This handy guide will have you off to the races raising chicks in no time.

By Russell A. Graves

TTSTUDIO/SHUTTERSTOCK

It’s that time. Your new chicks just arrived in the mail or hatched after a long and loving 21 days in the incubator. Now that the chicks are here, things don’t necessarily get easier. Instead, the care protocol shifts gears. Getting chicks off to a good start isn’t necessarily complicated. Chicks have the same basic needs of any animal. However, you should pay extra attention to a few basic things.

Brooding

The brooding phase comes after the chicks hatch (or are delivered to your home). The first 24 to 48 hours after hatch is perhaps the most critical stage. During this time, chicks must learn to fend for themselves by eating and drinking, stave off any potential illnesses, stay warm and establish themselves in the pecking order of identical age cohorts. With sound management practices, though, your chickens will get a healthy start.

Equipment Check

To brood baby chickens, you need some basic equipment.

BROODER

I start with a spacious place to house the chicks. While you can use a big cardboard box, I use a 6-foot livestock trough. The trough has high sides to keep the babies inside and is roomy enough to let the chicks gather near the brooder box where they find the temperature comfortable. Furthermore, the trough has rounded edges and lacks corners. Often chicks, in an attempt to stay warm, pile up in a corner and suffocate one another. The rounded corners prevent that.