How to Raise Baby Chicken Chicks

The best way to have friendly laying hens who eat out of your hand is to raise them yourself as chicks. This requires investing in a few supplies that will allow you to feed, water and provide warmth to new hatchlings. I’ll also share my secret tricks for ensuring your chicken chicks have the best start in life and how to treat the common little health issues that may arise. Here is how to raise baby chicks:

How to Raise Baby Chicken Chicks

Buying your first chicken chicks is one of the most memorable things you will ever do. If you are unprepared, the scramble to get the supplies you need will also be memorable in less pleasant ways! This article is going to share what are the absolute best supplies, which to avoid and what I have personally used to experience a very high chick survival rate since 2019.

You Need a Brooder Box of Some Sort

The chicks need a safe, enclosed place to grow for at least 4 weeks until they have enough feathers to live outside in the coop. There are many things that can be used as a brooder but the absolute best is something that can accommodate the chicks from hatch until 4 weeks old without them outgrowing it or escaping. I am a big fan of buy once, cry once when it comes to chicken keeping supplies and a brooder is where you should make an investment if you are going to raise more than one batch of chicks.

The Best Brooders

Chicken keepers often favor deep galvanized steel livestock tanks for raising chicks. (Hastings brand sold through feed stores is popular but Tractor Supply, Lowe’s and Home Depot carry them, too.) My first flock was raised in my bath tub for about a week until they were leaping out and fluttering all over the bathroom. A sweet neighbor loaned me her trough brooder which worked out so much better. My husband ended up building me this custom brooder and provided the cut list and assembly directions found in that article. Large plastic tote bins can also make fantastic brooders for a few chicks, especially if the lid has a ‘window’ cut into the top and half inch hardware cloth is zip tied to cover the opening but allow airflow. (Amazon affiliate links.)

Brooders to Avoid

Any kind of disposable brooder made of corrugated plastic panels or cardboard will last for maybe a week before you’ll have chicks escaping. That is if the walls don’t collapse before then from being bumped against or crumbling from exposure to moisture from the drinking water and droppings. Many chick starter kits include these flimsy brooder set ups and I do not recommend them. The product is cheap to produce and ship, so a hefty profit can be made by the manufacturer, but it offers your chicks no real protection. Dogs, cats, rats and snakes will be attracted to your chirping babies and everything eats chicken. Even in an enclosed garage you must provide protection from rats and snakes that will try to find a way in because they can simply smell the chicks. A brooder with tall sides or a fully enclosed brooder with a lid is ideal.

Brooder Bedding Required

Chicks need a litter of some type underfoot to keep them from slipping and to absorb their droppings. Newspaper is not ideal because it can get slick from spilled water; if it is your only option, use shredded newspaper changed every 24 hours. Flaked pine shavings are a popular choice but they take a long time to break down if you compost them. My favorite is pine pellets sold as horse stall bedding. I buy it from Tractor Supply and find that it lasts 7 days with 1 week old chicks, 3 days with 3 week old chicks and composts down the fastest. Whatever you choose, NEVER use fresh cedar shavings with chicks because the off-gassing of the natural cedar oils can be harmful to their lungs and lead to death.

Chicks MUST Have a Source of Heat

Newly hatched chicks will die without a source of constant 95° Fahrenheit heat. They cannot maintain their body temperature without it. A chick that is too cold will become lethargic and die within 24 hours. And “too cold” can feel quite warm to you. (Sadly many new chick owners provide insufficient warmth, kill their chicks and then blame the breeder or feed store for “sick” chicks.) A chick that was fine when you got her but is suddenly acting “sleepy”, is fluffed up and not walking around much or acting somewhat ill is most likely cold. She needs 95°F warmth.

The Best Heat Sources: Warming Plates

Warming plates are a wonderful invention that has made raising chicks so much easier and safer. There is zero fire hazard risk, zero burn risk to children and the chicks can go under the plate to warm up any time they want. They are a buy-once-cry-once priced item but are very much worth the investment for the safety and peace of mind! At only 62 watts, the warming plate will run for over 16 hours before consuming 1 kilowatt hour of electricity. A warming plate running for 30 days will use about 45 kilowatt hours or around $9 in electricity per month at 2023 prices. (Your chicks will need supplemental heat for at least 3 weeks but 4 weeks is common if you’re still experiencing spring cold fronts while the chicks are not fully feathered.)

I prefer a 12×12 inch warming plate with a top cone (to prevent them from sitting & pooping on top) for brooding up to 20 chicks.

