SO YOU’VE BOUGHT SOME CHICKS …

This is a thread on chicks for the new chicken keepers out there. I got 33 broilers, 7 Sex-sal-link brown pullets and 4 Red Rock Cross pullets last week. I have raised many chicks of many different breeds in the past.

How to raise chicks successfully:

If you have used your brooder before, use Virkon to disinfect it before you add new chicks. This goes double for any equipment (feeders, waterers, etc.). Mix according to the label and apply to all surfaces liberally. Surfaces must be wet for 15 minutes to properly disinfect so you may have to reapply. I use a small garden sprayer to apply mine.

When you put your chicks in the brooder, you must dip every little beak in the water to show them where to drink. Some catch on quicker than others. There are vitamins in the water. You want to do vitamins for the first 5-7 days.

I put my 44 chicks in a 3′ x 8′ brooder, which should last these chicks for a few weeks. I will move the layer chicks to their own brooder when the broilers become significantly bigger than them. Broilers grow VERY fast.

I use brooder plates rather than heat lamps. The room the chicks are in is also heated with an oil-filled radiant heater, which is vital for the use of the plates. I will drop the room temperature as the chicks grow and the weather improves. It has been cold overnight here! The brooder plates provide a more natural brooding environment, as the chicks can tuck underneath to warm up, just as they would underneath a mother hen. Chicks raised under heat plates are hardier than those raised under a lamp, in my experience. You can get the brooder plates on Amazon.

The brooder plates are also much safer to use in terms of fire hazards, and use less electricity. The one I linked above is for 25 chicks, the ones I have are larger, for 50 chicks. I used two in my brooder for 44 chicks as I like to have lots of room for them as they grow.

In terms of feed, use Medicated chick starter unless your chicks were vaccinated against coccidiosis at the hatchery. You choose either medicated feed OR vaccines, not both. Only hatcheries can offer vaccinated chicks, so if you get chicks from a small breeder, use medicated feed. For broilers, you will feed the medicated starter for 3 weeks. For all other breeds, feed it for 6-8 weeks. Please note, this feed does NOT contain antibiotics. The ‘medication’ is Amprol, which is a thiamine blocker that helps prevent coccidiosis. Coccidiosis is a parasite that can quickly kill up to 2/3 of your young birds and it exists in the soil almost everywhere. Keeping your brooder clean and dry is also very important. I recommend keeping your birds on the medicated starter until they have been outdoors for a couple of weeks so they are exposed to cocci while they still have some protection from the medicated feed.

Chicks naturally peck at the crumbles, so you don’t need to teach them to eat from the feeder like you do with teaching them to drink. I like to put paper towel with crumbles on it under the brooder plate for the first 1-2 days.

10% losses are totally normal, so don’t worry if you lose a chick or two, especially if they were shipped via mail. Shit happens.

Keep an eye on their bums, if they get crusted with poop they will be unable to defecate and will die. If there is a crusty build up CAREFULLY peel it away. If it is still wet/sticky, wipe it off with a wet paper towel and dry the chick afterwards.

As the chicks age, raise the height of the food and water containers to keep them from crapping or kicking shavings into it.

I convert mine to nipple waterers once the first week is over and I no longer need to add vitamins to the water every day. They are cleaner and allow for more floor space. I built mine with horizontal pipes coming out of pails mounted outside the brooder. You need 1 nipple per 10 chicks.

One more thing: grit. If all your chicks are eating is poultry starter, you don’t need grit. But if you want to give them some treats from time to time, you need to provide grit. They also need it when they get moved outdoors. The grit stays in their crops and helps grind food.