Wanting to have a flock of chickens for eggs or to raise some meat birds for some homegrown meals starts with raising baby chicks. Sometimes, you can find locally birds that are grown by a few weeks, or ones that people bought chickens, but then realized it is not for them. We bought adult birds before and I still love having those chickens as much as my other chickens, but there is just something of raising baby chicks, adding it to a farm lifestyle.
Tractor Supply Company and Rural King both offer a great selection of what a beginner needs to raise baby chicks that it would be easy to figure out what to do. But, from experience there are some tips and tricks that just buying the supplies won’t give you. My number one thing to start out with is to have supplies prepared before purchasing baby chicks.
Supplies Needed Before Purchasing Birds
I 100% support having the supplies and setup for the chicks before buying them. This way when the chicks are brought home, you can enjoy having such young animals in the house. It also relieves any stress for buying the supplies. If you don’t have a water container, you can buy one when picking up the chicks.
Brooder Box
The first supply to have to raise baby chicks indoors is a box large enough for the chicks to walk around, feed, and water.
A very large cardboard box would work. It will only be used temporarily while the peeps are growing. It can be thrown away afterwards. The biggest thing here is it does need to be large enough that the chicks can move around, as well as tall enough for them not to hop out.
A standard sized tote with a screen on top works well too. I’ve used this set up before. Being plastic, it keeps any spills or excretions from soaking into flooring below. The biggest struggle with this set up is once the birds grow, they may fly or jump out.
Another set up I have used before is a medium to large size dog crate with the plastic tray underneath. Although this provides plenty of airflow, along with plenty of space, and a nice plastic tray to catch any moisture, it has some downfalls too. When the chicks are very small, they can squeeze through the bars. If needing to grab a chick, it is hard to reach through the crate to the back to pick one up. It is harder to also had bedding to the backside. A dog crate can work for raising baby chicks, but honestly, it is probably my least favorite to use.
My Favorite Brooder Box
My favorite set up so far, this is a keeper, is using a shipping box my husband was able to get. Even if you can’t find something similar, building a wooden box would be simple to build. I have a bit of trouble with reaching down because the sides are rather tall, but the width and length of the box is great! It is about 3’6” long by 2’6” wide. The chicks have plenty of room to roam around. The feed and water do not take up majority of the room, so that is a win as well!
We do plan to keep this box for chicks every year, but I think the only thing that could beat this is having something that folds up and is collapsible. Some years we may not have chicks. And when we do raise chicks, it is only for a few weeks before they are moved outside.
Bedding
The easiest type of bedding is pine shavings. Bales of pine shavings can be bought at TSC and RK, as well as some local feed and farm stores. We also have availability through some local sawmills to obtain some pine shavings. They’re smaller, but they work the same.
Another type of bedding is using peat moss. Peat moss will absorb the chick’s waste, as well as keep ammonia levels down. It is dusty, which can effect a chick’s respiratory system.
Newspaper works as bedding. Almanac.com recommends adding a layer of pine shavings on the bottom, followed by multiple layers of newspaper. When one layer has too much chick waste, take it out. Newspaper is easy to come by and is inexpensive.
https://www.almanac.com/raising-chickens-101-how-raise-baby-chickens
The one downfall with using newspapers is that it is rather “slippy” for the chicks to walk on. This can lead to some problems with their leg development.
Water
Chicks need water as soon as they get home. Add fresh water to a cleaned one-quart poultry jar. Screw on the poultry waterer base. Flip it over to the right side. Fresh water should begin to flow into the base. Move to the brooder’s box. Here are some links to Tractor Supply for a waterer for baby chicks. This waterer is just for when the chicks are small. Another large one, or equivalent should be purchased and used for when the chicks are older.
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/little-giant-1-qt-screw-on-poultry-jar
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/little-giant-1-quart-screw-on-poultry-waterer-base
Tip with Water
During the first week, add one teaspoon of apple cider vinegar to one quart of room-temperature water. This helps the chicks with their digestive system and helps to prevent a pasted vent, where chicks have dried feces on their rear vent.
Feed
For raising baby chicks, they should be raised on starter chick feed. This can be medicated or non-medicated. I will add that if you baby ducks or baby geese, these birds should not have medicated feed.
Although there are small one-quart sized feeders, one could use for baby chicks. They will be able to also eat their feed from an adult sized one. Instead of buying two, buy one that can be used in different locations.
