If you go into a farm supply store or a post office during the early spring, you might hear the sounds of baby chicks available to purchase at the feed store or hear them at the post office waiting to be picked up from a shipment from a hatchery. If purchasing baby chicks, it is necessary to be prepared for their care. If your purchasing chicks from a commercial hatchery you will have a ship date so you can plan for them. If you purchase from a store on an impulse buy you might not be fully prepared for their care.

If you live in a village, town or city make sure you have checked out any ordinances and restrictions on chicks before ordering or purchasing. Some don’t allow chickens at all, some limit the number, some restrict males.

Purchase from a reputable breeder or hatchery. Decide on a breed (bantam or standard size), and purpose-meat, eggs, or both. Refer to the information on Selecting a Poultry Breed on the LSU AgCenter Poultry website. Always plan on enough space as most people that enjoy chickens tend to add additional chickens each year to the flock. Build coops large enough for additional chicks and it can be easily cleaned and maintained. Placement of the coop is important to provide a shady area for the summer heat and other elements. Build to keep predators out using hardware cloth instead of chicken wire as some predators can break through it.

Items needed before chicks arrive include Brooder-Homemade or Purchased, Heat Lambs, Preferable Red Bulbs, Spare Bulbs, Small Thermometer to Monitor Temperature, Chick Starter, Chick-Sized Feeder, Chick-Sized Waterer, Chick Sized Grit, Rubber Shelf Liner/Newspaper, Pine Shavings, and Plain Pedialyte, Sav-a-Chick or Manna Pro Life-Lytes.

The first thing is to set up a brooder box. This can be a large cardboard box, a plastic storage bin with a window cut in top lid, or even an area on the floor with adequate protection and draft prevention. Remember to provide protection from cats, dogs, or anything else prone to bother chicks. Cover openings to help contain heat and prevent chicks that learn to fly early from escaping. This is the chicks first home, and it is used to keep chicks warm since they are not able to regulate their own body temperature until they are 12-14 days old. They will be stressed by temperature fluctuations. Remember whatever you use it must have adequate space for the chicks, be draft free, and can be kept at a consistent temperature. Make sure heat sources can be used safely. A brooder needs 0.5 to 1 square foot of space per chick. Use several layers of newspaper to line the brooder bottom with a rubber shelf liner on top to prevent chicks from slipping on the newspaper when wet. After a few days when the chicks have learned about the feed supply you can add 3-4 inches of bedding that is absorbent and odor-free. Baby chicks sometimes mistake the bedding as a food supply, that is why it is best to wait a few days before adding. Pinewood shavings or chopped straw works best. Clean out and replace shavings as needed to keep dry and sanitary. Use a heat lamp to keep temperatures at desire temperature for age of chicks. Make sure heat lamps or secured properly to prevent from falling and catching the bedding on fire.

Temperatures in brooding area should be as follows: Hatch to 1 week-95 F, 2^nd Week-90F, 3^rd Week- 85 F, 4^th Week-80 F, 5^th Week-75 F, 6^th Week-70 F. Check and observe the chicks during the day several times to make sure they are healthy and comfortable. Observe their behavior and how close they are to the heat lamps. If it is too cold, they will huddle up, if it is too warm, they will move as far away from the lamps as possible. If they are moving around freely, they are comfortable. Always provide clean and fresh water. Place feeders and waterers away from the heat lamp. Clean waterers daily. Have chicks unlimited access to fresh chick starter feed. It might be necessary to fill up waterers and feeders several times during the day. Be sure there is enough space at the feeders and waterers for all baby chicks, so some are not crowded away. Consider a medicated feed. Practice good biosecurity by washing hands before and after handling chicks, don’t eat and drink around them, limit visitors and regularly clean and disinfect feeders and waterers.

Have the brooder temperature regulated and feeders and waterers ready before chicks arrive. If shipped via post office pick them up on arrival quickly. They will need a drink of room temperature water with sugar or Pedialyte added to give them energy from the shipping stress. Be sure to dip each chick’s beak in the water and make sure they drink and know where the waterers are. Check for “Pasty Butt”. Clean off any poop stuck on the vent with a Q-Tip moistened with warm water or vegetable oil. Pasty Butt will stop a chick up and they can’t excrete poop and could die. It’s caused by stress or extreme temperature changes during shipment. Continue to check for this over the next few days. Feeding cornmeal or ground raw oatmeal can help clear it up. Be sure to provide chick-sized grit if you feed anything other than chick feed.

Keep bedding dry to prevent diarrhea and bacteria development. Have chicks vaccinated for Mareks before shipping from the hatchery. If purchasing from a farm supply store, ask if their chicks have been vaccinated before purchase. Medicated feed helps give chicks immunity to Coccidiosis which is the number one cause of chick death.

After about eight weeks of age allow chicks to go outside in an enclosed run or pen on nice sunny days but put them up at night until the brooder box temperature and the overnight ambient temperature outside is the same. At this point they can be released into the coop. If you are mixing young chicks with older chickens monitor for abuse from the older chickens such as pecking, chasing them, or forcing them to stay huddled up in a corner or not getting access to feed and water.