Google is your friend. Many, many sources of info to be found.
Day Old Chick Care
http://www.plamondon.com/faq_chickcare.html
Hatching & Brooding Small Numbers of Chicks
http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/livestocksystems/di0631.html
Brooding & Growing Chicks
http://extension.missouri.edu/p/G8351
Brooding Chicks
http://www.greenerpasturesfarm.com/BroodingChicks.html
Brooding
http://www.decorahhatchery.com/brooding/index.html
Brooding Chickens & Quail
http://www.poultry.msstate.edu/extension/pdf/brooding.pdf
Brooding of Domestic Fowl
http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/2902/2902-1087/2902-1087.html
You'll soon see there are many, many ways to get the job done and if you have a bit of sense they can all be made to work.
For myself I use pine shavings. No paper towels. No thermometers. But I do wach the chicks closely those first several days to make sure they are comfortable and that they are eating and drinking as they should.
The chicks will tell you if they are comfortable or not. This is what you want to look for:
I keep the feed and water up on platforms that are short enough for them to climb onto, but tall enough they can't easily scratch shavings into it. This is an example of the one I use in my brooder.
For the first several days though I use half of an egg carton and put it directly on top of the shavings (on a paper towel). This lets the birds climb directly into the feed, but they cannot easily scratch it out. Once they are accustomed to eating it (two or three days) I go to a regular chick feeder on the platform for cleanliness.
Day Old Chick Care
http://www.plamondon.com/faq_chickcare.html
Hatching & Brooding Small Numbers of Chicks
http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/livestocksystems/di0631.html
Brooding & Growing Chicks
http://extension.missouri.edu/p/G8351
Brooding Chicks
http://www.greenerpasturesfarm.com/BroodingChicks.html
Brooding
http://www.decorahhatchery.com/brooding/index.html
Brooding Chickens & Quail
http://www.poultry.msstate.edu/extension/pdf/brooding.pdf
Brooding of Domestic Fowl
http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/2902/2902-1087/2902-1087.html
You'll soon see there are many, many ways to get the job done and if you have a bit of sense they can all be made to work.
For myself I use pine shavings. No paper towels. No thermometers. But I do wach the chicks closely those first several days to make sure they are comfortable and that they are eating and drinking as they should.
The chicks will tell you if they are comfortable or not. This is what you want to look for:
I keep the feed and water up on platforms that are short enough for them to climb onto, but tall enough they can't easily scratch shavings into it. This is an example of the one I use in my brooder.
For the first several days though I use half of an egg carton and put it directly on top of the shavings (on a paper towel). This lets the birds climb directly into the feed, but they cannot easily scratch it out. Once they are accustomed to eating it (two or three days) I go to a regular chick feeder on the platform for cleanliness.
