Let's start with a disclaimer: I've only been raising chicks for about 13 years and there are about as many ways to do it as there are people doing it. Following is a description of how my DH and I do it, which works for us in a humid, temperate climate in mid-America, and may or may not work for you. He is in his late 60's and I'm actually 70, and health, for me at least, is a factor, so we like to find shortcuts and what he calls "cheats" to make our lives a little easier while still meeting the needs of our precious baby chicks. I warn you, what you are about to read may actually be jaw-dropping and/or eyebrow-raising, so ... don't say you haven't been warned! 
Okay, buckled up? Ready? Here we go!
We order day-old chicks from hatcheries rather than hatching our own for the most part. Okay, we did hatch a batch once but it didn't go great so we're leaving it to the professionals for the most part. As soon as they arrive we dip their little beaks in sugar water (1 Tbsp white sugar dissolved in a quart of warm tap water) and place them in their brooder.
THE BROODER. This is a large plastic tote, lined with puppy pee pads. No other bedding. So there is no dust, one of the biggest complaints and concerns about keeping chicks in the house. Loose bedding also has a tendency to get into the chicks' waterer and in their food. There is no need for it. We usually have 12 to 15 chicks, the minimum order required by many hatcheries. That many chicks can huddle together and keep each other warm if necessary, so loose bedding is not needed for warmth. But we also provide heat with (take a deep breath!) heat lamps!
HEAT SOURCE. Oh, I know a lot of you are gasping in horror right now. I'm aware that heat lamps have been the cause of many tragedies. But they can be used safely. Observe how we attach the lamp to a hanger in such a way that it is impossible for it to fall off.
Look closely. The bottom of the hanger is actually going THROUGH the handle of the lamp. The lamp is not just clamped onto the hanger. It is impossible for the lamp to fall off.
LOCATION. The tote is inside a closet, with the closet doors removed. The hanger supporting the lamp is hanging from the clothes rod. On a chilly day or night, the lamp can be lowered by attaching the hanger to another hanger.
We have two lamps. One has a white bulb for day time; the other has a red bulb for night time use. We simply unplug one or the other as needed.
SAFETY. Now obviously we can't use the tote lid as it came from the store; our babies would suffocate. And to leave them uncovered after the first week or so is not a good idea either, as they would soon be hopping or flying out. A modification to the lid is required.
We used a utility knife to cut out portions of the lid, leaving a support in the middle. Then, using plastic netting and (what else?) duct tape, we made the lid secure.
Hmm. Looks like it needs an upgrade. But it works!
SANITATION. Chicks are notoriously messy. They foul their water and dump their food very quickly. So I took two plastic sandwich containers, filled them with rice to give them weight, and used them as a base for the waterer and feeder.
This worked even better than I expected! When I did this the chicks were not quite a week old, but they all could reach both to eat and drink, and the water stayed clean, and they didn't scatter nearly as much feed as before! Yay for the win!
CONVENIENCE. We actually have two totes. Every evening we prepare the second tote with fresh "diapers" (what we call the puppy pee pads), fresh water and feed, and a sprinkling of chick grit on the bottom of the tote. We turn off the white light and turn on the red one, and make sure no other lights are on in the room. This tells the chicks it's night time and they go into sleepy mode. It relaxes them and makes them a lot easier to catch. (DH and I are uncommonly smart, lol. No, actually, this is not our first chicken rodeo. We learned this through trial and error!) Wearing nitrile gloves, I gently pick up each chick and check it for pasty butt. If clean, it goes into the clean tote. If pasty, it goes into a holding box until all have been inspected. The pasty ones go into the bathroom to be cleaned and dried, then into the second tote they go, and that's it for the night. Day is done! In the morning I just reverse the lights, give them a little sprinkle of dried mealworms and talk to them.
I check on them through the day. I don't have a thermometer in the tote. I don't worry about the temperature in there, instead I gauge their needs by their behavior. If they're huddled in a corner, they're cold and I lower the lamp or turn both lamps on for a while. If they're active, running around, cheeping contentedly, eating and drinking, I know they're fine.
