Raising Baby Chicks- Do’s and Dont’s

So you’ve just gotten some new additions or your going to perhaps? Maybe it’s little daunting and it’s true, it can be, but with the right knowledge and guidance it can turn into one of the most rewarding experiences ever! I'm here to give you a few tips on how to make your experience less daunting and more enjoyable!




Remember the expression "Home sweet home?", well it might sound silly but baby chicks need to feel like their environment is comfortable. Without a mama hen around it can be easy for chicks to get stressed out, so the more that a brooder resembles a mother hen, the more safe and secure your babies will feel.



Do’s-

•Do use a brooder that's sturdy. Trust me, from personal experience you will never go wrong there. Even if it costs a little extra it’s totally worth it!

•Do put the brooder up off the ground. This makes baby chicks feel safe and secure.

•Do use a brooder that has an opening on the side, not on the top.

•Do use a brooder with easy access to the waterer and feeder, that helps so much with the cleaning process!

•Do use the proper ground covering, shavings are always the first option. Without them it can lead to your chicks developing splayed feet.

•Try to use a heat plate instead of a heat lamp. Now I know this goes against conventional means, but from personal experience it is definitely worth it and it’s sooooo much better for you baby chicks. This acts as a mother hen for them making them feel safe and secure plus an added benefit is that it will also keep them quiet at night, with no more light to see and with what they think is ‘mama’ being protectively over them where’s the need to be awake and talk? Just think of that, no more loud chirping!



Dont’s-

•Don't use a cage, cages have no walls and they make chicks feel insecure, they’ll feel like their out in the open and vulnerable to predators, plus when you try to pick up the baby chicks it will be easy for them to run away from you.

•Don't use a cheaply made brooder box that can be broken into. Even if you think you have the brooder in a secure place there's always a possibility something can get into it, whether it's your cat, dog, or wild animal. Even if you think the animal won't attack the babies there's a possibility they can break or open it up leaving the chicks to escape.

•Try not to put a brooder directly on the ground.
This can leave the babies vulnerable to ground attacks from snakes, rats, and burrowing creatures.

•Try not to use a brooder with a top opening, but rather one with a side opening.
I say this because when you go to pick the babies up from above it can instill a fear of you. They will view you as a hawk swooping down to snatch them up for dinner. Think about it. These are tiny little things and their instinct will tell them to run away if they see something coming from the top angle, well when you pick them up from that angle they will remember that so when they grow up they will still view you as that hawk and run away from you.


Now all babies are stinkin cute, and you may feel like you just want to cuddle and hold them all the time, but with all babies comes rules to keep them safe. Let’s go over some rules for handling baby chicks.

Do’s-

Remember once again these are tiny babies and they need to be held with care.
Hold them with two hands, make sure your hands cover the wings of the babies and put the legs between your fingers so they hang. Doing this will prevent the baby chicks from being able to jump out of your hands.


Dont’s-


•Chicks that are 1-3 days old should not be handled a lot. Remember that they just got done hatching, that took a lot of work!
They need time to recover and get used to their new home/brooder. If you handle them too much it can stress them out. This doesn't mean not to handle them at all, but just be careful with how much you do so in the first couple of days, these are tiny babies that need to eat, drink and rest.

•When you do hold them, never hold them upside down like a baby.

•The above picture is an example of how to NOT handle them. See how they left their hands open? A very easy way for that little baby to jump and fall.

• And lastly, you should never kiss your baby chicks. No matter how tempting it may be or how cute they are, don't kiss them! They are dirty, and yes, you can get sick from doing so. Don't put them close to your face and remember to always wash your hands after touching them.





No matter where you raise your baby chicks, your going to have advantages and disadvantages. Here are some things to consider to help you decide to raise them inside or outside.

Advantages & disadvantages of raising inside-

•Baby chicks are more protected inside from the elements of the outdoors.

•You can closely monitor them.

•Raising baby chicks inside will probably mean they will be more docile when they grow up because you might hold them more than you would if they were outside.

•But also keep in mind they will not be able to see the outdoors when they are raised inside. This is important as they will be living outside when they are older.

Tip: If you raise baby chicks inside and if you can, make sure to bring them outside once in awhile for fresh air, or better, take them to their future home/coop so they can get used to were they will live when they are older. But remember, always monitor them.

Advantages & disadvantages of raising outside-

•Raising baby chicks outside can be fun for everyone!

•Baby chicks will get the chance to grow up in the environment that they will be living in when they are adults.

•It's a lot healthier for them too, because when their young, their immune systems are hard at work building up their immunity to illnesses, so when they grow up there will be less of a risk for them developing serious or fatal diseases.

•One disadvantage of raising them outside if they are not protected well a predator can get them, or the elements.



We all know chicks eat starter food and they can have some treats, but what else can they can and cannot have?

Do’s-

•The best food for baby chicks is medicated chick starter. If they haven't had their vaccines this is a great second option. And if they have had their vaccines this is still very good feed to give them. It will give chicks vitamins and nutrients that they need.

•As for treats baby chicks love red colored things. So berries and watermelon they will go crazy over.

•Also mealworms is a treat baby chicks will go crazy over, it's one of their top favorite treats!

•Another treat that's super good for them is parsley. Parsley gives chicks vitamins and helps with feather and bone development. It's a tasty treat that's super good for them!

•Also do some research on what other herbs you can give your flock. This is a great way to boost their immune systems and laying production.

This isn't all that they can have, use google to look up the chicken treat chart, anything the adults can eat the babies can eat too, just don’t feed baby’s any food other than there chick start until tuntil their over a week old.


Dont’s-

NEVER feed chicks, or full grown chickens;

•Avocados
•Banana peels
•Apple seeds
•Potatoes
•Onions
•Asparagus

Go on google and look up toxic foods for chickens. There’s a lot more that you should know about before giving your chickens any treats.

Tip: The best way to set up their waterer and feeder is to hang it, this way they can't jump on top of it to poop in it, plus they won't be able to knock it down or kick their bedding in it.



So we’ve talked about their brooder, handling, raising them inside or outside, and what to feed them. Here are some extra tips that would be good to know and help you along the way.


Don’t-

Don't freak out when they run around for a minute and then do the drop dead look. They're just sleeping! They take a nap for a few minutes wake up run around get all their energy out and then take a nap. Adorable and terrifying at the same time.


Do-

•Do your research! You can never go wrong with the right knowledge. Baby chicks are super fun, but if you want to keep them fun,
do your research!

•If you're thinking that one of your babies is sick but your not quite sure, don't hesitate to call someone that’s raised them before, chances are they’ve been in the same place as you and now can use their experience to help you, if you don’t know of anybody you can also go on here to look for help. Backyard chickens offers a wide varieties of ways to get you help fast. Look for the emergency forum and make a new thread to ask for help. The chicken owners on this site are very knowledgeable and helpful.

•And the most importantly you must never forget, have fun with your new little fuzz balls!





Thanks so much for reading everyone! I hope this article can help you in your chicken raising adventure!