Note: The K&H Pet Products brand released a warming plate product that does not go up to 95° and is known to kill newly hatched chicks. It is gray and orange colored plastic. As of 2021 the manufacturer is supposed to have remedied the situation but complaints of chick death still plague this product. I own one myself and it has killed my newly hatched chicks! You’ll see them for sale in garage sales by people who figured out that they don’t work for chicks younger than 3 weeks old. I suggest avoiding this brand. (I use mine to provide heat for 3 week olds. It is my least-used warming plate.)

Why I Don’t Like Heat Lamps

Heat lamps and their red bulbs are inexpensive only to begin with. These heat sources are a constant fire hazard. They must be suspended above the chicks to provide warmth but if they fall onto the chick’s bedding, they easily start fires. The lamps are always hot and can burn you or children who are helping care for the chicks. And at 250 watts, the heating lamp will use around 180 kilowatt hours per 30 days. Multiply this by your per-kW hour electricity rate to calculate your monthly expense, which is usually over $36 per month in the US as of this writing in 2023.

Selecting Crumbled Chick Starter Food

Chicks are so tiny that they need special sized food small enough to swallow. This requires buying chick feed with the correct nutrients and protein percent for their growing bodies. I suggest purchasing 20% protein chick starter. Chick food can be purchased from any feed store or delivered by Amazon. My first flock of chicks was fed Scratch & Peck brand chick starter from Amazon. Crumbles are also available. (Afflinks.)

Chicks Need Special Waterers

Newly hatched chicks can drown in any open bowl of water. They need special waterers and attentive care. Chicks can perish even if only their head is submerged and can die of chill if their down is drenched and they cannot warm back up to 95°F quickly enough. This type of dish waterer is popular and easy to clean but chicks less than 3 days old need to have marbles or rocks added to it so they cannot submerge their faces. (A clumsy hatchmate stepping on their head while they get a drink can be sufficient to drown a very young chick. This is what the marbles prevent.) I prefer these hanging waters for my chicks. Curious chicks will peck at the silver nipple and once one discovers that it provides water, the others will quickly learn too. Simply use your finger to “peck” at the nipple and show that water comes out. The chicks usually figure it out in less than 45 seconds. (Affiliate links.)

Water Vitamins

Chicks benefit from a boost of vitamins in their water. I use Poultry NutriDrench, available at Tractor Supply or Amazon, for every brood of chicks I raise. Add 10 to 15 drops of NutriDrench to every 1 quart of water, refreshed every 24 hours (meaning you fully wash out the waterer and refill with clean water and fresh NutriDrench drops added.)

Here is my “secret” immune system boosting water recipe that I use on my newly hatched chicks:

One quart fresh water

1 Tablespoon molasses (I use Grandma’s brand from the grocery store)

1 Teaspoon Elderberry Syrup (NO night time additives, just plain “original” elderberry syrup from the natural remedies aisle)

10 drops Poultry NutriDrench

Stir to combine and give to the chicks. It tastes sweet so they will eagerly drink it. The waterer must be rinsed and refreshed with a new mix every day. The naturally occurring vitamins and minerals in molasses, the concentrated NutriDrench vitamins (which is partially derived from molasses) and the elderberry syrup (a natural berry juice) give the chicks an immune system-supporting boost of nutrients that has helped me to grow strong, hearty birds.

Chick Grit

Chickens do not have teeth. They use grit – literally rock pebbles and pieces – which they have swallowed and which remain in their gizzard to help break down the food they consume. Chicks who are being fed only commercial chick crumbles do NOT need chick grit the first week or two of life. The chick crumbles break down from the water the chicks drink. However, if you plan on feeding your chicks a natural feed with cracked grains, fresh grass or weeds from your yard and want to introduce other foods, your chicks will need chick grit. This can be purchased from feed stores, Tractor Supply or Amazon.

Simply offer 1 Tablespoon to the chicks every 3 days and they will select the pieces they need. It will seem like much of it is going to waste but the chicks will consume what they need. Since each brood of up to 15 chicks uses around 1/5 of a bag and the chick grit rocks do not expire, buying one bag should give you an ample supply for a few years.

Gimmicky Chick Supplies

Backyard chickens are SO MUCH FUN but there are chick supplies that you really don’t need. They may be nice to have or provide some interest but in the end they are unnecessary.

Here is a list of supplies you can safely SKIP:

(Links are provided so you can quickly view pictures)

Chick Starter Kits with Heat Lamps or flimsy Plastic Panels – It is better to buy good quality chick supplies individually than to be stuck with the sub-par item that came in a starter kit.