In about three weeks we'll move them to an outdoor brooder and from there they'll be integrated into the adult flock. But those are topics for another article. Hope you enjoyed this one!
Okay, buckled up? Ready? Here we go!
We order day-old chicks from hatcheries rather than hatching our own for the most part. Okay, we did hatch a batch once but it didn't go great so we're leaving it to the professionals for the most part. As soon as they arrive we dip their little beaks in sugar water (1 Tbsp white sugar dissolved in a quart of warm tap water) and place them in their brooder.
THE BROODER. This is a large plastic tote, lined with puppy pee pads. No other bedding. So there is no dust, one of the biggest complaints and concerns about keeping chicks in the house. Loose bedding also has a tendency to get into the chicks' waterer and in their food. There is no need for it. We usually have 12 to 15 chicks, the minimum order required by many hatcheries. That many chicks can huddle together and keep each other warm if necessary, so loose bedding is not needed for warmth. But we also provide heat with (take a deep breath!) heat lamps!
HEAT SOURCE. Oh, I know a lot of you are gasping in horror right now. I'm aware that heat lamps have been the cause of many tragedies. But they can be used safely. Observe how we attach the lamp to a hanger in such a way that it is impossible for it to fall off.
Look closely. The bottom of the hanger is actually going THROUGH the handle of the lamp. The lamp is not just clamped onto the hanger. It is impossible for the lamp to fall off.
LOCATION. The tote is inside a closet, with the closet doors removed. The hanger supporting the lamp is hanging from the clothes rod. On a chilly day or night, the lamp can be lowered by attaching the hanger to another hanger.
We have two lamps. One has a white bulb for day time; the other has a red bulb for night time use. We simply unplug one or the other as needed.
SAFETY. Now obviously we can't use the tote lid as it came from the store; our babies would suffocate. And to leave them uncovered after the first week or so is not a good idea either, as they would soon be hopping or flying out. A modification to the lid is required.
We used a utility knife to cut out portions of the lid, leaving a support in the middle. Then, using plastic netting and (what else?) duct tape, we made the lid secure.
Hmm. Looks like it needs an upgrade. But it works!
SANITATION. Chicks are notoriously messy. They foul their water and dump their food very quickly. So I took two plastic sandwich containers, filled them with rice to give them weight, and used them as a base for the waterer and feeder.
This worked even better than I expected! When I did this the chicks were not quite a week old, but they all could reach both to eat and drink, and the water stayed clean, and they didn't scatter nearly as much feed as before! Yay for the win!
CONVENIENCE. We actually have two totes. Every evening we prepare the second tote with fresh "diapers" (what we call the puppy pee pads), fresh water and feed, and a sprinkling of chick grit on the bottom of the tote. We turn off the white light and turn on the red one, and make sure no other lights are on in the room. This tells the chicks it's night time and they go into sleepy mode. It relaxes them and makes them a lot easier to catch. (DH and I are uncommonly smart, lol. No, actually, this is not our first chicken rodeo. We learned this through trial and error!) Wearing nitrile gloves, I gently pick up each chick and check it for pasty butt. If clean, it goes into the clean tote. If pasty, it goes into a holding box until all have been inspected. The pasty ones go into the bathroom to be cleaned and dried, then into the second tote they go, and that's it for the night. Day is done! In the morning I just reverse the lights, give them a little sprinkle of dried mealworms and talk to them.
I check on them through the day. I don't have a thermometer in the tote. I don't worry about the temperature in there, instead I gauge their needs by their behavior. If they're huddled in a corner, they're cold and I lower the lamp or turn both lamps on for a while. If they're active, running around, cheeping contentedly, eating and drinking, I know they're fine.
In about three weeks we'll move them to an outdoor brooder and from there they'll be integrated into the adult flock. But those are topics for another article. Hope you enjoyed this one!
