It’s nearly time to pick up that peeping box from the post office or pick up a few cute little baby chicks from the feed and seed store. It’s hard to resist such cute fluffy little biddies chirping peep peep peep. Even our dog adores baby chicks! But before bringing them home, there are a few things to have in place before you bring home your newest additions to the homestead. Preparing for chicks is not complicated. To be honest, they’re an awful lot like hamsters. Food, water, and a clean house are the main things any little critter needs.
The first time I raised baby chicks, I read every book available at the library on raising chicks and was planning meticulously for their arrival. I was in full-on nesting mode the week they were to arrive! Thermometer, check. Everything was going to be perfect! … well, chicks turn out to be a lot easier to raise than some of those books made them out to be. Preparing for chicks involves 4 simple things. Housing, warmth, food, and water. That’s it! Scroll on for a FREE downloadable checklist to ensure you have everything you need for your fluffy little peeps.
1. Brooder Box (aka housing)
The first step in preparing for chicks to make sure they have a home. Pretty much any box will do, but chicks grow up fast! So make sure you either have a larger box for them to move to later or a large enough box to start with. I’ve seen some people use kiddie pools, water tubs, or even just a simple cardboard box. Since we still live in the suburbs and usually only add a few chicks to our flock at any given time, we use a large plastic container.
Depending on how tall the sides are on your box of choice, you may want some sort of cover. Our box does great for the first week or two, but about week three there’s always at least one adventurous chick in the batch that likes to pop out for some fun. A cover is also a great idea if you have a cat or some other predator concerns. We happen to have a baby gate from Daisy’s puppy days that we set on top, but you could use chicken wire or drill holes in the top of the plastic container’s lid.
Totally unnecessary, but a cool bonus feature is a simple feather duster. Hanging the feather duster allows the chicks to slip in between the feathers to feel a bit more secure in the first week or so. Essentially mimicking a mother hen’s wings. My chicks have always been fine without one, but a friend’s baby chicks loved their faux mama.
2. Heat
Before I got my first round of chicks, I had read they need to be kept super warm at 95 degrees. Turns out that may be a bit too hot for those of us living in more southern climates. I originally had a heat lamp with a 250W bulb and thermometer trying to make sure I had the perfect toasty temperature for my chicks. But then I noticed they started panting heavily and trying to stay as far away from the lamp as possible. Turns out my mudroom was already close to 80 degrees and the heat lamp was starting to fry my chicks!
After chatting with my dad who helped his father raise chickens in the mountains of NC, I learned that they simply used a 60W light bulb for supplemental heat. Apparently chicks are a bit hardier than some of the books I had been reading had portrayed them. That or the books I had read prior were written by folk in much colder climates. You might need a heat lamp to heat the frigid air of Montana…but in the warmer climes of the South a 60W bulb puts out enough heat to warm up the air a few degrees.
The next year, I observed one of my hens raise a chick, and I realized that they need a warm spot to go to regulate their body temperature periodically. They happily run around the chicken run with momma hen even when it’s cool outside, but snuggle up to mom to warm up when needed. To mimic a broody mama, I started designating one side of my brooder as the “warm spot” and allowing my chicks to move around to whatever area was the best temperature for them rather than trying to control the temperature of the entire box.
An alternative to a heat lamp is a heating plate. But they come with a more expensive price tag. If this is your first time and you’re trying to do it on a budget, a simple heat lamp will do the trick. Just be cautious with where you locate it and how you secure it as it can be a fire hazard. Maybe consider a less flammable material for the brooder box than cardboard if you go the heat lamp route.
3. Bedding
My preferred bedding of choice for chicks is pine* shavings. It’s simple to pick up a bag from the store and is convenient to scoop out when cleaning. Some people use paper towels or shredded paper. Basically need a non-slippery surface for their little feet that will absorb the liquids that come out in their poo.
Speaking of excrement, you’ll want to clean out the box every other day or so. We usually scoop out the super gross wet poops and add some clean shavings once a day and then do a fuller cleaning 2-3 times a week. As they get older and poop bigger, the cleaning frequency may have to go up until they move outdoors.
*NOT cedar shavings! The aroma of cedar may smell nice to us, but birds have fragile respiratory systems. (Remember the canary in the coal mine?) Cedar shavings are a bit too aromatic for baby chicks–toxically so.
4. Water
Like all animals, baby chicks need fresh clean water to drink. We use a plastic waterer lid that attaches to a mason jar to provide water to our little chicks. When you introduce your little chicks to their new home, be sure to dip their beaks in the water to show them where it is. You are momma hen now and have to show them where to get the essentials of life.
Clean water is key to chick health. Chicks get poop everywhere, so we change the water at least once-a-day, sometimes twice if they drop a load in it or fill it up with pine shavings. We like to elevate the waterer up with a brick to try and limit the amount of debris that ends up in the dish. It only takes a day or two and they begin learning how to scratch and peck around in the shavings…which means they fling it everywhere!
5. Feed
The last thing you need when preparing for chicks is food. It’s as simple as grabbing a bag labeled “chick feed” at the local feed and seed store. As easy as that! It’s already ground up and nutritionally balanced perfectly for a growing chicken. We use a feeder attachment for a mason jar and fill it up as needed. And we also elevate it on the brick platform with the water to try and prevent them from scratching too much of it out into the bedding.
There are debates over medicated vs. non-medicated feed. Personally, we have found that we need medicated feed when we start our chicks indoors. For some reason they get coccidiosis without fail unless we provide medicated feed. When we raise them outdoors (i.e. we get them during the warm months), we don’t have as many issues. Must be something about the confinement of a box even with regular cleaning…The choice is yours! But if you notice runny poop, you might want to check out medicated feed.
Chick feed is ground up enough that they don’t need grit, but if you plan to spoil your babies with some treats, you’ll want to provide some chick grit. Since chickens don’t have teeth, they swallow small rocks that help grind up their food in their gizzard. However, when they’re in a box, they can’t find some in the dirt outside. Good news if you can purchase a bag of the perfect-sized grit at the store. It’s inexpensive and lasts a long time. I’ve had the same bag since I first started keeping a flock. I place a pinch near their feeder periodically.
Speaking of treats, we love taming our chicks with corn grits. The little biddies are usually scared of your hand at first, but as soon as they realize how delicious corn is, they will swarm your hand for first dibs! We also like to bring in some greens for them to nibble or the occasional worm. High entertainment watching them run around trying to steal a worm from each other!
Conclusion
Well, I hope these tips for preparing for chicks will help you get started with your very own flock this year. You’ve got this! There’s nothing as heartwarming as hearing their little chirps and watching them learn the ropes of scratching and pecking. Nor the reward of delicious eggs in your future! Don’t forget the downloadable FREE checklist to ensure you have everything you need when preparing for baby chicks.