Chick Roost / Chick Jungle Gym – chicks like to cuddle up together on the ground near the warming plate to sleep. They won’t roost until around 2 months old, long after they have moved into the coop. Chick roost bars are unnecessary. They get in the way of the chicks naturally practicing scratching & pecking and will be covered with poop.

Comfort Feathers for your Brooder Warming Plate – this is a sweet idea that is appealing. The reality is these will be coated with poop and need to be thrown away after a week or two. Chicks who came from a hatchery, a breeder or a feed store were hatched in an incubator and do not have a mother hen that they miss. They actually are bonding with YOU! I will admit that if you need to trap heat under the brooder plate to keep chicks warm in a very cold garage, these can be useful in that situation.

Chicken Swing – adult chickens might use them but chicks do not.

Chicken Toys – Chicks do not play with toys. They prefer to eat! Skip the toys and buy dried meal worms instead. You’ll love watching them chase each other and gobble down the worms, which provide excellent protein.

Fun Chick Supplies!

Some of the best chick supplies are free! Clean, tender grass tips, fresh weeds, dandelion flowers, diced strawberries, scrambled eggs and one or two boiled spaghetti noodles are all things you can safely offer in small amounts to baby chicks over 3 days old who are already eating starter feed. It is entertaining to watch them run around with their new treat, chirping in delight while the others attempt to steal it from them. When the treats are gone, the chicks will return to scratching and pecking for any tidbit that may have been missed or cuddling under the warming plate.

Chick First Aid

When it comes to chicks, I have found that food-based natural remedies really do work. Here is what I use for various chick ailments:

Molasses: Chicks love the sweet taste of molasses and it is loaded with essential vitamins they need. I make an immune-system-boosting chick water blend by adding 1 Tbsp Grandma’s brand molasses, 1 tsp Elderberry syrup and 10 drops of Poultry NutriDrench to 1 quart of water.

Elderberry Syrup: This is a pure berry juice that helps to support the chick’s immune system so she can fight off illness better. I give it to all my chicks in their water but will administer a drop to the chick’s beak if one needs additional help. It tastes sweet and the chicks are happy to swallow it on their own. (Do not force liquid into a chick’s mouth; you can cause them to aspirate it into their lungs, which can be fatal.) Opt for original elderberry syrup – NO night time versions – from the natural remedies aisle at your grocery store.

Poultry NutriDrench: This chicken-specific vitamin and mineral supplement is derived from molasses and helps to quickly correct most deficiencies a chick may be suffering from. I put it in the water for all my newly hatched chicks and administer it one drop at a time to any chick who may need the boost. Chicks do not seem to like the taste and generally will not drink more than one drop so don’t force it. Better to add it to their water with a bit of molasses for sweetness to encourage drinking. (Affiliate link.)

Rice Krispies: If a chick seems to have runny stools, I offer one or two pieces of Rice Krispie’s cereal, crushed between my fingers and offered in crumb form. No chick grit is needed to digest the cereal and formerly runny poops become normal within a couple hours. Safe to use on just-hatched chicks only a few hours old.

Nano Colloidal Silver (10 to 30 parts per million/ppm): Nano silver is a great wound spray that is so gentle, it can be sprayed into the eyes with zero stinging. If a chick has any wound whatsoever, nano silver spray is what I use for rapid, infection-free healing. The part per million is very low and will NOT turn your chicks or you blue by using it, even if used every day. (Affiliate link.)

Rosemary, Thyme, Oregano and Garden Herbs: Herbs are a food that has been used medicinally for centuries and which help support a chick’s immune system. Chicks will very slightly nibble on fresh sprigs but I have found that dried herbs ground to a powder and sprinkled over their crumbled feed is a great way to ensure they ingest some. I use powdered dry thyme, powdered dry oregano and garlic powder, blended together and sprinkled lightly over the chick crumbles, if I am worried about exposure to illness for any reason. (I do this when I have feed store or hatchery chicks in the same brooder with my home-hatched chicks, just in case the outside chicks were exposed to something.) Scratch and Peck Feeds offers an organic herb mix that can be ground and offered to chicks if desired. A bag lasts for over a year! (Affiliate link.)

Eggs Incoming!

Once your chicks reach 20 weeks old or begin laying eggs, it is time to switch them to a 16-18% layer feed. They will benefit from supplemental calcium, like flaked oyster shells, or feed their own egg shells (crushed) back to them.

If you are excited about getting eggs and can’t wait to share with friends, head over to my Etsy shop to see the adorable egg carton stamps I have available!

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