposable (better yet, compostable!), absorbent to control odors, non-toxic, low dust, and of course, inexpensive. However, the first few days I recommend using paper towels or better yet, blue shop towels. Locally, I found the auto parts store had better pricing on blue shop towels than the hardware store.

During this early brooding period, while the chicks are still young and unwise, you can sprinkle their food around directly on the paper towels. Soon they until will learn to use a dish, but I like to make it as easy as possible for the little newborn feather-brains to find their grub.

After a few days you can switch to something like wood shavings for small animals, hemp bedding, shredded paper, wood pellets etc. Just use whatever is convenient to you.

Pro Tip: I fill the bottom of my container with a couple of inches of bedding material, then top it with a few layers of blue shop towels. That way, I can peel back the soiled layers of shop towels as needed for the first few days without taking the chicks out. Then I’m left with a fresh layer of bedding right as the chicks are big enough to transition to the wood chips.

3. Heat

In Nature (or the hen house) a mother bird warms her babies with her feathery girth. As the Foster Hen you MUST provide warmth to your new babies. Thankfully, there are many options for you.

Some folks are lucky enough to have an actual broody hen they can trick into raising a few extra hatchlings. But you’re working on your brooder setup, so I will focus on the common hardware choices: incandescent light bulbs, heat lamps, brooder plates and reptile lamps. I’ll also touch on the low-tech power-outage contingency plans.

The goal is to keep the downy chicks cozy until their feathers grow in. This usually means a warm spot in the brooder around the 90-100F range for the first week and around 10 degrees lower each week thereafter. You may wish to invest in a thermometer to monitor your new set-up.

Even without a thermometer, you can observe the chicks behavior to find out if they are comfortable. They should alternate between running around energetically, and resting. If they are huddled together in the warmest part of the brooder and peeping loudly, they are probably too cold. If they are panting and droopy, as far as possible from the heat source, they are overheated! Remember: there should be enough space in the brooder for chicks to move away from the heat.

Pro Tip: When you receive chicks in the mail they may need a little TLC. Provide them with a spot that they can get heat more heat than normal (up to 105 F) until they bounce back. Watch these vulnerable little nuggets closely to be certain they can escape overheating if needed.

Incandescent bulb

If you are brooding during a warm season or indoors you might be able to use a plain ol’ 60 watt incandescent bulb. LED bulbs do not emit much heat, so they are not appropriate here. This will depend on ambient temperature and what type of container you are using.

Heat lamp

During colder seasons (or in the summer shade in Southeast Alaska) many people use a heat lamp. Heat lamps are readily available and pretty affordable, but they can be hazardous. The internet is rife with fire risk horror stories.

I can find a red 250 watt heat lamp for around $15 at our local hardware store. I prefer the red bulbs because the chicks seem calmer but a clear heat lamp will also work. The dome shaped heat reflector shades are also widely available for around $15. So, in total, this type of heat lamp set up is right around $30.

250 watts is probably too hot for indoors or warm weather brooding. 150w or lower may be more appropriate for your brooder!

Heat lamps can be super hot (up to 500 F), especially in indoor settings, so monitor your chicks closely while you get a feel for their needs. To mitigate the risk of fire, ALWAYS use a properly rated fixture. Pay close attention because some heat reflector shades are only rated for a 150 watt bulb.

I use backup methods to decrease the risk from clip-on style heat reflectors “auto-disassembling” into the flammable bedding. Extra precautions include: a working smoke detector in the area, keeping the area clear of clutter and debris (including layers of dust), using chains, wires or zip ties to secure the cord to the desired level and an auto-shutoff thermostat.

In my woodshed I have the 250w heat lamp plugged in to a thermostat (this one from Amazon) so *hopefully* if the lamp fell or began to overheat for some reason (gremlins) the power to the lamp will switch off.

Brooder plate

If all that fire hazard sounds like too much risk, there is a safer option. Brooder plates are relatively new. I had never heard of such a thing when I began my farming journey years ago.

Safe chick brooder plates (also known as heating plates) are readily available online. Reputable brands like Premier 1, Brinsea, and RentACoop are all online. Usually the shipping is cheaper through Amazon but you can also check out the pricing on the supplier website. I have a friend who uses the Chick Brooder Heating Plate by RentACoop in her garage, and she loves it.

The nice thing about brooder plates is they emit a constant, low-level heat. The chicks can hide under and press against the plate, similar to a mother hen. They are adjustable so you can raise the height as your chicks grow. The heat is maxed out at around 125 F so the fire risk is very low. Some say the chicks are calmer with the heat plate since it doesn’t emit any light.

The cons of this type of heat are that you might not easily see under it and you could potentially have a sick or dead chick under there. You’ll need to check for that! Another big con for my personal setup is that brooder plates are rated for a warmer ambient temperature. I prefer to keep the chicks out in the unheated woodshed.

