Baby Chicks....how to set up

[JustRambling]

Good Morning,
I used to have 3 chickens. They were older, got them in 2018. They have all since passed away, unfortunately, but my husband and I were thinking of getting some chicks to start a new flock. Since it's colder out we thought we would use our dog kennel (wire type) and maybe add some cardboard to the sides to keep the warmth in. But what should we put down on the floor? The floor of the kennel is a plastic tray. I would think we wouldn't use hay, but what should we use? Thank you for any help you can give us. We have never had chicks before so it will be all new to us. We have 2 cats and a dog, so we would have to keep them in our basement until they were older and it was warmer outside. I'm also guessing before we put them in our coop, we should clean out the coop and put all new bedding and stuff in it?
Thanks!

 

[Rurumo]

You can start with a nice thick layer of paper towels and you can even tape them in place if they are slipping around too much. Sometimes I'll cut a piece of cardboard out to lay down first, depending on the floor, then put paper towels on top. After a week or so, you can switch from paper towels to pine flakes, just be sure to give them grit once they are on a bedding like pine, straw, hemp, etc. They will also need a heat lamp or brooder plate on 24/7, even if your basement is warm. Good luck!

 

[JustRambling]

You can start with a nice thick layer of paper towels and you can even tape them in place if they are slipping around too much. Sometimes I'll cut a piece of cardboard out to lay down first, depending on the floor, then put paper towels on top. After a week or so, you can switch from paper towels to pine flakes, just be sure to give them grit once they are on a bedding like pine, straw, hemp, etc. They will also need a heat lamp or brooder plate on 24/7, even if your basement is warm. Good luck!

Thank you! Yes, we figured we'd need the heat lamp too.

 

[David61]

I use large pine flake shaving on top of the plastic tray. I sit the dog kennel right next to my recliner so the chicks can see me and the dog. I can pop one or two out for some cuddle time and feed them treats.
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/p...ium-pine-shavings-covers-8-cu-ft?cm_vc=-10005

 

[21hens-incharge]

Do you have electric to your coop?

If so that is the easiest place to brood them.

Have you seen this featured thread? It is chock full of great information. https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/topic-of-the-week-raising-chicks.1153952/

Another awesome research spot is our articles section.
The learning center has several articles for new chick keepers.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/

 

[rosemarythyme]

Do you have electric to your coop?

If so that is the easiest place to brood them.

x2. Easiest option by far is running heat outside.

 

[JustRambling]

Do you have electric to your coop?

If so that is the easiest place to brood them.

Have you seen this featured thread? It is chock full of great information. https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/topic-of-the-week-raising-chicks.1153952/

Another awesome research spot is our articles section.
The learning center has several articles for new chick keepers.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/

Thank you! I will check out those links when I get a chance.

 

[JustRambling]

x2. Easiest option by far is running heat outside.

Yes, our current coop has heat if we need it. The run that is attached is not heated though. But there is a way to plug in a cord to add a heat lamp for them. Plus, by the time we would end up getting the chicks, it will be pretty warm out. Still need to fix up the run part of the coop so we can actually stand up in it.

 

[David61]

I have my brooder set up for my coop under the poop board. but i don't move the out until the 4th or5th week so the dog can bond with them. The dog crate is by my chair for maximum interaction. They will move out to the coop on the 10th.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Yes, our current coop has heat if we need it. The run that is attached is not heated though.

Don't worry about the run, for the first few weeks you can keep the chicks confined in the coop. By the time they get run access (for mine, it's around 10-14 days depending on weather and temps) they can handle being away from heat for a little while to explore.