Best tips for raising chicks

[Kyng]

So many threads. Can someone sum it up for me in this thread?
Looking to buy six chicks in the next few weeks that are not hatched yet and will be hatching, and maybe a week old.
Guy said I need a closed area and a heating lamp and food for chicks.
Anything else I should expect? When can I let them into my flock? Can they be outside, or do they need to be even warmer? No idea where to start. Thanks. Sorry if the questions are repetitive or seem not the smartest. Explain it to me like I’ve never owned chickens before

 

[Appielover]

Hi Kyng
Raising chicks is fun and rewarding and it really needs no expensive equipment. I currently have 4 bathtub babies! They are 5 weeks old and live in a big plastic box (with a mesh roof to keep them safe from any cats that may wander in) in my bathtub. I have wood shavings on the floor of the box, a food dispenser, a waterer and a little perch mine are old enough, and I live in Australia where it is warning up now so they don't need a heat source, but yours will need extra warmth for at least the first 3 weeks depending of the time of year and how cold it gets over night. I change the wood shavings weekly. They love filling waterers up with the shavings so be prepared to clean the water daily. Chicks can drown in very small amounts of water so a specific chick waterer is a good idea. If they have just hatched, you may have to teach them to drink and eat by gently dipping their breaks into the water and food a few times. Once one gets it, the others usually copy. Make sure you spend time interacting with them each day so they get used to you.

 

[Appielover]

Here is a pic of my set up, complete with a pile of chicks!

 

[Squawkers]

The most valuable thing I have learned, in my opinion (I’m a neat freak), is how to keep the feeders and waters clean. I tried so many things and finally figured out that if I put the feeder and water in little bins it works well. Of course I can’t do that until the chicks are old enough to jump over them, and that is usually when they are about a week old. Another important thing is not using shavings for the first few days to a week. Chicks don’t really know what food is so they will eat the shavings. You could use dog potty pads or paper towels. It works really well with the bins, the first week you can use paper towels and then by the time you switch to shavings they’ll be old enough to hop over the bins.

A pic of what I was talking about. I have seen people do the opposite and put the feeder and waters up higher and make a little ladder for the chicks to climb, I think that would work well too. Also I recently decided I was going to use a nipple water next batch, I think that will help tremendously with keeping the water clean too.

 

[Squawkers]

This article is very interesting! It might be a good option for you.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...and-start-raising-your-chicks-outdoors.71995/

 

[BigBlueHen53]

We also keep our chicks in plastic totes. We use puppy pee pads, not shavings, and change them every night. When changing them, that's a good time to examine each chick's bottom for pasty butt. If necessary, we take pasty chicks into the bathroom for a gentle cleaning. Chicks that get clogged with poop and not cleaned promptly can actually die, so a daily check is important.