If you are brooding during the warm season, indoors or in a heated garage where air temperature is above 50 F, a brooder plate is a great option. While the brooder plate is safer, the peace of mind comes with a higher price tag. Different size models go for $40- $100+.

Ceramic infrared heat emitter

A third intriguing option is a ceramic infrared heat emitter AKA Lizard Lamp. They are similar to a heat lamp in that they twist in to a light fixture. Unlike your typical heat lamp/dome reflector set up, they do not produce light. They do create heat though, so the same precautions are necessary: prevent contact with anything flammable, use the appropriate fixtures, etc. I bought this highly rated 2-pack for $17.99 from Amazon, but I have yet to set it up. I will let you know what I find out.

There are many users over on the Backyard Chickens forum who appreciate ceramic heat emitters (CHE). The young birds get used to a normal day/night cycle, and the humans don’t have to leave a bright light on all night. It is important to note that your chicks will need to have some light during the day so they can find food and water.

Low Tech Solutions

Some of you may be living off-grid, or are likely to experience a power outage. If this is the case, you can still keep you chicks warm with a bit of inconvenience.

Hot Water

If you unexpectedly lose power, you can fill a large glass mason jar with hot water and replace whenever it cools. A potentially taxing solution, but if you insulate your brooder box with blankets you can probably get by for a few days. Remember to leave ventilation openings for your chicks!

Wood Stove

With caution, you could set up your brooder box near the wood stove. Please watch this situation carefully and do not melt your container or catch your chicks on fire. I’m going to call this fairly high-risk, but if your power goes out it might be worth considering.

4. Food

Feeder Types

Paper Towels

There are many ways to serve feed your growing babies. When they are mere days old you can just start by scattering the crumble on top of a layer paper towels in your brooder.

Chick feeders

After they get the hang of life outside the shell, I like mason jar chick feeder bases. I went with the metal version, but the plastic type are less expensive. The trough style chick feeders may be available locally and are highly rated on Amazon. You might notice that they all have little chick-head sized holes and some type of cover to prevent the little darlings from wasting and/or pooping in their food.

Port Feeders

Towards the end of the brooding period my personal favorite solution is a DIY No Waste Port feeder. I got mine from RentACoop on Amazon. This is only safe to use once the chicks are big enough to not get stuck in the port holes. I’m sure you can see why this could be problematic.

Chick starter feed

Baby chickens eat a special food called chick starter feed. Most feed for baby chicks is between 18-22% protein, a little higher than what you will feed your laying hens. Chick starter is either a mash or a crumble.

Mash

Mash consists of finely ground grains, protein meal and vitamins. I slightly prefer mash for a few reasons. One, I like the idea that it is less refined than crumbles. Two, because it is less processed it has a longer shelf life. For instance, popular organic feed manufacturer Scratch and Peck states on their website that their mash has a 9 month shelf if stored in cool dry conditions. I like this aspect because I can purchase larger quantities twice a year at in bulk and not worry about it going bad. And finally, I like the option of being able to ferment the feed when I’m feeling ambitious. The downside is that some picky poultry will select out their favorite ingredients, like my toddler eating all the M&Ms from the trail mix.

Crumbles

Crumbles are perfectly fine, too. In fact, I use the Modesto Milling Turkey and Gamebird Starter Crumble for my baby quail. Crumble is made by grinding up a pelleted feed after all the ingredients are processed and evenly mixed. This can prevent the birds from picking out their favorite bits. However, per Scratch and Peck, it is not recommended to ferment crumbles and the shelf life is shorter, around 6 months.

Organic or Conventional

Next you will need to decide if you prefer organic or conventional feed. That’s a personal choice and you gotta do what works for your budget.

Medicated Feed

And finally, you will choose whether or not you want to use medicated feed. Medicated feed prevents a potentially deadly intestinal parasite that causes coccidiosis. Some recommend that beginners start out with medicated feed to increase chances of success while you you learn the ins and outs of brooding. The chicks grow into natural immunity and you can switch to a non-medicated feed before they start laying eggs (or getting ready for freezer camp).

Non-Medicated Feed

Some prefer to go to the trouble of natural prevention and roll the dice with non-medicated feed. They opt for a more natural immunity by intentionally cultivating a healthy microbiome in the chicks with the deep bedding method, fermented feed, adding apple cider vinegar and or herbs to their food or water, or just keeping the brooder clean to prevent the chicks’ exposure to their own poop. Again, you have to do what sparks joy for you.

Amount

If your’re like me and you live in an area where getting food can be a hassle, you are probably wondering what amount of feed you should have on hand. A rule of thumb is that chicks will eat about 1 lb of starter feed per week during the brooding period. So, figure that a 40 lb bag would last 4 chicks about 10 weeks OR you could feed 10 chicks for about 4 weeks. I’ll let you do the rest of the math if you have a different number of chicks.

