Caring for Day-Old Chicks

They're cute, they're tiny—who doesn't love the sight of newborn chickens?

We know how tempting it might be to buy chicks online from a local chick hatchery. But before you start raising backyard chickens, it’s important to educate yourself on their care requirements. 

At Myers Poultry, we don’t recommend the “learn as you go” technique. Day-old chicks grow incredibly fast, and they require an upfront time commitment until they are able to thrive on their own. Without the appropriate care and supplies, your chicks may not make it. 

For a strong and healthy flock, your baby chicks will need:

• Shelter
• Warmth
• Water
• Nutrition

Following these tips will provide the best possible outcome for your day-old chicks. Let’s go over some essential equipment and supplies you’ll need to get the job done. 

Shelter: The Brooder Basics

When your chick delivery arrives, the poultry care process begins right away. After you pick them up from the post office, keep your chicks out of direct sunlight and adjust your car temperature to keep them comfortable.

When you arrive home, set up your newborn chickens in the brooder immediately to keep them warm and safe. This will be their temporary enclosure until they’re big enough to live in the coop or place outside on pasture. The time they can be placed outside will depend on your local environment as well as chicken breed. 

For biosecurity purposes, be sure your brooder, brooder area, and supplies are disinfected before the chicks arrive—especially if you previously had chickens onsite. 

Where should I put my chick brooder?

The brooder can be kept in any indoor area that is safe and protected from the elements, like a shed, garage, or a dedicated stall in your barn. As long as it’s draft-free and you have rodent prevention methods in place, it should be suitable for your chicks. 

To prevent the spread of Salmonella, we don’t recommend housing your brooder in highly-trafficked areas of your home. A basement is suitable as long as you are keeping your hands clean and following a good biosecurity protocol. 

What kind of chick brooder should I use?


As for the brooder itself, you can purchase a brooder from your local agricultural store, but many hobbyists prefer the DIY method. Your brooder can be anything from a metal stock tank to a wooden box—just make sure the sides are solid to prevent a draft. We recommend a brooder with rounded sides as well to prevent the chicks from piling into a corner and suffocating. 

As long as it’s clean and well-ventilated with high siding, it should be a suitable home for your chicks.  

The size of your brooder will depend on how many chicks you want to raise. To start off, we recommend about a third to one half sq ft space per bird. Even smaller flocks may require more room to account for food and water placement. Your brooder will need to increase in size as the chicks continue to grow. This prevents the chicks from becoming territorial or fighting over space. 

Whatever brooder you decide on, keep in mind that most layer breeds will learn to jump fly by 2 or 3 weeks of age—you may want to invest in a brooder ring or a mesh screen to prevent escape artists from leaving the enclosure.

Warmth: Heat Lamps, Temperature, and Bedding

Warmth is necessary for the survival of your chicks. If your chicks were being raised naturally by their mother, they would be spending a lot of time nestled between her feathers. You’ll need to mimic this warmth and comfort with an artificial heat source.  

What kind of heat source should I use?

A red infrared heat lamp is ideal—make sure to position and secure it at least 18 inches above your brooder. You can lower or raise it slightly depending on the needs of your chicks. Keep the heat lamp pointed away from your food and water source so your chicks can decide when to seek out warmth.

A brooder plate is another popular heating choice, but we don’t recommend them because they can be inconsistent with heat. If you decide to opt for a brooder plate (and you receive your chicks in the mail), supplement your chicks with a heat lamp for at least the first few days until they are acclimated.

How warm do my chicks need to be?

When your chicks first arrive, you’ll want the brooder temperature to be at a steady 90-95 degrees at floor level. Use a thermometer placed on the floor of the brooder to monitor the temperature and check for any fluctuations. Be sure to preheat your brooder at least 12-24 hours before your chicks arrive so it’s ready to go. 

As they continue to grow and become more self-sufficient, you’ll drop the temperature down by approximately 5 degrees each week.

