How To Raise Day Old Chicks

This is the checklist of everything we prep before bringing chicks home, after 3 seasons of learning how to raise day old chicks. We’re not experts, so we always recommend asking the pros for the best advice. This post contains affiliate links, which may lead to a commission if purchased. This comes at no extra cost to you. Thanks!

If you’re wondering what you’ll need for how to raise day old chicks, you’ve come to the right place! Spring has sprung (unofficially, anyway), so it’s crunch-time before the next set of baby chickens arrive. Here’s to hoping our girls welcome them with open wings! (Yeah, right.) I’m compiling a list of everything that I always have ready for the chicks before they arrive. Now, some of these items are more necessary for how to raise day old chicks than others. I’ll do my best to note the items that are more for making life easier, as opposed to the ones that are absolute must-haves for day old chicks.

Day-Old Chick Checklist

Let’s break it down more below!

Housing

For chick housing, I like to use a big plastic storage tub without the lid attached. Seriously, do not suffocate your chicks with the lid it comes with. (More on this below) I have also used large cardboard boxes in the past, but I don’t really recommend it. Chicks make wet messes. No matter how many times you prop their water up or elevate it, they will knock it over. Even when covered with a layer of plastic at the bottom, the cardboard box always managed to soak up spilled water. (And everything else, for that matter.)

I always give it a good clean with non-toxic cleaner before adding new chicks. (The Surface Cleaner from Public Goods is my go-to these days. Use our code “OAKABODEPGA” for 15% off) This is about the size that I use for 3 chicks. I’ve fit as many as 6 in each, but especially when they get bigger, I don’t recommend that many for this amount of space. The more room they can have, the better.

I’ve also heard of people using galvanized metal tubs. I never recommend heat lamps, but if you insist on using a heat lamp, know that a galvanized metal tub + heat lamp combo can be especially deadly when used improperly. Too many people have overheated their chicks to death this way. More on what I use instead of a heat lamp below!

Heat

For chick heat, I will always use a chick brooder from now on. Like many, I used a heat lamp for my first set of chicks. I was never comfortable with it, and I will never again use a heat lamp for chicks. Even though many people use heat lamps because they’re the cheapest, most readily-available heat option, here are 3 reasons why I will never use a heat lamp again, and swear by the chick brooder instead.

Why I’ll Never Use A Heat Lamp Again

Heat lamps pose a significant fire hazard. Especially when feathers (which float around!) are involved. Many safety sources recommend to never leave a heat lamp unattended. Good luck raising chicks while never leaving them unattended — while you’re sleeping, leaving the house, etc.. The fire hazard is not worth the risk, or couple-dozen bucks in savings. Every year, chicken groups on Facebook have members who report heartbreaking house fires or coop fires caused by heat lamps. It just isn’t worth it. Chick brooders are a much safer option when it comes to how to raise day old chicks.
Heat lamps are an unnatural way for chicks to warm themselves. Ever seen baby chicks with mama hen? They dart in and out from underneath mom, self-regulating their body temperature as need-be. They’re pros at this from day 1, and the heat “gradient” caused by a heat lamp isn’t as natural as the “on/off” heat switch they’re evolved to understand. Plus, if the heat lamp is too close or too far, the chicks will have no way to escape the heat or warm themselves properly; many novice chick owners have killed their chicks this way.
Radiant heat chick brooders are mentally comforting to chicks. They provide a safe, dark, warm space for the chicks, just like mama hen would provide. I’m a big believer that babies deserve to feel safe, no matter the species. Stress can be a major killer of birds, so the more comfortable and familiar of an environment you create for your baby chicks, the better chance they have at survival.

Chick Brooders Are The Way To Go

For these reasons, I will always use a chick brooder instead of a heat lamp. We got ours from a local feed store, and I have no idea what brand it is. But you can find chick brooders here as well. I actually like the look of the Amazon model better than the one we have, because the height looks easier to change than ours. (Ours has a clicking system which is a bit of a pain.) As the chicks grow in size, you just raise the height of the brooder up, accordingly.

Food

For chick food, we always just buy a big bag of chick starter/grower from our local feed mill. This is where we find it’s usually cheapest. But if you don’t live near a feed mill, you can always order chick food online. If you have egg-laying breeds, you’ll want to switch to a calcium-fortified layer feed when they start laying eggs. We don’t give the chicks anything but chick feed until they’re old enough to start venturing outside. More on that below.

Feeder & Waterer

We use this type of chick feeder and waterer, and they work fine for us. We have used nipple drinkers in the past to reduce water mess, but we didn’t like them for two reasons. First, we have a scissor-beak chicken, and she cannot drink from the nipple drinkers efficiently. Second, we weren’t comfortable with how long it took the chicks to learn to use the chick nipple drinker; it seemed like they had to get really desperate. Even though they caught on eventually, the chick nipple drinker leaked & dripped on to the bedding constantly. For us, this traditional chick feeder and waterer just make the most sense. But those who know how to raise day old chicks can prefer many different systems.

Chick Grit

There’s a little debate in the chicken world, as to whether or not chicks really need “chick grit” early on. Grit is necessary for chickens to break down food; our chickens find their own grit by free ranging in the backyard. Chicks, however, do not have access to the outdoors early-on, and therefore theoretically need grit supplied. Others argue that chick food does not need grit to be broken down by chicks, and that it’s only necessary for those introducing new food to chicks. For us? We sprinkle it into their food just in case. Especially while we’re using pine bedding they might decide to snack on. Better safe than sorry, we say!

