Jul 18, 20234 min read

Quick Chick Care Guide for New Chicken Owners

Chicks are both incredibly hardy and incredibly fragile, all in one. The first few days are perhaps the most important. New chick care doesn't have to be overly complicated, but there are a few important things to know going into getting your first chicks, so lets get into it and set those babies up for success!

Blue olive egger chick being cute — Chicks are hardy and fragile at the same time!

Have Chick Food & Water At The Ready

By the time your chicks get to you, they’re probably working with the last of their yolk sac (chicks absorb the yolk sac in the very last portion of incubation and it supplies them with all the nutrients they need for approx. 72 hours), so it’s important to encourage pecking and water consumption straight off.

To introduce chicks that are really vigorous on arrival to water, we'll go ahead and gently dip their little beaks in the waterer, just far enough that they grab a sip, and then set them down. Usually, they'll go right back to it for more, and then proceed to start investigating their new home. Chicks are naturally curious, and to introduce them to food, we’ll use a flat feeder (even just a small paper plate works fine for this) where they can peck at the feed crumbles and learn to love it! Once they identify the crumbles as food and have water figured out, they graduate to a larger feeder and waterer that we place at their shoulder height and adjust as they grow. Any time chicks can get their feet into their feed, they're going to waste as much, if not more, than they eat.

If your chicks come in and they're not running around peeping and causing general mayhem (such is the natural way of them, being tiny dinosaurs and all), get them warm FIRST. Chicks can't regulate their body temperature and so all of their other needs will take a backseat if they're cold. Get them warm, then worry about food and water - more on chicks and temperature below!

When selecting a feed for your chicks, make sure you get a Chick Starter feed with at LEAST 18% protein. Starter feeds also have a targeted vitamin mineral profile, as well as amino acids and probiotics that help to support their growth and development. Chicks will double their hatch weight in the first week, so a good quality chick starter will set your chicks up right!

We like to supplement chicks we've shipped in with a vitamin electrolyte supplement in their first water, especially if they come in looking a little lethargic.

Baby chicks in the spring grass — A trio of tiny dinosaurs

Bedding for Your Chicks

Some people brood chicks on newspaper, some on shavings (this is our preference here on the farm). Make sure that, if using wood shavings for bedding, that it’s several inches deep, and that you clean it regularly to prevent the build up of ammonia and/or over-expose your chicks to coccidiosis. DO NOT use cedar shavings, as these can cause respiratory issues.

Black Copper Marans chick — This day old Black Copper Marans looks like it's had too much yolk before hatch

A Warm Chick is a Happy Chick

Warmth is critical for new chicks, especially after a long journey in transit. Chicks cannot regulate their own body temperature for the first several weeks of life. In nature, a chick has 24/7 access to a hen whose internal body temperature is between 105 and 107 degrees. A chick cries and mama hen has him snuggled up against her in no time.

Make sure your brooder is warm and ready for new chicks before they get to your house! If you’re shipping during a cold time of year, heat is the first thing they’re going to need, even before food or water.

Brooders should be kept about 95 degrees for the first full week of life - your chicks are good at telling you if it’s too hot or too cool. If chicks pack in tightly together under your heat source, huddling for dear life, the brooder needs to be warmer. If they’re mouth breathing and/or scattered as far away from the heat source as they can get, it’s too hot. If they’re interspersed evenly, with some sleeping under the heat source and some eating, drinking, or scratching, and everyone is making happy sweet chirps, good job! You’re heat is just right! Drop that temperature 5 degrees every week until you’ve reached 70 degrees and/or your chicks are fully feathered.

Blue baby chick in the grass — Fun fact: Chicks bond with the first large thing they see, which is usually a hen (or us)!

Watch For Pasty Butt

Pasty butt is a dangerous condition for young chicks, and is caused by stress. Droppings start to stick to the vent, build up, and can eventually cause chicks to go septic. Shipping is stressful for chicks, so be sure to keep an eye out for this condition. Keep your brooder temperature steady, and try to make sure that the temperature is even throughout the brooder. Keep food and fresh water available at all times. If a chick does develop pasty butt, use a warm wet cloth to gently soak the vent and loosen the pasted droppings and remove with a gentle, downward motion. Gently dry the chick with a soft cloth (you can also use a hair dryer on a low setting 10 or so inches from the chick) and place them back in the brooder.

Chicks in the spring — Chicks rely on us for their safety and well-being!

Keep Them SAFE

Chicks are not toys. Chicks are not toys. Chicks are not toys. These are living, breathing creatures that rely on you for their care and protection. Please do not leave young children or pets alone with your chicks. Supervision with delicate baby chicks is always required in order to set everyone up for success. Limit chicks’ time outside of the brooder to prevent temperature stress and keep them doing what they need to be doing for the first few days: eating, drinking, sleeping and GROWING.