How to Take Care of Newborn Chicks

You can be mother hen to a newborn chick.

Whether you buy a baby chick or you have chickens whose eggs have hatched, you can guarantee a chick's health and safety with careful care. Baby chicks need a lot of time and attention, like any other newborn, but you can find everything you need to take care of a newborn chick around your house and at your local pet store.

Things You'll Need

• Brooder
• Pine shavings
• Starter feed
• 250-watt infrared heat lamp
• Chick feeder
• Waterer

Instructions

1. Prepare a brooder. A brooder is the place where the baby chick is going to live. It can be a cage or even a box. Allot at least a 1/2 foot of space per baby chick for the first four weeks. This space will increase as the baby chick grows. Line the bottom of the brooder with pine shavings. Avoid using newspaper since it is slippery and may cause splayed legs (a deformity) in your baby chick.

2. Provide a chick feeder. If you use a regular dish or container, the chick will step in it, throw shavings in it, or maybe even tip it over and be trapped underneath. Using a real chick feeder will ensure it always has clean food and remains safe. Fill the feeder with starter feed.

3. Provide a waterer. Like the feeder, it is best to use a proper waterer, or drinker, when taking care of a baby chick. Since they are so small, they run the risk of drowning if they drink out of a dish and fall in it. Chick drinkers come in a variety of sizes so you can find the one that fits in the brooder.

4. Provide a heat source. Baby chicks need a good source of heat to keep them warm. Use a 250 watt infrared heat lamp with a red bulb. Suspend the heat lamp and place it in the middle of the brooder. The first week of the baby chick's life, the temperature has to be about 90 degrees. Lower the temperature 5 degrees every week after that. Your baby chick will huddle directly under the light source if she's too cold, or hang out near the walls if she's too hot. Adjust the heat accordingly and keep a close eye on her.

Tips & Warnings

• Cover the brooder with netting so your baby chick will not jump out.

• At four or five weeks old, your chick can be transferred to a chicken coop.

References

• MyPetChicken: Caring for Baby Chicks
• FeedNFarm: Raising Chicks - Requirements and Care for Newly Hatched Chickens