How To Care For Newborn Chicks

Which Bedding Is Best In The Brooder

Your brooder’s set up, your chicks are almost at the point where they can go into it – but which bedding is best?

This article reviews four different types of bedding for use as the chicks grow: wood shavings, sand, straw and newspaper.

Find out which is best for your chicks in the brooder, and which one you should never use.

Do Baby Chicks Need Light At Night

Baby chicks do not need light at night, but they need it to keep them warm. Baby chicks who hatch with their mother hen do not need light to warm them. The heat coming from their mother keeps them warm. However, new baby chicks that are hatched without their mother need light to keep them warm.

If you do not provide light to chicks at night, it will cause them blind panic. It will lead them to be rattled and scrambled and cause them to pile at the corner, smothering each other.

Where To Get Baby Chickens

There are a number of ways to go about getting chickens! Most often, chicks can be bought locally in the spring, from farm supply stores or small farms themselves. These days, you can even go online to order chicks and get them shipped to your door . Then theres always the ask a friend with chickens to hatch some for you approach.

Purchasing Chicks

You can purchase chickens at several stages of developmentit all depends on how long youre willing to wait for eggs.

• Day-old chicks are available from hatcheries. Most farm suppliers do one or two chick orders a year, so you can get your chickens where you plan to get your feed. Theyre usually under $3 each. Youll have to wait about 6 months for eggs.
• Ready-to-lay pullets are 20 weeks old and just about to start laying. Theyre more expensive than day-olds, but of course, you get your eggs sooner. They can go straight to the coop and are all females. These, too, can be ordered through your farm supplier from the hatchery.
• Mature laying hens are harder to come by. Unless you have someone with a small flock nearby who wants to replace older hens and will sell their old girls to you, chances are, youll have to buy pullets or chicks.

Hatching Chicks

You can hatch replacement chicks yourself with a home incubator. Chicken eggs take 21 days to hatch. An incubator must be monitored diligently chicks left too long after hatching will die of dehydration or pecking. On the whole, we find it best to leave hatching to the hen.

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Chick Care On Day One

Purchasing day-old chicks and raising them yourself can be an entertaining and rewarding endeavor. Theres a great deal of work and time commitment involved to raising day-old chicks however, with the right information and tools, youll be enjoying the sight of growing chicks and fresh eggs/meat in no time.

How Long Should Chicks Be On The Starter Feed

Your baby chicks need to be on the starter feed for about 8 weeks. During this time they should gain most of their adult weight. You can purchase commercially available chick starter meals from most farm supply stores without much difficulty.These little chicks eat and drink water throughout the day. So, do not keep the feeder empty for too long. Also, do not fill the chick feeder before it is empty. Clean the feeder at least once per week.

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Other Considerations For Raising Baby Chicks

Chicks love to roost when theyre resting. Provide roosting poles or stacks of bricks so chicks have a place to perch a few inches off the ground to keep them from roosting on the waterer and feeder. As the chicks start to feather, on warm days put them in a wire pen outside for short periods of time in a draft free area. Keep an eye on them and provide a tray of sand so they can dust. As you work with the chicks, remember that slow movements are less apt to frighten them.

Keep Your Chicks Watered:

Clean water is essential for healthy chicks. Sufficient hydration helps to regulate their body temperature, metabolism and digestion. Baby chicks are disorderly and they will leave food and droppings in their water bowl. A special poultry waterer is necessary to prevent baby chicks from walking in the water dish, spilling it and making a mess. Be sure to change the water frequently.

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Is Vaccination Necessary For Baby Chicks

Yes, it is necessary to vaccinate baby chicks it provides them benefits that prevent them from acquiring diseases. Many diseases can cause death to your flock. Your baby chicks may also develop infections that may cause you a lot of money.

As an owner, you can choose what vaccine you want your chicks to have. They are generally vaccinated for bronchitis and before being delivered to your house or farm.

When Can Chicks Go Outside Permanently

Fully feathered is the point when chickens can self-regulate body temperatures. They do it by fluffing their feathers and creating air layers. However, take some time before allowing your chicks to sleep outside. Wind or rain can easily chill a chick. Under the right weather conditions, they can spend the whole day outdoors. If you have a flock, introduce the chicks into it slowly.

Build an outside playpen for your chicks that gives them enough outdoor time while protecting them from cats or other predators. Keep it fully enclosed, and the openings too small for the chick to squeeze through. Having an open-top may attract small wild birds that are capable of spreading disease.

