Baby Chicks – Beginners Guide to Raising Chicks

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baby chicks

So, you’ve decided to get baby chicks. Where do you start? What do you need? If you are in the city limits, check your local ordinances. Some cities, like ours, do not allow roosters.

Your local feed store or Tractor Supply will have baby chicks soon. However, it’s a toss-up of what type of chicks they will have. You can order chicks online. But beware, with the delays from USPS, I’ve known several people that received chicks DOA. I just don’t think I could open a box of dead chicks.

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Now, if you buy locally, there is a good chance that you will still lose one. Day-old chicks are delicate and are susceptible to illness. Make sure you purchase from a reputable source.

You could hatch chicks yourself with an incubator. This takes a huge commitment and requires a bit of knowledge. Being new chicken parents and having a lot to learn already, we purchased ours from Tractor Supply.

Here are a few things you will need to take care of baby chicks.  

Brooder

If you don’t have a broody hen, you will have to substitute with a heat source. Day-old chicks need to be kept at 95 degrees Fahrenheit for the first week.  

For a brooder, you probably have something around the house that can be used. I’ve seen plastic tubs, dog crates, aquariums, a rabbit hutch, kiddy pools, and tents.

We used an old guinea pig cage which was good for the first few weeks while my husband, the Bearded Rooster built their coop. They grew so fast that we wouldn’t have been able to use it much longer.

baby chicks

You will use the brooder for four to six weeks, until their big girl feathers are in, so you want to make sure it’s big enough to house them. Baby chicks don’t need much room at first but by six weeks of age, they need 1-2 square feet per chick.

Now you have to decide where to keep the brooder. Ours was on our dining room table until the coop was complete. I highly recommend keeping them indoors for the first few weeks, so you can keep an eye on them. Just make sure they are out of harm’s way from other pets or children.  

If your brooder is enclosed, there needs to be ventilation at the top. This will allow moisture and any ammonia smell to escape protecting their sensitive respiratory systems.

Heat Source

You will want to secure the heat source. We used a heat lamp but I’m not sure I will in the future. I’ve heard many stories where the bulb busted and caught the bedding on fire. I’ve learned that a 100-watt bulb should provide adequate heat. If you choose a heat lamp, use a red bulb. If there is any blood due to pecking injuries, the red bulb will camouflage. Chicks will peck at the blood spot when noticed and may peck a chick to death.

Hang the heat source 12 inches above the brooder. Place a thermometer at the bottom of the brooder where the chicks are running around so you can monitor the temp. Adjust the height as needed.  

You want to make sure your heat source is on one side of the brooder so the chicks can move away from it when needed. Like newborn babies, chicks have a hard time regulating their body temperature. They can get overheated and die.

Each week you want to lower the temp in the brooder by 5 degrees

If you use a heat lamp, do this by raising it a few inches. This will help them acclimate to regular temps as they lose their down and get new feathers. Monitor your chick’s behavior.  If they are excessively chirping or huddled up and piled on top of each other, they are cold.

You will also want some type of barrier if you use a heat lamp. A wire cover or mesh screen works well. This serves two purposes. It will keep your chicks from jumping out plus give them some protection if the bulb breaks. Broken bulbs can occur from power surges, vibrations, faulty wiring, water splashing on the bulb, or your bulb wattage exceeding the maximum wattage allowed.

baby chicks

 I was always concerned about using the heat lamp but we never had a problem. Make sure if you are using one that you use a brooder’s lamp and not a painter’s lamp. The painter’s lamp, unless using a 100-watt bulb, cannot handle the 250 watts of the red bulb.

Many people use an Ecoglow brooder instead of a heat lamp. It works differently by supplying radiant heat. It doesn’t warm the air, so the thermometer won’t help you. There are two sizes. One that can be used for up to 20 baby chicks and another for 50. The chicks can get under it when needed and it can also be raised as the chicks grow.

Bedding

You will need some type of bedding for the brooder. We decided on pine shavings. They are an inexpensive option. You will need a couple of inches in the bottom to help with insulating plus it will absorb the moisture from the poop.

Check out my previous blog on the Hen House where I go into the different types of bedding.

Water

Chickens need clean fresh water. We choose a small waterer for the brooder that we changed out daily (sometimes twice a day.) At first, I thought we should get a larger one that they would use as adults. If you do this, be careful. Chicks can drown. Place marbles or rocks in the bottom so if they fall in, they can easily get out.

