All Poultry need 6 Essential Items. They are Feed, Water, Heat, Light, Space & Love. We recommend using a commercial chick starter, (we use Southern States All Grain Start-N-Grow) for the first 8 weeks. We suggest using a 2 Foot Little Giant Slide-Top Ground Feeder for every 25 chicks that you have. When you bring home your baby chicks, you should have a special area for them. It should include Pine Shavings (we use Southern States Statesman Pine Shavings) for the floor. The pine shavings should be at least 1 inch thick. Do not use cedar chips, treated wood chips, or sawdust (it is too small & your chicks will eat it instead of their food). We recommend that you cover the pine shaving with newspaper for the first day. Spread some feed around on the newspaper as well as making sure that your feeders are full. This allows your new birds to find their feed easier & to keep them from eating the wood shavings instead of their feed. After their first day you can remove all the newspaper from the top of the pine shavings, this is to avoid possible leg issues in your chicks. 

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We recommend for you to have a 1 Gallon Little Giant Plastic Screw-On Waterer Jar & 1 Gallon Little Giant Screw-On Poultry Waterer Base for each 50 chicks. Your chick will most likely be thirsty when you get them home. Dip the chicks beak in the water before you turn them loose. YOU MUST DO THIS FOR EACH INDIVIDUAL CHICK. By them having a taste of water right away will help them to be able to remember where the waterer is and find it more easily. we recommend adding 3 tablespoons of table sugar to each quart of water (12 tablespoons for every 1 Gallon) for extra energy & to be able to overcome the stress from transport & introduction into a new place. Most baby chick loss is caused by the chick not starting to eat or drink. Never let your chicks run out of water.

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baby chicks need to be held in and environment that can have a controlled 90 to 95 degree temperature for the first week of age. You should reduce the heat temperature 5 degrees per week of age until you get to 70 degrees (until at least 6 weeks of age they will need heat). At the end of 6 weeks of age they shouldn't need heat anymore. We recommend using 250 Watt Miller Red Bulb for Brooder Lamp & 10.5 In. Miller Brooder Reflector Lamp. Red bulbs are better to use as they help discourage chicks from picking at one another and causing harm to each other. You will need to hang the lamp 18 inches from the floor. The direct temperature under the lamp will be higher than 90 degrees. The chicks will adjust themselves to the area that they like (when they get cold the may be under the lamp & when they get too warm they may be away from the lamp). They usually figure it out. we recommend using one 250 watt blub per 50 chicks in cold weather & one 250 watt blub per 100 chicks in warm weather.

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If you are using a 250 watt bulb for heat, it will also be enough light for the chicks. Otherwise, provide your chicks with light. You can use a 75 watt bulb on darker days & a small light, like a night light that is 15 watts to help keep them from piling.

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You will need to provide one half square foot per chick in the beginning. For 50 chicks using a draft shield & make a circle about 5 to 6 feet across. For 100 chicks, make the circle 7 to 8 feet across. The circle, you can make out of cardboard, but make sure it is at least 12 inches high. We recommend using Farm Innovators Baby Chick Starter Home (it holds up to 15 chicks) & is already designed for the square footage of 15 chicks as well as it provides an adjustable brooder lamp hanger. The square footage of the inside of the circle is important, as it allows the chicks to get away from the heat if they are too warm.

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On the third day, we recommend to start sprinkling Mana Pro Chick Grit on their feed daily until 6 weeks of age then switch over to Gran-I-Grit Grower Grit. You should sprinkle it like you would sprinkling salt on your food. This is to avoid putting too much at one time on their feed, as your chicks may fill up on grit instead of their feed.

 

baby chicks often will pick on each other. This is due to them being too hot, too crowded or without fresh air. Bright lights can aid in causing them to pick. Sometimes they pick with no cause at all. If you have a wounded chick from picking and/or to treat wounds on chicks, we recommend using Farnam Pine Tar, by smearing it on the injured area.

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After 4 weeks of age, you will need to increase the floor area to 3/4 square feet per chick. Increase the feeders to provide 2 1/2" to 3" of space per chick. We recommend using 3 Lb. Little Giant Plastic Hanging Poultry Feeder. You can choose to either hang it or place it on the floor. We recommend increasing your waterers to 5 Gallon Little Giant Automatic Plastic Poultry Waterer. 

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After 6 weeks of age, you can move your birds outside as long as they have mostly feathers on their body and not chick fluff. 

 

If you have questions or need any help, please email us.