Every year requires new consideration while you prepare for chicks because your family, property and weather always changes.
considerations
We wanted to get chicks early in the year so that we would have most of them laying by early summer, hopefully by June. This posed the problem of how to keep the brooder warm enough for our chicks through January and February, then where to keep them out of the March and April rains… all while giving them a shot at success and a happy life. We don’t have heat in our outbuildings, although one of them is insulated. Our final decision was to put 15 baby chicks in one of our old, unused stock tanks – in our basement. It keeps them close to the family for attention, warm and helps with ease of care. We moved them into two separate locations to our insulated later. You will have your own variables, but consider where your birds will have the best start. To prepare for chicks at your house, use the checklist at the bottom on the page!
SPACE
The amount of square footage both now and as they grow is important to consider for your little chicks. Reasons include reduced risk of disease, reduced fighting and ability to get away from the heat source. For the first few weeks you will be able to get away with 1/2 square foot per bird, increase to 3/4 square foot of space by week 4 and continue to increase space as you notice a need. General guidelines are below, more space is not the issue. By week 10 they should be given the same space as a full grown bird, at least 2 square foot per bird. Depending on outdoor temperature and weather conditions, you might be able to move them from the brooder to a tractor or coop after the first six weeks. Once they are fully feathered, they are free to move outside. We have chosen to keep ours inside for now, our property is quite large, with older birds free ranging, new puppy and unpredictable weather – it is the best solution we have right now.
How Much Space Do Chicks Need?
| Week 0 | 0.50 Sq Ft per Bird |
| Week 4 | 0.75 Sq Ft per Bird |
| Week 6 | 1.00 Sq Ft per Bird |
| Week 8 | 1.50 Sq Ft per Bird |
| Week 10+ | 2.00 Sq Ft per Bird |
WALLS
It could be as simple as an old stock tank, you could build your own brooder box, purchase a new stock tank or metal raised garden bed or purchase a brooder box.
The walls need to be 12”-18” higher than the bedding so that the little birds don’t fly out. If your box is shorter, no worries – you will just need a top. Small grid wire stapled onto a frame with thin slats of wood should do it. It wouldn’t even have to be framed up, it could just be wire laid overtop to brooder and a couple long slats to keep it down. There are so many similar options that will work. I saw someone put birds in a mesh play pen that had a zip up lid. Another easy option is a starter kit, like the one linked below. We saw this same one at our local farm store when we got our other brooder supplies.
HEAT SOURCE
While you prepare for chicks, heat is an imperative step. There are two general options, heat lamp or heating plate.
Heat lamps are affordable and reliable, but can pose a safety hazard if not property secured. Make sure it is safely attached with the clip, if it has one, and by the loop on the lamp. It does need to be close enough to the chicks to keep them warm. There are some nifty stands for heat lamps that are adjustable and secure, we have been using a coat hanger off a support beam. It’s not perfect, but better than nothing. Get a red light for the heat lamp so that it doesn’t keep the chicks awake at night. They will sleep just fine under a red lamp, we tested it out for you.
Heating plates are the other option, more expensive but less wasted heat and specifically designed for baby birds. It mimics a mama bird. Adjustable height creates a sweet little spot for the chicks to feel protected. Our birds didn’t prefer this option.
The ambient temperature of your space should be at least 50 degrees.
BEDDING
Pine shavings.
While there are other options, some might cause harm to your chicks. Pine shavings are the standard for moderate price and effectiveness. Just start here until you personally find something that works better for you.
WATER
They need water. Get them a shallow little waterer, either one manufactured specifically for baby fowl or a shallow dish with clean rocks at the bottom. They are able to drown if the waterer is too deep.
The first thing you do when you get them into the brooder is dip their little beaks into the water. Just a tad, so they get a drop on their beaks – this tells them where to go to get water. They don’t have a mama there to help them learn.
Additionally – if you are getting the birds from a hatchery, check if they have an electrolyte powder to add to your chick water. I found a great resource for chick water or Magic Water at This Beautiful Farm Life
FOOD
You can get medicated or non-medicated chick starter crumbles. At our farm store they have a brand that provides an infographic on the back of their feed bags to tell you what type of feed or supplements your chicks need right now. Either way, when you prepare for chicks, consider something to help them with gut health. Chicks are especially susceptible to Coccidiosis, which is a parasitic disease that is passed through fecal droppings and affects the chickens’ intestinal tract by reducing nutrient absorption. Medicated feed is a chick starter feed that has an added coccidiostat (Amprolium) additive which prevents, but does not treat, Coccidiosis. If you have a busy lifestyle for whatever reason – it might be better to use medicated feed. Living chicks are better than babies dying of disease. We are all about better – even if it is not perfect. If you have time to prepare for chicks a regimen of herbs and gut healthy additions, extra space and time to change bedding multiple times a week, and closely monitor your bird’s health a more natural approach might work for you.
Q&A on chicks
Wouldn’t it be better for these chicks to be raised by a mama bird? Yes, that is more holistic. Right now we don’t have the space for a hen to brood chicks. We hope to allow one of our hens, who really likes to sit on eggs, to raise some this spring. But that will be its own adventure in itself, we won’t plan on any of those chicks to live as the predators, other birds and farm life are hazardous to baby birds.
What breeds of chicks did you get?
We got 3-4 of Green Queen, Black Cooper Maran, Austra White, Salmon Faverolle.
How did you decide what type of birds to get?
Great question. We wanted a few high production egg layers and a few colored egg layers. Then we needed a couple more to finish out the cart (get free shipping) so we added a few more that were available for the same hatch date.
Where did you purchase your chicks?
We purchased our chicks from Meyer Hatchery in Pulk, Ohio. They are a reputable hatchery and we would highly recommend buy birds through them – if they are in stock. Our other recommendation is Cackle Hatchery in Missouri.