Keep food and fresh, clean water available in the playpen. Arrange shade and a tiny shelter for the chicks to rest. Cardboard boxes are a good option.When you have to move them indoors for rain or when it is dark, carry them one at a time out of the playpen. When you move them inside, turn the heat lamp off as babies are now about 6 weeks old. Make the transition gradually from a heated indoors to outside shelter. Let them experience days and nights within your house.

During these field trips, you may see one or two sick chicks as new environments bring new exposure. If they show any signs or symptoms of any disease, consult the vet and treat your chicks. A few health problems are coccidiosis , infectious bronchitis, Mareks disease , omphalitis, and Salmonella.

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How Long Do You Have To Keep Chicks Under A Heat Lamp

Baby chicks need a heat lamp until they are about 6 weeks of age. However, the temperature of the brooder lamp needs to be reduced at a weekly interval. First, the temperature needs to be about 92-95 degrees Fahrenheit. Once the birds have grown feathers, drop the temperature by 5 degrees per week until six weeks.

Follow the chart below and maintain the brooder temperature week-wise to grow your baby chicks into healthy egg layers or broody hens. Depending on your chicks response to the temperature, you may need to change it for their better comfort.

Introducing Food Water & Heat

Once the brooder is prepped, its time to introduce the chicks to their new home! First, introduce the baby chicks to their water and food. Teaching your new chicks were to find sustenance is essential for them to thrive in their new home. Mama hen would naturally show her chicks were to find food and water, so you should do the same with your brood! The chicks dont instinctively know to go looking for food and water until you show them where to find those resources. Try to encourage your chicks to get a drink of water before they do anything else. This will help prevent pasty butt and ensure the chicks stay hydrated. Gently guide the chicks near the water source and then gently dip each of their beaks into the water . Typically, once one chick recognizes where to find water, the rest will catch on quickly .

Chicks who have been mail ordered or who are only a day or two old will require one additional step before being placed in the brooder. Mix up some sugar water using warm water and honey and gently dip each chicks beak into the sugar water to let them get a sip. The sugar water gives the chicks digestive system a quick boost and provides important calories for the chick to use while it learns where to find food in the brooder. Once the chick has got a sip of sugar water, place the chick in the brooder.

Monitor the chicks closely for the first few hours. Ensure that they are all eating and drinking and moving to and from the heat source freely.

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Feeding And Watering Your Chicks

Watering your chicks is one of the first things you should do once they arrive. To keep the chicks happy and healthy, the water should be kept clean. The chicks will get dust and pieces of bedding in their water, so its important to check on it throughout the day and clean/refill as needed. To prevent the baby chicks from drowning or injuring themselves, avoid using complex waterers or anything they can climb inside or fall into.

As for feedings, you can find different kinds of feeders designed for baby chicks. You can choose between medicated or unmedicated starter feed, which has been formulated specifically for baby chicks.

How Do You Know If A Chicken Egg Is Fertilized

The easiest way to check if an egg is fertilized or not is to hold it up to a light. If the egg appears opaque, its likely fertilized. You wont be able to see through it as well as the other eggs. However, not every fertilized egg will become a chick.

If you accidentally crack a fertilized egg, you can tell if its fertilized if it has a small white spot at the top of the yolk. That spot is usually about 4mm wide, and its known as the germinal disc.

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Can You Make Your Own

Some people do. I dont recommend it for the reason Ive stated above: its really very important for the chicks development that she has a properly balanced feed with exactly the required amount of protein and very low calcium.

To try to provide that yourself is a big ask. In my view, its better to pay for a high quality feed that you and your chicks can rely on.

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Ordering And Picking A Breed

We first ordered our chickens from a local feed store. The breed we chose the first time was the red sexlink. Really the only reasoning for our choice was that we had close friends who has had a lot of success with that breed. But you will want to pick a breed that thrives well in your climate. If you live in a colder climate you will want to pick a breed that is less prone to frostbite. Chickens with smaller combs tend to have less chance of frostbite.

Our last batch of chicks we raised were Ameraucanas. These chicken lay blue eggs which is kind of fun. Check out these various egg breeds that are the best at egg production.

You also need to decide how old you want your laying hens to be. You have a few options. You can get:

• Day-old chicks chicks that are fresh from the egg.
• Started Chicks Chicks that are around 5-8 weeks old.
• Ready-to-lay Chickens Chickens that are 18-20 weeks old and will start laying any time.
• Mature Chickens Chickens older than a year old that someone might be getting rid of.