Hopefully, they’ve used a waterer before but dip their beak in the water just in case. The small waterer we purchased has not gone to waste. We’ve used it multiple times in our “sick bay” when the girls had to be isolated for illness or injury. It’s the perfect size.

Feed

Make sure chicks have feed available at all times. There are several chick feeders sold depending on the number of chickens you have. We’ve had two types. The long skinny trough type has a hinged slide that keeps the chicks from standing on it. The other one we used is the standard round with 8 openings. Both worked fine for our chicks. I don’t think it matters which one you use, the chicks eventually spilled both. The important thing is that there are enough openings so everyone can eat.  

You want to feed chick starter until they are eight weeks old. After that, you can change to grower/finisher which is higher in protein but many people continue using the chick starter until It’s time to switch to layer feed, between 16-24 weeks.

After the first week, put their waterer and feeder on a block. The chicks will be scratching around throwing shavings everywhere. This will help keep it a little cleaner.

Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV)

Baby chicks are prone to Pasty Butt. Pasty butt happens when the poop sticks to the bottom of the vent area, causing a blockage. It occurs due to stress and extreme temperatures. Even purchasing local, most of the chicks have been shipped to the store, which I assume is stressful for them, and who knows about the temps in the box. Add a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar to the water as a probiotic and a preventative. Don’t use it for more than 5 days.

Because pasty butt causes a blockage, chicks can die from it. There are two types of ACV with or without “mother.” Check out this article I found that explains the difference. The health benefits of ACV are a hot topic for both chickens and people. Do some research. Also, check out my blog on common chicken illnesses.  An alternative to apple cider vinegar is Sav-a-Chick probiotic. It’s available at TSC, your local feed store, or Amazon.  

Roost bars

Chickens have an instinct to roost. This keeps them off the ground and away from predators. We placed a few pieces of 2x4s in the brooder to encourage them to roost. A limb from the yard would also be effective.

baby chicks

That’s all you need to get started. Baby chicks are pretty easy to take care of. If you’re unsure about the type of chickens to get, check out my blog on the Best Egg Laying Chickens.

There are several options for coops. You can build it yourself or purchase a prebuilt one. Plan for as large as your space allows. Unless you are limited by the number of chickens you can have, I guarantee you will get more. Make sure when you’re building your coop that you have a minimum of three feet per bird. As said earlier, the more room the happier they will be.

You may notice a hierarchy or pecking order pretty early on, sometimes by three weeks. Additionally, the more room you have, the girls on the lower end of the pecking order, will have space to get away. Check out my blog on setting up the Hen House (coop) and run. I’d also start slowly working on building a chicken first aid kit.

Published by carol

50 Replies to “Baby Chicks – Beginners Guide to Raising Chicks”

    1. Me too! We used a heat lamp before but I was such a worrywart. Now I have a hen that’s broody every Spring so I haven’t had a need for it.

  2. I have raised hen layers at our farm a couple of times and I learned something new! It was always a challenge about pasty butt! Who knew about the apple cider vinegar! I want to go get chicks now!

  3. I want chicks so bad but we live in an area that won’t allow it. But we are moving soon and this is an actual consideration to where we will go. There are actually places where you can rent chickens and I think we are going to try that the first year. They bring you the coop, feed, young chickens… everything you need to get started. They come in early spring and pick them up in late fall, bringing them back to their farm for the winter. You can even get the same chickens the next year, or just buy them to keep if you fall in love. 🙂

    1. How cool! I’ve never heard of renting chickens. There are many people that get chicks and it’s just too overwhelming for them. Love that concept. You should do it!

  4. Great information. I did not know it takes so much to raise chickens – adjusting the temperature, bedding, pasty butt… Great article.

  5. You are so brave! I would love to raise chicks but with my children I can’t imagine adding more little chicks into my life!

    1. We really enjoy raising chickens. Of course our kids are older, so I’m not chasing extra chicks around.

  8. Your information is so thorough. I didn’t know you should turn the heat down five degrees each week—what a good thing to know.

  9. I love these posts! I’m learning so much I had never known! My brother got baby chicks last year and he used some of this same terminology (albeit, now I feel like I have a much more specific knowledge based on what you’ve shared). Plus, the chicks are so cute!!

