Proper Care for Day Old Chicks

Are you wondering how to care for da
y-old chicks? I’ve had quite a bit of practice over the years and in the process, I’ve learned a lot about proper chick care!
If you are hatching eggs in an incubator or ordering day old chicks through the mail, the following instructions will help you care for your chicks. Been there, done that? This post will help refresh your memory. Although this is geared toward chicks, the instructions are basically the same for day-old turkeys, ducks, and geese.

Basic Care for Day Old Chicks:

• Keep brooder temps at 95 F for the first week, decrease by 5 degrees each week.
• Make sure there is room for chicks to get out of the heat.
• Provide probiotics in their drinking water to establish healthy digestive systems
• Keep food and shallow water containers clean and filled.
• Make sure there are no drafts or sunny spots to cause temp changes in the brooder area.
• Make sure rodents, pets, or well-meaning children can’t hurt chicks.

Get Ready For Day Old Chicks

Before your chicks hatch or arrive at the post office, be sure to have their brooder area set up and tested for a couple of days. You don’t want to find out that your only heat lamp isn’t working when you get home with your babies. Water should be at room temperature so it won’t chill the chicks.

Keep Them Warm

If you are using a heat lamp, turn it on two or three days in advance so you can adjust the height to provide the proper temperature. I have used a heat lamp and an Eco Glow brooder, and both worked well.

If my chicks are going straight to the barn when the temps are low, I use seedling heat mats and a heat lamp. The heat lamp warms up their room and the brooder gives them a warm comfy place to nap. Make sure there are no drafts in their brooding area. If you only have a few peeps coming, consider keeping them in the house for a week or so to keep a close eye on them.

Temperature

For the first week of their lives, chicks should be kept in a brooding area that is 95 degrees Fahrenheit, with space to get out of the heat if they get too warm. Each week you will need to reduce the temperature of the brooder 5 degrees F until the youngsters are feathered out. If you notice the chicks piling on top of each other under the heat lamp, they are too cold. Lower the lamp, use a warmer bulb (an incandescent bulb may not be enough), or add another heat lamp to the brooder.

If the chicks are as far from the heat lamp as possible and they are panting, the temperature is too warm for them. Raise the heat lamp or switch to a lower watt bulb. Be sure the peeps have room to move around and find the best temperature for themselves. I always keep a digital thermometer under the heat lamp and I check it several times a day. Be careful not to adjust the heat lamp and then get busy with something else. It doesn’t take long for extreme temperatures to kill baby poultry.

Food and Water

Make sure your chicks have clean drinking water in a container that they can’t fall in and drown. Dip their beaks in the water when you first unpack them from the shipping box to teach them how to drink. Normally the mother hen would teach them this, but you’ll need to fill in.
For the first day, give them water with probiotics only. After they have rehydrated, add electrolytes or a bit of sugar or molasses in the water. Use 1 tablespoon sugar or 2 or 3 drops of molasses per quart of water. Too much sugar or electrolytes can cause pasty butt. Don’t use honey in place of the sugar, it can have a type of botulism that could kill baby animals.
Provide chick starter crumbles for your little peeps and watch to see if they eat. If your chicks were vaccinated for coccidiosis, you should give them non-medicated feed. If they aren’t showing any interest in their food, try clipping up some tiny pieces of lettuce on top of the crumbles. The contrast will draw their attention and they should be eating in no time. For other types of baby poultry, check to see if starter crumbles contain enough protein.
Provide chick grit to help aid their digestion. I like using a chick grit with probiotics.

Bedding

Don’t use newspapers or anything that is slippery to line the bottom of your brooder. You may use paper towels, but I have switched to a textured vinyl shelf liner that is easy to clean. The texture gives a non-slip surface which prevents spraddle leg in chicks.
Once the chicks are moved to the barn, I use wood shavings for their bedding. They are easily raked away and replenished as the chicks soil them. When the peeps are a couple of weeks old I usually switch to hay or straw for their bedding and I’ve never had any problems. When they are really small they tend to trip over the straw.

What To Do If Your Chicks Are Sick

Sometimes when day old chicks arrive they’ve had a rough trip. Make sure they are actively drinking and eating. Be sure to use probiotics or apple cider vinegar in their drinking water (2 tablespoons per quart). After a day, give them electrolytes in their water.
If you notice signs of pasty butt (droppings sticking to vent), be sure to gently clean the feces off with a warm, damp cloth. Don’t rub too hard and make sure you aren’t irritating or removing any skin. Give them a small spoon full of plain yogurt with probiotics to jump-start the good bacteria in their digestive systems.


 Refrences
Self sufficien Home Care n.d., How to care for day old chicks. Retrived from https://www.theselfsufficienthomeacre.com/2014/03/how-to-care-for-day-old-chicks.html