While this temperature guide is a helpful place to start, you still need to be mindful of your local climate and conditions. For example, if the chicks are brooding outside in a metal shed and your local temperature is in the 90s, your heat lamp may not need to be as high. In fact, because of the metal siding and the heat of the day, it’s likely your chicks could overheat. 

And if you live in an area that’s cold, night temperatures could drop so low that your chicks need more supplemental heat in order to make it through the evening. Use your best judgment and adjust your heat source based on the climate and type of environment you’re housing your chicks in.

How do I know if my chicks are comfortable?

If this is your first time raising chicks, you might wonder how you’ll know if you’re doing everything right. Thankfully, your chicks will show you and tell you how they are doing. 

Cold chicks will be noisy, restless, and huddled together in one area of the enclosure. Happy chicks will be spread out, eating and drinking, and relatively quiet. Be observant and spend a lot of time with your chicks in the first days and few weeks. This will give you a baseline of their behavior so you’ll know when something isn’t right.


What kind of bedding should I use in my chick brooder?

There’s a lot of bedding to choose from out there, but we recommend pine shavings or chopped straw. Make sure to closely inspect your shavings or straw before using, as the presence of mold will harm your chicks. We prefer shavings that come in paper bags rather than plastic, as plastic packaging can harbor mold and moisture.

We recommend staying away from other bedding—your chicks have sensitive respiratory systems, and anything else will pose a health risk. Things like cedar shavings and sawdust will irritate your chicks and could potentially kill them. 

Ammonia buildup is harmful for a chick’s respiratory tract, so prepare to clean and change the bedding at least every few days. As your chicks grow in size you might even need to clean it daily (when they start losing down and growing adult feathers, your brooder will be looking messy more often than not). 

Lay your bedding down at least 2-4 inches thick to absorb waste and provide some insulation. You can also line your enclosure with puppy pads for added absorption and easy clean up.

How do I prevent fire hazards?
 
Make sure your heat source is properly secured. Most of the time, fires occur when a heat lamp is improperly installed. Secure your lamp using multiple methods, including a clamp, hook, or a tie. Never hang your lamp by the cord. A surge protector is always a good investment. 

Install a smoke detector in the same area as your brooder. By the time you notice a fire or fire hazard, it might be too late. Be the first to know by installing a working smoke detector or alarm in the same area as your chicks.

Check your brooder often. Do the sides feel hot? Are there any burning smells? Are the chicks panting or in distress? All of these are signs that your lamp is too hot or too close to your chicks. Move your lamp further away from your brooder and check the temperature again.

Keep a fire extinguisher nearby for emergencies. Have it within easy to reach and an accessible spot—and know how to use it.

Water: The Best Way to Hydrate

Right before they hatch, chicks absorb the remaining yolk sac, which provides them with a few days of strength and nourishment. In spite of this, the chick delivery and transit process can still be stressful on day-old chicks. 

Dehydration is a common reason for chick loss, so the first thing you should do when you unpack your chicks is introduce them to water. 

How do I keep my chicks hydrated?

Your chicks learn how to care for themselves through observation, so you’ll need to teach them how to drink when they first arrive. As you unpack your chicks, gently dip their beaks into their water source one by one so they know how and where to go for a drink. 

To keep your chicks healthy, we recommend adding StresEEZ to your water. This supplement will give your flock crucial vitamins and nutrients after their time in transit. 

How much water should I give my chicks?

Water should be clean, plentiful, and always available. The water should be at room temperature. A good ratio is one-gallon per 25 chicks. Make sure your waterer is cleaned and disinfected often, as chicks are quite messy. 

What kind of chick waterer should I use?

Your waterer should be shallow enough to prevent chicks from drowning or getting wet. You can add rocks to the bottom of the waterer to prevent your chicks from drowning. You want to keep your brooder space (and your chicks) as dry as possible. If water is spilled be sure to remove the wet bedding and replace it. 