    1. Glad it helped. Not sure if he’s crazy like we are…but once we start talking chickens it hard to stop!

  10. This article makes me miss having chickens. We had so many varmint issues we finally gave up. The final straw was something ripping apart our coop and killing the last of our flock. Prior to that, a fox took our best hen in broad daylight right before our eyes and before that, we think a mink went through the chicken wire of our smaller coop to get to our younger hens. We really had fun with them and our kids enjoyed them too. There is nothing like fresh eggs.

    1. I’m so sorry you had issues. Once a predator knows there’s a food source, it’s hard to deter them!

  11. Awww they are super cute! I love baby chickens! They are so adorable and dedicates. I am sure these information are super helpful for any one who whants to raise chickens.

  12. I loved raising chickens when we were kids. It was so much fun and I loved collecting the eggs. My dad bought them as baby chicks too and it’s great to watch them grow up. These are great tips. I can’t wait to do this with my kids. Bookmarking for later.

    1. I think chickens are great for young kids. With a little guidance, they are fairly easy to take care of. Let me know how it goes!

    1. Thank you. She loves the chickens. They are grown now but she still goes out and sits and holds them from time to time.

  15. Loved this. You’ve brought back some lovely memories for me. We’ve raised chicks too – hatched naturally, bought in and incubated. Incubation can be so tricky to get it just perfect, but it’s amazing to watch wee straggly chicks break through their shells, and then transform into fluffy little bundled within an hour. But I think my favourite is the natural way. There is nothing more adorable than seeing a hen walking about with her chicks and hiding them under her feathers.

    1. I’m so glad it brought back good memories. We may try in a few years to raise baby chicks with a Broody hen.

  16. Wow what an interesting article! I didn’t realize there was so much prep work with chicks. It sounds like it would be worth it though (and your pictures are adorable!!)

      1. I loved reading your post! I grew up with chickens we Let them roam free around the property and then after not seeing a hen for awhile she would show up with a bunch of baby chicks following behind her🥰

  17. i have never raised chicks and quite honestly, don’t see myself doing so but one of my friends owns a ranch and has all sorts of animals! will definitely be sharing this article with her. x

  18. Raising chickens or any animals can be many things: therapeutic, rewarding, fun and for beginners maybe a bit nerve-wracking! thanks for this guide! very helpful

    1. Absolutely! Couldn’t have said it better myself. The chickens have been very therapeutic and a bit nerve-wracking. I can’t believe how much I worry about them.

  20. These are great tips and perfectly timed for the chicks that will soon be present in feeds stores. With the cute little chicks sitting in the middle of the store, it’s really easy for an unexpecting parent to walk out with the chick their little one begged to have. However, those chicks quickly grow up and they require specialized care that many people are prepared for. Your tips will definitely be helpful to those parents.

  21. I’ve been debating getting chickens for some time now, but I’m afraid my dogs would terrorize them constantly. Great tips for a newbie like me looking into baby chicks. I’ll be sure to reference these tips when I finally make my purchase. Who knew apple cider vinegar had so many uses!

    1. You do have to be careful with dogs especially ones with a high prey drive. We muzzled ours and kept on a leash for months–lots of training. My son’s German Shepherd hasn’t graduated yet (still leashed)!

  23. I actually have had better luck purchasing chicks by mail than at my local store. I am probably going to be doing Easter eggers again.

    1. We love our olive egger. She’s so sweet. I’ll probably order online next year. I’d like to get a heritage breed.

  24. We use to get chicks (layers) every year and meat birds every 2nd year when our kids were little. Lately we have been purchasing ready-to-lay chickens only. This year I have decided to get some meat birds again now that my husband has a smoker. I read your post and enjoyed the refresher, however I learned about the ACV. I have never used it or probiotics on my chicks but it made me think that maybe this wouldn’t hurt. Thanks for the info.

    1. I figure it can’t hurt. I use it once a month. I worry about my birds (probably too much) wish they could tell me when something’s wrong.

  26. Great info on getting started! What do you suggest for when they start jumping out of their initial boxes? Do you have favorite breeds you would suggest to a beginning chick enthusiast?

    1. Our girls all have a unique personality. Our Barred Rock is so friendly and very curious. Great if you want to interact with them. Our Wyandotte is sweet and laid back. Then our leghorn is bossy! As far as jumping out, you definitely need something, usually around 3 weeks of age. My husband made a frame and stapled some window screen to it. Worked well.

    1. We had one with pasty butt and I only had regular apple cider vinegar. Worked like a charm. Cleared it right up. I still put in water about once a month as a probiotic.

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