Electrolytes

We always add Sav-A-Chick Electrolytes to our chicks’ water for the first few days that we have them. This is especially important for those who are ordering chicks through the mail. It’s a rough journey for the little guys (we don’t mail-order chicks anymore), and there’s evidence to suggest that electrolytes can help some of the weak ones pull through. Even though we buy our chicks at the local feed store now, we still provide the electrolytes just in case. We’re very grateful for all those experts on how to raise day old chicks who tipped us off to this!

Many people on the internet like to add apple cider vinegar to their chicks’ water. We stopped doing this after we had two chicks with sour crop, and when we learned that there is a correlation between ACV and sour crop. Plus, we learned there isn’t a lot of actual scientific evidence to back the claims that people make about ACV, which is controversial in efficacy in the human world, as well. Since we stopped adding ACV to their water, we have never had another case of sour crop, and our chickens are as healthy as ever. (We’ve never had a single case of worms.) Do your own research to come to your own decision, but this is what works for us!

Paper Towels

Most experts on how to raise day old chicks recommend that that, for the first few days, paper towels are used in chick housing instead of pine bedding. Some people say that chicks will confuse food and bedding, and ingest the bedding, causing dangerous crop complications. By using paper towels instead of bedding for the first little while, it gives chicks a chance to learn what the food looks & tastes like. We do not recommend using newspaper, as newspaper is filled with dyes and chemicals that can be damaging to your chicks’ health. Newspaper is also slippery, and prevents chicks from getting solid footing, which can result in leg injuries & deformities. Paper towels are cheap, easy to see when they’re dirty, and plentiful, too!

Bedding

Once the chicks have a solid idea of what their food is, I transition them to pine bedding — I usually do this when they’re about a week or so old. If you have questions regarding specific ages for transitioning chicks, I recommend asking the experts of how to raise day old chicks on backyardchickens.com for the best advice. You’ll want to clean out their bedding regularly — the deep litter method I usually use just doesn’t work very well for chicks in an indoor setting.

Housing Cover

These little peepers will be flying before you know it! They have a natural desire to explore, and I always recommend having a “cover” to prevent them from flying out of the brooder from day one. Take it from me. Otherwise, you’ll be finding chicks walking around your house before you know it. The cover should provide plenty of airflow and I like a cover that provides plenty of light, too. Think like a screen, or wood frame with poultry netting or hardware cloth in the middle. It doesn’t have to be locking or super heavy to keep the chicks in. If you’re trying to keep other animals or kiddos out, however, that may be a different story.

Transport Container

Okay, now we’re getting to the more “optional” side of things. But if you’re anything like me, you’ll want to start taking your chicks outdoors for supervised exploration as soon as the weather is warm enough. I recommend having a small pet transport carrier — we use a cat carrier like this one — for bringing the chicks outside/inside. Sure, you can use just about anything you have on-hand. I’ve even just used simple plastic plant pots. But it didn’t work well. Those chicks grow so quickly, and they will jump out the very second they have the chance. Now that we have a dedicated carry case for them, trips outside are much less stressful. I like to add a few layers of paper towel on the inside to catch messes and add traction.

Outdoor Playpen

It doesn’t have to be super fancy, but this is the playpen we use for our chicks. We always make sure the chicks are bigger than the gaps before we take them outside, so they can’t escape. If they’re still to small, we add a layer of hardware cloth around the bottom. This model is just the one we had laying around, but really, you can use whatever is going to contain your chicks. I do recommend having a playpen big enough that you can sit inside with them and supervise. I also recommend having a playpen that you can move easily, since I like to choose a spot with both sun and shade available, which changes depending on the time of day.

Soaked Feed “Treats”

Since chicks can’t have anything but chick feed for the first few weeks, one trick you can use to train them to like you is to soak their feed in water for a couple hours, and then give it to them from your hand. For whatever reason, they go nuts for it. I did this with my first batch of chicks, and to this day, they’re the most tame chickens I’ve ever had. There is a bit of an art to make sure you do it without causing mold, so make sure to check out tips on how to “ferment chicken feed” to make sure you do it safely.

Training Treats

When they’re old enough, I always recommend training your chickens to come when called. This is easily done, as they’re naturally crazy for food. I train my chickens to come to the sound of a bag of Grubterra treats. All I have to do is shake the bag, and they come running. Many people use mealworms, but I like Grubterra better than mealworms because Grubterra has extra calcium, which makes for nice hard egg shells. Make sure to use the code “OAKABODE” for 10% off!

Roosts & Bird Toys

If you’re really bent on making their housing a chick-heaven, you can always add small roosts and chick-safe pet bird toys. Full disclosure: I’ve never done this myself. I just take them out a couple times a day for exercise, because that’s fun for me too! However, if you don’t want to take your chicks on outdoor excursions when they’re old enough, roosts & bird toys are helpful for keeping their minds occupied, which prevents them from picking on each other.

Completing The Chick Checklist Is Easy!

This about sums up the chick checklist that I complete each year before buying chicks. Of course, most of these items are reusable from year to year, so once you have your first set of chicks, it’s a lot easier to keep getting more. You will be an expert on how to raise day old chicks before you know it. Is there anything you buy for your chicks that I didn’t include on this list? Leave a comment below!