Baby chicks are very delicate and need meticulous care in order to grow into healthy and happy adult chickens. In this brief informational article, we’ll go over the basics of raising baby chicks.
Brooder Construction
Depending on the number of chicks you’re trying to raise, you’ll need a chicken brooder that can house them. A general rule of thumb is to have at least 2.5 square feet per baby chick. So if you have 10 baby chicks, you’re going to need a chicken brooder that spans 25 square feet.
Try your best to avoid overcrowding by buying or building a chicken brooder that’s a little larger than what you need. Keep in mind that baby chicks grow quite fast, and you don’t want to have to buy a new brooder every few weeks. So try to be as generous as possible, space-wise.
The next step is to apply a layer of clean litter at the bottom of the chicken brooder. You want to go for something such as pine shavings. You want to steer clear of placing newspaper because it’s quite slippery underfoot, which can result in your chicks suffering from foot and leg problems.
If your baby chicks cannot distinguish what’s food and what isn’t, then you may want to drop the whole pine shavings idea and go for something such as paper towels. You’ll need to replace the litter every 2-3 days so that it doesn’t end up getting damp, which can result in a few diseases.
The final step in setting up your chicken brooder is to put a roost that’s about 4 inches above the brooder’s floor in order to encourage your chicks to start roosting. We suggest you do this only if the chicks are 30-days old. Also, don’t place the roost under the heat lamp for obvious reasons.
Brooder Temperature
There are various heat sources that you can employ to keep your chicken brooder warm, one of which is a simple light bulb that features a reflector, which you can purchase from any hardware store in your area. As far as the wattage, a 100-watt light bulb should keep your brooder warm.
If you’re planning to use a different heating source, you must make sure that the temperature in the chicken brooder is somewhere around 90 degrees Fahrenheit in the warmest section of the brooder during the first week. Thereafter, reduce the temperature by 5 degrees each week.
It’s important to keep the chicken brooder comfortable for your chicks by dividing it into warmer and cooler areas. To do that, we recommend utilizing a thermometer. Keep altering the wattage of the bulb and the distance of the light until you achieve the most optimum result.
We feel the need to stress the importance of choosing the proper type of heat bulb, as there are types that can be fatal for baby chicks, such as Teflon-coated bulbs. You can employ an infrared bulb or a red bulb for optimal results. Steer clear of white bulbs because they can hinder sleep.
Waterers and Feeders
The next step in providing your baby chicks with the perfect home is to set up several waterers and feeders. You want to make sure that the waterers always contain fresh, clean water. As far as the placement of the waterer, just keep it as far away as possible for the heat source.
If you’re using a bowl to provide your baby chicks with water, make sure you fill it with marbles or clean pebbles so that your baby chicks don’t get soaked with water if they happen to fall in it. By doing so, you also help prevent their chances of drowning.
And while you can just place food for your baby chicks in bowls, you’ll run the risk of turning the brooder into a big pile of mess as chicks can scratch at their food and scatter it everywhere. It’s recommended to use feeders in order to maintain cleanliness in your chicken brooder.
As far as what you should feed your chicks, a chick starter feed, also known as crumbles, is the most ideal option. Chick starter comes as medicated or not. Medicated chick starter feed boasts a small amount of Amprolium drugs that help prevent the emergence of Coccidiosis disease.
The great thing about chick starter feed is that it’s formulated for the baby chick’s dietary needs, which means that you won’t need to feed it any other type of food. However, you’ll need to feed your chicks treats every now and then. Click here to learn more about chicken treats.
When introducing treats or new foods in general to your baby chicks, make sure you incorporate chick grit in order to help your baby chicks break down the new food you’ve introduced. Keep in mind that treats should be introduced sparingly. Too much of them can do more bad than good.
Baby Chicks Playtime
After the first couple of weeks, you can let your baby chicks out of the chicken brooder for short periods of time if the temperature is right. This will help satisfy their curiosity. However, you’ll be obligated to keep an eye on them because chicks at that age are quite helpless.
We suggest you release your baby chicks into an enclosed area so that they don’t escape or fall victim to dogs or cats. After they get used to being outside, you can extend the playtime for your baby chicks. This will help them transition to the chicken coop a lot easier.
Final Words
Using the information provided, you should be able to raise healthy and happy baby chicks with ease. Until next time!