How to raise baby chicks a beginner’s guide will tell you everything you need to know about bringing home and raising your new baby chicks.
In 2013 we got our first 4 Cochin chickens. They say chickens are the gateway livestock, they are right! There was no turning back and now I have many chickens, geese, ducks, goats, and a Jersey cow! Now let’s dive into some important information!
What breed do you want?
You will want to do some research on what type of baby chicks you want to raise. Heavy egg layers, friendly, cold weather tolerant. If you are buying your chicks locally, they should be bred to handle your weather conditions.
If your ordering online, research how they do and if they are what you want. I often go to Murray McMurray Hatchery to research. I am lucky that my local feed store has many varieties come spring. Most places that sell chicks local to you will have a list of what they have coming in. Be ready, because many will sell out fast.
PULLETS VS STRAIGHT RUN
I feel this information isn’t given out very often. If my dad wouldn’t have told me this, I would have marched right into Tractor Supply and grabbed the first four chickens that I saw. I got a lot of advice on how to raise chicks from my dad. He used to have chickens in the basement because they were illegal in the town they lived in!
The difference between Pullet and Straight Run
*PULLET: Hens, sexed for females. Not 100% but out of all the chicks I have gotten, only 1 ended up a rooster and that was out of at least 40 chicks.
*STRAIGHT RUN: Hens and roosters, you have no choice and it is a gamble of getting roosters. You could buy 5 chicks and 4 of them could end up roosters.
So if you are in an HOA or town and can not have roosters go for pullets. Is it a 100% guarantee?….. NO, but your odds are much better. I have two roosters here whose owners needed homes for them. Not sure if they bought pullets or straight run, but it happens. Finding homes for them is not always easy, especially if you don’t want them eaten, it is very heartbreaking is falling in love and naming your new feathered friend and then having to give him away.
BROODER BOX
What can you use for a brooder box?
For all the baby chicks we have raised we have used everything from a plastic tub, dog crate to a stock tank. We now use stock tanks. But for a small beginner flock, you can use anything that is about 2 feet tall and has sturdy sides. You want something that will be easy to put light into. Flight risk will happen soon enough too, those little buggers will be escape artists before you know it.
BEDDING FOR YOUR BABY CHICKS
Your choices are endless for this also but after many different tries with straw, woodchips, and shredded paper, we now only use wood stove pellets. Water will get everywhere and start to stink even when you clean it regularly. Wood pellets will absorb the moisture and turn into sawdust. So easy to clean and very inexpensive. I would never turn back. You should be able to pick them up at any farm store, and pet stores carry smaller bags like this.
WATER
You will need water and food containers for your chicks. In the first week, you will need to add an electrolyte to the water. They should have these where you buy your chicks, if you order the chicks online you will want to get this. When you get your chicks home, make sure to gently dip their beaks into the water, they need to learn asap where that is.
MEDICATED VS NON-MEDICATED BABY CHICK FEED
Medicated chick feed’s primary purpose is to protect against coccidiosis, which can affect chicks who ingest soil or the droppings of other chickens. It contains Amprolium. It is for non-vaccinated chicks. I have no idea if my chicks have been vaccinated and I just feed medicated for 2-3 weeks.
Unlike medicated feed, the non-medicated feed contains no Amprolium
HEAT
How to keep your baby chicks you raise warm
Best temperature for baby chicks
When you are raising baby chicks they need heat, a lot of people will use a thermometer to make sure it is at the right temperature, from Tractor Supply they say ” The temperature at the bottom of the brooding area should be 95-100 degrees for the first two weeks and then reduced 5 degrees each week until chicks are a month old.” I use ORIA Indoor Outdoor Thermometer. I love this, it comes with three thermometers and I have one for the baby chicks, and then I put one in my greenhouse and one in the big coop.
Heat lamps
If they are cold they will huddle, if they are hot they will be spread out far away from the heat source. We have always used heat lamps, but this year we bought the Brinsea Products Ecoglow and I am very excited to try it out. The one thing they say is, it must be in a room that is above 50 degrees. You will want to start the heat plate pretty low and raise it as they get older. Once they have feathers I will remove the light.
Baby Chick Safety
Be prepared for Power Outages.
It never fails you have new chicks and the power goes out. I always have a box of hot hands available. Shake one up and put it in a sock, they will gather up on top of it. The first thing to do if the power should go out, close off the brooder box to a small space, second add hot hands, and third, put a blanket around the outside and the top. Make sure to remove your heat lamp, if the power comes back on, you do not want it touching a blanket.
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All the things you will need to raise your baby chicks.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Find more information here
The Homesteader’s Natural Chicken Keeping Handbook by Amy K. Fewell
Tundras Hot Hand Warmers 11 Hours Long Lasting – 40 Count
Brinsea Products Ecoglow Safety 1200 Brooder for Chicks Or Ducklings, Yellow/Black
Purina Start & Grow Starter/Grower Medicated Feed Crumbles, 5 lb bag
Cackle Hatchery Chick Feeder and Waterer Combo
Sav-A-Chick Electrolyte & Vitamin Supplement (3 – 0.2 oz packets)
Philips Heat Lamp R40 Flood Light Bulb: 250-Watt, Medium Screw Base
I hope you enjoyed this How to Raise baby chicks guide! Any questions please ask in the comments below!
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Thank you for all your help and support when we got our first chicks!
As a rookie chicken owner, something I wish I had considered is how aggressive the various breeds are. A couple of the larger hens really pick on Amelia Egghart, our Easter Egger because she is smaller. So far nothing serious, but I do feel bad for her!
Very good point! Thank you!
Thanks for linking up at the Farmhouse Friday link party! I’m so excited to see this. I’ve pinned it for future use in hopes to get some chicks at the farmhouse. Love it!
Thank you for letting me link up! I am so glad you liked it! My first blog post! Love all the posts people are linking!
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