Gretchen's Beginner’s Guide to Raising Healthy Chicks

Bringing home baby chicks is an exciting adventure, but getting them off to a strong, healthy start takes the right setup and proper care. Here is everything you need to know about setting up your brooder, maintaining temperatures, feeding milestones, and flock health!

1. Setting Up the Brooder

A safe, controlled environment is critical during your chicks' first few weeks of life:

• Enclosure: Keep chicks in a brooder with solid sides that is completely draft-free. Position the brooder in a room with a constant temperature—avoid sun porches or garages where temperatures swing dramatically.

• Bedding: Line the bottom with newspaper and cover it generously with pine shavings.

• Food & Water Setup: Elevate food and water dishes on a piece of wood with cardboard or newspaper underneath to prevent pine shavings from kicking into their waterer. Always supply fresh, clean water and an uninterrupted supply of chick starter feed.

• Space & Security: Ensure the brooder is spacious enough to accommodate them as they grow rapidly. By week 2, add a top made with chicken wire, as they will quickly learn to jump to the edges!

  
  

2. Temperature & Heating Essentials

Chicks are born with down feathers and require a constant radiant heat source to maintain body temperature and prevent hypothermia until fully feathered (around 4 weeks of age).

• Brooder Lamp Safety: Securely position a brooder lamp on the opposite side from food and water. Chicks must be able to move closer if cold or retreat if too warm.

• Temperature Schedule: Start at 90°F at the warmest spot during Week 1. Reduce the temperature by 5°F each week (by raising your heat lamp) as they mature.

• Brooding Plate Tip: If using a brooding plate, place a soft nightlight in the room. Chicks wake up to eat and drink until 5 weeks of age, which is when their normal sleep cycle develops.

💡 Fun Fact: Chickens dream! They experience REM sleep just like we do.

3. Daily Health & Handling Best Practices

• Check for Pasting Daily: In warm, dry brooders, droppings can harden around the vent and block their digestive system. If you see pasting, gently clean the area using warm water with a paper towel or baby wipe. Be extremely gentle on their delicate skin.

• Handling Instructions: Handle your chicks often to tame them, but keep them inside the brooder during the early days. Hold them gently as demonstrated in-store by Gretchen.

• Child Safety & Hygiene: Children under 7 should not handle or hold chicks, as they may unintentionally drop or squeeze them. Always wash hands thoroughly before and after handling chicks!
  

4. Feeding & Nutrition Timeline

Age / Stage	Feeding & Nutrition Guidelines
Day 10	Start sprinkling a tiny amount of chick grit into their food dish daily until the bag is finished. Move to grower grit next (refer to bag instructions for sizing). Layer grit is reserved for 15+ weeks.
Week 4	Chicks can begin enjoying fresh vegetables in moderation.
Week 6	Transition from chick starter to grower/finisher pellets. Keep them on this until 20 weeks of age or until laying begins.
Week 8	Introduce coarse grains such as scratch grain.
Week 20+	Switch to layer pellets. Provide crushed oyster shell in a separate dish and sprinkle a bit over food.

📌 The 95/5 Rule: 95% of a laying hen's diet should consist of quality layer pellets! Treats like scratch grain and vegetables should make up only the remaining 5%. (Never feed rice, bread, or pasta to avoid overweight, unhealthy chickens).

5. Long-Term Flock Care & Expectations

• Egg Laying: Pullets typically begin laying between 18–24 weeks depending on breed. Watch for the "hen squat" and bright red combs! Fresh farm eggs are richer in Omega-3s, lower in saturated fats, and feature vibrant orange yolks.

• Annual Molting: Chickens lose and regrow feathers once a year (first molt occurs around 10–12 months, usually in autumn). Egg production pauses during molting because protein goes into feather growth. Boost their protein with feeds like Poulin Egg Production and extra mealworms.

• Dust Baths: Once moved to the coop, provide a dry dust bath area (e.g., inside a cinder block square) filled with a mix of medium-grade sand (not play sand!), loam, wood ash, and food-grade Diatomaceous Earth (DE).

Ask me about the free Chicken Health Workshop at Futzy Farm!

Join us after chick season for a free 1-hour workshop covering disease prevention, common health issues, and flock maintenance. We look forward to helping you raise a happy, healthy flock!