Chick Care

Giving your chicks a healthy start in life determines how well it will perform for you when they are grown.  Proper nutrition as a baby effects how many eggs she will lay in her life, the quality of the shell, whether the feather pattern is correct for the breed and how prone to disease they will be as adults.

Feed ~ All chicks should be fed chick starter for the first  4 weeks then put on grower feed for the next  12-16 weeks.  Chickens like to scratch.  Use a proper chick feeder to keep them from scratching their food everywhere. 

You will find chick feed comes in medicated and unmedicated.  Medicated feed is designed to combat a parasite called Coccidiosis which is contagious and can be deadly.    Medicated starter generally has amprolium which is a thiamine blocker for cocci.  As a result the cocci parasite does not reproduce as quickly and the chick and develops resistance (not immunity) to cocci.  Medicated feed does NOT contain antibiotics.   

Chicks vaccinated for Coccidiosis  SHOULD NOT have medicated feed.  

Otherwise choosing medicated or unmedicated  feed is a personal choice.  

Water  ~ CLEAN water is vital.   The chicks will scratch their bedding in it and poop in it.  Little chicks can get sick fast if they don’t have clean water.  If you wouldn’t drink it don’t let them drink it!  Again, use proper chick water.  It will help keep the water clean and keep the chicks from drowning! 

Grit ~ Chickens don’t have teeth.  Their gizzard grinds the food with the aid of small pebbles.  For chicks, provide them a small dish of play sand or parakeet gravel. 

The Brooder ~ Baby chicks need to be protected from drafts but still have adequate ventilation. This can be in the form of a cardboard box a large plastic storage bin or any kind of container that has sides high enough to keep them from jumping or flying out. 

A Heat Source  ~ The first week of their lives they require an air temperature of 95 degrees, the second week 90 degrees, and so on - going down by 5 degrees per week until they're ready to transition to "outside". A 250-watt infrared heat lamp is the best way to achieve this, is to put the heat lamp at one end of the brooder. The height of the light will depend on what it takes to achieve your target temperature.  When you see your chicks piled up they are trying to keep warm.  If they are spread out and panting they are too hot.  It is important that they are able to move in and out of the warmest part of the brooder. 

Bedding~  Absorbent bedding is a must.  Pine shavings are the best choice.  Do not use cedar!   Put just enough in the brooder to absorb their mess and to keep them from slipping.  Newspaper is not a good idea.  It does not provide enough traction.  If you prefer to use something other than pine shavings, grippy shelf liner will work.

Pasting Up ~ Nearly all chicks will get “pasting up”.  This happens when their poo gets stuck in their fluff.   It can be deadly.  If the poo blocks the vent,  the chick cannot pass anymore waste and can die very quickly  It is easy to clean with a warm wet paper towel and a little patience. 

Waterfowl ~ Without their mama, ducklings and goslings do not have the proper oil on their down to keep them dry and afloat.  If you let your babies swim, make sure they don’t get water logged and that they have a warm place to dry off.

Chicks don’t stay little for long.  Whatever long-term coop solution you go with, make sure it provides 2 square feet per bird.  It sounds like a lot, but as they get older (and bigger) you'll realize why this is necessary.  They should have access to the outdoors where they are protected from predators like cats, dogs, raccoons and hawks.  

 Prepared for Tractor Supply Company store 1668  by Brooke Hahn..   Brooke is a Member of Appleton 4H Club and Fuzz and Feathers Poultry Club