Day-old chicks are going to be your cheapest option, but if you dont want to deal with baby chicks an older option might be better for you. Mature chickens wouldnt be my first choice as they wont lay as long because chickens slow down on egg production the older they get.

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Buy Chicks From Npip Certified Breeders

If you want healthy and high-quality baby chickens then you should think of buying them from NPIP certified breeders or hatcheries. NPIP is a short form for National Poultry Improvement Plan. This is a voluntary certification system for any poultry breeders and hatcheries who want to participate in.

NPIP certified breeders submit their chickens from their breeding flock for regularly scheduled testing. The main purpose of carrying out the testing is to ensure that chickens are completely Pollorum-Typhoid free.

Again the main objective of the National Poultry Improvement Plan is to promote the improvement of poultry including poultry products. NPIP achieves this goal by setting proper standards that should be followed when evaluating or testing poultry breeding stocks, hatching eggs, poults, and baby chicks.

Buying chicks from breeders who are already NPIP certified comes with a lot of advantages. It helps to reduce mortality rates in chicks that seem healthy. What this means is that some chicks can look healthy and strong at a glance but later develop some health complications. This information is important particularly to the upcoming chicken owners.

Fresh Bedding Is Important

Babies of any variety are much more susceptible to infections or diseases. Their gut health and immune system are still being established. Two of our own children have had hospital stays at young ages for random yet serious things that attacked their young immune systems.

Chicks are no different. Their lives are fragile those first 6 weeks in the brooder, but especially that first week or two. Keeping their environment clean can really help them thrive and prevent bacteria from spreading.

Their bedding helps absorb excess moisture from their poop and water spills. And moisture breed bacteria. Pine shavings or straw are the standard bedding used. Weve used both and liked both.

Chicks are poop machines! That first year I probably didnt add fresh bedding enough, which didnt help their cause. Now, I am adding fresh bedding every day or every other day to cover up the old bedding. Fresh bedding will keep your chicks happy and healthy!

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Quail Pheasants & Guineas

Use the basic instructions for chicks however, watch them more carefully for piling up. The temperature may need to be slightly higher for the smaller bodied birds. The temperature must be closely monitored.

A thermometer is highly recommended. Special game bird water founts can be purchased. If you are using regular chick founts, add clean gravel or marbles to take up space so they do not drown or get chilled. You should use a colored bulb to help control cannibalism. We do not recommend wire flooring at a young age, because it is a good possibility that their legs will get caught in the wire.

Can I Raise Chicks With Other Fowl

Yes and no. It is advised to keep turkeys and chicks separate because of possible disease issues. You will need to keep in mind that different fowl have different rates of growth too.

Ducks really shouldnt be raised with chicks they are extremely messy.

Guinea hens can be raised with chicks. In fact, it may help to imprint them on their surroundings.

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Where Do I Get My Chicks From

There are a few choices for you here. Buying online from a reputable hatchery is a good bet. If anything goes wrong you can call them and ask questions.

If you do buy from a hatchery its a good idea to get your baby chicks vaccinated for .

Although it does not guarantee total immunity, it certainly helps the chicks get off to a good start.

The chicks will be shipped via USPS and delivered to your nearest Post Office for you to pick up. Always open the box in front of the Postal worker to check and see if the chicks are alive. If there are any dead or dying, start a claim immediately.

The second option is the feed store they usually have a good selection of starter birds for sale. Sometimes this can be problematic as the store is just a holding area for the hatchery so often the staff will probably have no idea about the chicks.

When picking chicks always get the lively ones the ones sitting in the corner or sleeping may be healthy but activity is a key indicator of energy and health.

Your third option is to get to know a local chicken person. The fact that you can meet the parents and check out the premises will tell you how likely your chicks are to be healthy.

The fourth option is to get your own hatching eggs. I do not recommend this for a first time chicken owner. Incubation is never straight forward and there are certain subtle things that old timers can pick up on that newbies would not yet know.

How To Care For Baby Chicks Quick Answer

Raising baby chicks doesnt have to be hard. Make sure they have starter feed and clean water available, a source of heat, and a safe place to take cover. Of course, thats just the basics. Each day as your babies grow youll have more questions:

• are they eating enough?
• can I feed them food scraps ?
• should I give them treats?
• when can I let them go outside?
• are they ready to sleep in the coop?
• why is one of my chicks lethargic?
• what is pasty butt?

No worries! We are here to guide you through each step and answer many of your questions. Let us begin with where and how to get baby chicks and answer some of your questions regarding raising chickens. keep reading

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