Sourcing Feed

Another factor in deciding which feed to use is availability. If you live in the Lower 48 you can just go stroll around Farm and Fleet or Tractor Supply and comparison shop.

Here in Southeast Alaska things are a little different. Finding a consistent source for your preferred feed type can be tricky. You still can find chick starter feed at our local feed/building materials supplier, and you might be surprised to find your favorite type!

Alternatively, ask around to join a local co-op purchase. Azure Standard is a good source, and often you can find a local person organizing a monthly group order. I go the co-op route for my starter feed and pay less than $1.50/lb plus freight shipping.

I’ve scoured the internet for a viable online alternatives. Amazon sells small (like 5 lbs) bags for around $3/lb. If you try to order direct from most brands, they charge many times more than the actual value of the feed in shipping costs. On more than one occasion I was lured through the checkout process by the promise of Free Shipping Over X Dollars, only to find with great dismay a shipping charge in the hundreds on the final step.

Another possibility I haven’t explored too much is Alaska Mill and Feed in Anchorage. Their website shows a 50# bag for around $.65/lb but I’m not sure of the shipping logistics. Feel free to comment with any useful intel.

If you don’t live on a remote island in Southeast Alaska you should have no problem finding a much lower price. I try not to think too much about that. It is what it is.

5. Water

Watering your chicks has a natural progression as they grow up. First, you need to give them tiny amounts and prevent drowning. Soon, they will use more water so you will switch to a mason jar water base. Finally, you will transition to your “grown up” watering system.

Jar Lid with Marbles

Since day old chicks have a reputation for drowning, I use a jar lid full of marbles to water my chicks for the first few days. If you don’t have marbles laying around, just check under your couch for other small things: special pebbles, Shopkins, counting bears..anything small to fill up the dish. Your chicks will find water in the spaces between the marbles (or whatever). They will also run all over the water and poop in it. You will need to dump and rinse this dish, and all the little things, AT LEAST once a day. The marbles are the easiest to clean since they don’t have texture for crud to get stuck in.

When you introduce your chicks to their new home, most sources recommend that you show them where the water is. You can dip some or all of their little beaks into the dish to give them the idea. They do not usually appreciate this. In my experience, if one or two chicks find water, the rest quickly copy, spared the torture of my assistance.

Supplements

Some recommend giving warm water and adding supplements to your chicks first serving of water. Add-in options include: apple cider vinegar for the good biotics, Sava-A-Chick powder for vitamins and electrolytes, and honey or sugar for quick energy.

Mason Jar Water Base

By the time you grow tired of trying not to lose your marbles down the disposal every time you rinse the jar lid situation, your chicks will be ready to graduate to a twist-on mason jar water base. Since a mason jar holds so much more water, you will only have to refill once a day or so, depending on the number of chicks you are brooding. These are widely available and pretty inexpensive.

Nipple Waterer

And finally, my most favorite poultry watering solution so far: the DIY nipple waterer. Despite the mildly awkward name, I recommend these little do-dads to everyone. They are so easy to install. You can buy a multi-pack on Amazon for about $1-$2 each. I made a whole tutorial for you guys with hints and tips.

I love the nipple waterers for so many reasons. The water stays clean because the birds aren’t slopping around in the drinking trough. The surrounding area doesn’t get as wet, so it’s less stinky. And less water is wasted leading to fewer refills. Cheap + Clean+ Less Work = WIN.

My full grown birds use these nipple waterers (chicken nipples?) so I like to teach the babies to use them during the brooding period. Since I love this type of waterer so much I am always eager to switch from the Mason Jar base as soon as the chicks are strong enough to peck the little metal piece and get some water out. I like to “peck” at the nipple with my finger to attract their attention and it usually only takes a day or so for everyone to get on board. While the chicks learn the mechanics of their new water, I keep the mason jar base available to them.

DIY Nipple Waterer Tips

I have tried an assortment of different containers and the two most important factors are: the type of plastic and avoiding a vacuum. A nice, firm plastic works best. Think: PVC pipe.

Clear peanut butter jar? FAIL. Camping water jug made of soft-ish plastic? FAIL. I wouldn’t even TRY a yogurt container or anything bendy like that either. The BEST things I’ve tried are the 12 lb plastic honey jar from Azure and a white plastic bucket.

The other “gotcha” with the DIY nipple waterer: you have to drill a vent hole somewhere in order for the water to dispense. My first go round with these, I found out the hard way. I could not understand why the chicks seemed to understand the concept, but after a day the water level was barely dropping. Some internet investigation revealed my mistake. With the first few drinks my birds had created a vacuum within the waterer. Drilling a single hole in the lid was a quick fix and we were back on track.

For more details, check out my photo heavy tutorial on making your own DIY Nipple Waterer.