Delivery & Pick-up

Keep the chicks in the box and place on the floor so they won’t slide if the vehicle comes to a sudden stop. If it is cold outside, keep the heater going inside the vehicle. If it is hot outside, do not leave chicks in a closed car. Chicks are available for online purchase. Orders will ship Monday–Wednesday of each week. Chicks ship via USPS to your local Post Office for pick-up. You will receive a call at the phone number you provide when placing your order. They must be picked up within 24 hours.

Once at Home

Set up a brooding area in a garage or other protected outdoor space. When raising chicks or ducklings, use a sound structure with walls at least 18 inches high and place the box in a safe area away from drafts and household pets. Use a screen to cover the structure. For larger numbers, a metal stock tank can be used in an enclosed, draft-free outbuilding. Do not use a cardboard box or plastic bin as a brooder area. The brooder lamp can melt the plastic and fall into the pine shavings or start the cardboard box on fire. Chicks need one-half square foot of space per bird for the first two weeks. They grow fast, so you will need to expand the area as they grow. After two weeks, increase to one square foot per bird.

Bedding

Provide bedding to catch and absorb chick droppings and change daily. This also prevents the surface from being too slippery for the chicks. Without proper footing, their legs will not develop correctly, making them splay/side-legged. You’ll want to have 2–3 inches of litter, typically flake pine shavings. If your brooding box has a metal floor, you may want to put down paper towels first to give the chicks better traction. After a few days, you can slowly change out the non-slip surface with bedding such as chopped straw, shredded newspaper, or shredded cardboard. Always make sure it is kept dry to deter mold. Remember to wash your hands with soap and water immediately after changing the bedding or anything in their area.

Keeping Them Warm

Chicks need to be kept in a warm place until they are fully feathered. The temperature at the bottom of the brooding area should be 95 degrees F to start and reduced at least five degrees each week until chicks are a month old. Use a brooder lamp clamped over one side of the brooding area so the chicks can choose whether to be under the light/heat or not. Paying attention to the chicks’ behavior is important in understanding if they are hot or cold in the enclosure. If chicks are crowded together directly under the heat source, then they are cold. If chicks are around the edges of the brooding area, then they are too hot. Adjust the height of the lamp accordingly and give them enough room to move in and out of the light to regulate their body temperatures. To prevent fires, be sure that the heat lamp is secure and not near any materials that may catch fire. As a reminder, poultry should not be kept in human living areas, bathrooms, or places where food is prepared/stored, such as kitchens or outdoor patios.

Food & Water

Set out water and chick starter feed in separate containers. Keep both food and water clean and free of droppings. A 5 qt. waterer should be adequate for up to 32 birds and a 7 lb. chick feeder can feed up to 15 birds. If chicks are not drinking, dip their beaks in the water to get them started. A chick fountain is by far the best way to give chicks water. Saucers or other makeshift containers spill easily, making the brooder area wet and unsanitary. Never let the chicks go without water. For feed, start chicks on a 18–20% protein (24% protein for broilers) starter ration. At 8–10 weeks old, switch chicks to 18–19% chick grower.

Odds & Ends

As chicks mature, they will begin wanting to roost when they are nesting. Provide roosting opportunities a few inches off the ground, such as a secured stick or rock that can hold the weight of the birds, to keep them from roosting on the waterer or feeder. As the chicks start to feather, on warm days put them in a wire pen outside for short periods of time in a draft-free area. Keep an eye on them and provide a tray of sand so they can dust bath. As you work with the chicks, remember that slow movements are less likely to frighten them.