You can opt to use a hanging waterer, which will help prevent shavings and debris from contaminating your water source.

As they grow, you will need to raise the waterer gradually so that the containers are level with their backs. This prevents your flock from developing blisters or other health problems from hunching over. 

Nutrition: Appropriate Feed

A good, high-quality starter feed will be essential to raising a strong and healthy flock. The kind of feed you need depends on the breed and type of flock you’d like to raise.

If you have questions about the right feed for you, your chick hatchery, local feed dealer, or agricultural supply store should be able to point you in the right direction. 

You can also contact us directly if you’d like recommendations. 

When should I feed my chicks for the first time?



When your chicks first arrive, feed is a lower priority than hydration. Chickens will sometimes refuse to eat if they aren't adequately hydrated, so allow them some time to drink and settle in before introducing their feed. 

You can top your feed with GroGel to give them an added boost that will improve their livability and get them started on the right foot. 

Much like waterers, the height of your feeders will also need to be adjusted as the chicks grow.

Common Chick Ailments

Generally speaking, if you’re willing to invest the time and money, raising chicks is pretty easy and straightforward. However, even with the best possible care, you may experience some chick loss in the first few days after their arrival. 

If you are having issues early on, don’t wait to seek help—without intervention, it’s unlikely to get better on its own. If you purchased your chicks with Myers Poultry, don’t hesitate to reach out to us directly with any questions or concerns.  

To spot and treat health issues before they get worse, here are some common things to watch out for.

Splayed Legs

This is when a chick’s legs can’t support them and splay out to the sides. Among other things, this can be caused by a vitamin D deficiency or poor bedding.

This is why we don’t recommend anything other than pine shavings or chopped straw, as newspaper and other bedding can be slippery and dangerous for your chicks. Your brooder should always be dry and have good traction for your chicks. 

If your chick is showing signs of splayed leg, we recommend adding Aqua Dee to your chick’s diet. You can also make a temporary hobble with self-adherent wrap to help them regain some strength in their legs.   

Pasty Butt

Pasty butt is exactly what it sounds like. This occurs when droppings accumulate in the chick’s vent area and create a blockage. You’ll need to clear the obstruction carefully to prevent chick loss. 

Gently rub the area with a warm washcloth or damp paper towel until it comes off—avoid rubbing too hard, as you may damage their feathers or tear their opening. Check your chicks for pasty butt daily. 

Wry Neck

Wry neck can be caused by a number of things, from a vitamin deficiency or poor hatching. You can treat this with Vitamin B and E. Consider adding our poultry supplements to your chicks’ diet. 

Coccidiosis

As mentioned in our biosecurity blog, Coccidiosis is a common ailment among chicks. Symptoms include diarrhea, lethargy, and loss of appetite. You can prevent this disease by opting for vaccination or using a medicated feed. 

Marek’s Disease

Unfortunately there is no treatment for Marek’s, so the best course of action is prevention via vaccination. Like Coccidiosis, you can order your chicks with a vaccine to prevent this from occurring. A good biosecurity plan will also keep your chicks protected from Marek’s. 

Let's Get Brooding

Raising day-old chicks is an incredibly rewarding process. There’s nothing like watching your flock grow from tiny fledglings into fully feathered adults. But if you want to give them their best shot at a long and healthy life, you need the proper tools, equipment, and a significant time commitment to pull it off. 


Remember to:

Give your chicks shelter: an adequately sized brooder in a draft and predator-free environment will be their home for at least 6 weeks. 

Give your chicks warmth: keep your chicks to temp with a heat lamp or heat plate set to 90-95 degrees and then gradually lower it each week as the chicks grow.

Provide safe drinking water: give your chicks a safe, shallow water station and clean it often to prevent disease from spreading.

Feed your chicks with high quality starter feed: talk to your local feed dealer or agricultural supply store to decide which feed is best for your flock.