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/harris-farms-chicken-feeder-7-lb
Heat Lamp or Chick Heater
Baby chicks have hard time regulating their temperatures themselves. They need to keep feathers and skin dry. They also need a heat source in the same way they would sit underneath a mother hen.
One thing I think would be great to try is a brooder heater, also called a coop heater. It doesn’t have any lights with it, so it would offer heat, while also providing a nighttime environment for the chicks. It can then be used again during the winter months on some very cold days for the adult chickens. Think of it in the same way to use a plant heating mat for seedlings.
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/producers-pride-brooder-and-coop-heater
What I currently use is a brooder lamp with a heat bulb. Our box is very tall. I had to lower the light for the first few days to raise the temperature for the chicks. They need about 85 degrees Fahrenheit. It should feel warm.
For the first week with our house being a bit chilly, we also turned on the pellet stove to keep the room warm. I know other people who keep their chickens where they have their indoors wood furnace. The room stays warmer than other parts of their house.
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/producers-pride-brooder-lamp-6-ft-cord
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/producers-pride-2-pack-120v-e26-250w-red-heat-bulbs
How to Know Chicks Need More Heat?
If the chicks are spread out around their box or tote, their temperature is fine. Place a thermometer in the box to keep an eye on the temperature to keep it consistent.
Make sure it doesn’t become too hot. This is hard to do in the springtime, but if you get chicks in the summer months and the house is already hot, the chicks won’t need something else to keep them warm. If they all would be away from the heat source as much as possible, then it may be too hot.
If the chicks are crowding by each other, when they are awake, laying on top of each other, the temperature may be too cold. Layer the heat lamp some. Do not take it from cold to hot and roast them. Find the right temperature.
Where to Buy Peeps
Farm Stores
For years, I bought my baby chicks at either Tractor Supply Company or Rural King. Many times I bought them once they went on sale, while other times I bought them at full price because I was ready to have chickens again as soon as possible. At either of these stores, there is a minimum of purchasing about 6 birds. The neat thing is that you can buy different breeds, such as buying two barred rocks, 2 Rhode Island reds, and 2 Isa Browns.
These stores will place the birds in a small box with some pine shavings. The birds should be transported home right away, unless it is warm enough outside, but not too hot for the young peeps to survive. With buying peeps in early spring, they will need to head straight home.
Local Feed Stores
I’ve never ordered through a local feed store, but it entirely possible. I know a few people who take this route. It is a good way to interact with other people who have experience with young week old birds.
The feed stores will allow their customers to order certain types of chickens until a certain date. The chicks arrive at the feed stores. Some feed stores will keep the chicks the first couple of days to make sure the customer gets a healthy bunch. Then customers can pick up their chicks.
Ordering Online
I also don’t have experience with ordering online, but my husband’s side does. Here’s how it has worked for them.
They ordered their peeps through an online hatchery. Examples of these are Cackle Hatchery and Murray McMurray Hatchery. They arrive at the post office, the post office calls letting you know of their arrival, and you pick them up from there.
Shipping is an additional cost to this route, but sometimes the actual cost of the birds is cheaper. It is also a good route for wanting a specific breed of chicken. Be aware that most of these online ordering sites require a minimum number of birds purchased. With how many chicks the hatch, it is not economical for their business to sell one bird at a time.
Grower with Local Pick Up
This season with buying meat birds, I ordered 25 Cornish Cross, un-sexed chicks from Myer’s Poultry Farm. They will ship out online orders, like other online hatcheries. For me though, they are located in the general area that I grew up, which is about an hour and half away from where I currently live.
They offered local pick-up. Traveling down to pick up the birds, have a supper with family, and then taking them home myself was a good set up. It is where I did not order online but emailed and called to set up the order.
It is also neat to go to a local hatchery and see all the other chicks they are selling and shipping out while picking up the ones I bought.
The Joy of Raising Baby Chicks
Raising baby chicks may be necessary to find certain breeds, or just the best economical decision. But then why in the spring time do people like me hear the sounds of baby chicks in Tractor Supply and we leave our gardening section to find the peeping noises.
Raising chicks is a joy to have in life. It can be exhausting for every day, multiple times a day to check on the little birds. But it is a part of creating a beautiful farm life to see these birds grow every day. From one week, they are just little puffs of yellow fluff to developing their wings. The growth of life is beautiful. I want that to be part of my life is to experience raising baby chicks every year, or at least most years.
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