If you’d like to get started raising baby chicks, here’s everything you need to know about baby chick supplies, bedding for baby chicks, a chicken feeding guide, and care tips.

Raising baby chicks at home is one of my family’s favorite homestead activities. Everyone loves the adorable little balls of fluff and even my kids enjoy helping raise them. But the best part of keeping chickens is that many more cities allow people to keep backyard chickens! If you’d like to get raise chickens for eggs, this guide is for you!

Beginner’s Guide to Raising Baby Chicks for Your Backyard Homestead

What a reward backyard chickens are! Not only are they hilarious and entertaining, but they also provide you with a delicious supply of the freshest, most delicious farm fresh eggs you’ve ever tasted. If you’ve ever had an organic egg from a free-range chicken, you know there is absolutely no comparison to its store bought counterpart. You will love taking a little more control of your food supply when you start keeping chickens on your backyard homestead. Here’s how to raise them from baby chicks!

Essential Baby Chick Supplies: Complete Shopping List for New Chicken Owners

You don’t need a ton of baby chick supplies, but there are a few things you will need before bringing your baby chicks home:

• Brooder Box
• Bedding for baby chicks – these brooder pads are very helpful
• Heat lamp & heat light bulb
• Feeder & Waterer
• Organic chick starter feed
• Optional: thermometer & mesh wire for a lid, if you get the brooder box above you don’t need a mesh wire lid.

  

How to Set Up the Perfect Brooder Box for Baby Chicks

Before your chicks come home, you’ll need to set up a brooder box. You can use wooden boxes or plastic totes. As tempting as it is, cardboard is NOT a good choice. It it will absorb all the moisture, fall apart, and stink. I generally start my chicks in a large plastic tote and then move to them to a bigger wooden box as they grow. And they grow FAST! You will be shocked by how quickly they grow.

You can buy a wooden box brooder set from Amazon and have everything you need for the first few weeks!

Make sure your brooder box is big enough for them to move around in. Sadly, chicks can be trampled to death by each other if they’re over-crowded. I also recommend that you keep the brooder box in your house or garage in the beginning so you can keep a better eye on them. A good way to set up your brooder is the put the heat lamp on one side of the brooder (instead of in the middle) and your food and water on the other side. That way the chicks can be as close or far from the lamp as needed and they can regulate their own temperatures. See the picture above for how I set up my brooder boxes.

Heat Lamp For the Brooder Box

Along with the brooder box, you’ll need a heat lamp and an infrared light bulb. Baby chicks need a lot of heat until either the weather is hot, or they’ve lost their chick down and grown their feathers (usually around 6 weeks of age). I sometimes use an old camera tripod to hang the light. In the first week, the brooder temperature needs to be between 90-95 degrees for the baby chicks.

You can buy a thermometer if you’d like, but you’ll be able to tell if your chicks are too hot or too cold by their behavior. If they are all huddled together and chirping loudly, they’re too cold. When they’re spread apart and look like they’re panting, they’re too hot. If you notice that your chicks are too hot or too cold, adjust the light higher or lower  to change the temperature in the brooder box.

Best Bedding Options for Baby Chicks: What to Use and Avoid

Make sure to have bedding in the brooder box. Pine shavings work best, but shredded paper is also an option. Do not use cedar shavings. They are not good for chickens!

Every couple days clean out the bedding by moving the baby chicks to one side of the brooder box, scooping out the old bedding (it’s great for your garden!), and putting fresh bedding down.

These brooder pads are perfect for baby chicks if you don’t want to use shavings.

I’ve seen some people use paper towels, but they are slippery and can be dangerous for little chicks’ fragile legs.

Baby Chick Feeding Schedule: Nutrition Guide for Healthy Growth

Before you bring your chicks home, get a chick feeder and waterer. You can find them at your local farm supply store or order them online.

Getting a waterer with adjustable heights is a good idea. Chicks are messy creatures and kick bedding into the water with their scratching. If you can keep the waterer up out of their line of scratching, you’ll be able to keep it a lot cleaner.

You’ll also need baby chicken food called chick starter! Think of chick starter as a special baby food for chicks. It’s higher in protein than food for grown chickens and it’s formulated with nutrients the chicks will need to grow strong and healthy. 

Make sure your baby chicks have access to chick starter food and clean water at all times.

Feed your baby chicks the chick starter food until they are around eight weeks old. I highly recommend Scratch and Peck’s Naturally Free Organic Starter for the first eight weeks. It’s a special blend of cracked organic grains, organic flax meal, wild caught fish meal, and necessary vitamins and minerals and it’s a really nice organic chicken starter option.

If you can’t find it in your area, you can buy it online and have it mailed directly to your house for free! It’s also available on Amazon Prime and Chewy.com.

Daily Baby Chick Care: Essential Tips for Healthy, Happy Chickens

The day you get your chicks, gently dip each chick’s beak in the water so they know where it is. You might have to re-fill or clean out their water dish several times a day as they get bigger. They often knock a lot of bedding in the water by scratching around in the brooder so use adjustable height waterers.

If you can’t get an adjustable height waterer, it’s a good idea to put the waterer on a brick or elevate it in some way to keep it cleaner. Just make sure the chicks can reach it.

It’s also important to use a waterer specifically for chicks as they can drown if the water is too deep.

Adding a little apple cider vinegar to their water is also a really great way to help keep them healthy with natural remedies.

Clean Butts = Healthy Chicks

Another thing you need to be mindful of is dried poo on the the baby chicken butts. Make sure you keep a close eye out for this, and when you see it, you will need to get it off.

A gentle way to clean dried chicken poo is to use a wet towel to loosen it instead of yanking it off. Dried chicken poo can cause blockage and is dangerous for baby chicks. Make sure you get that dried on poo off your fluffy little chicken butts. 🙂

Frequently Asked Questions About Raising Baby Chicks

For more details, on chick care, make sure to read the answers to these frequently asked questions about starting chicks.

How long do baby chicks need a heat lamp?

Baby chicks typically need a heat lamp for about 6-8 weeks, or until they’ve fully feathered out. Start at 90-95°F during the first week, then reduce the temperature by approximately 5°F each week by raising the lamp higher until they no longer need supplemental heat.

What is the ideal brooder temperature for baby chicks?

The ideal brooder temperature starts at 90-95°F during the first week. Reduce this by about 5°F each week until reaching room temperature (around 70°F) or until the chicks are fully feathered, usually around 6 weeks of age.

How often should I clean the brooder box?

You should spot-clean your brooder box daily, removing wet bedding and refreshing food and water.

Plan for a complete bedding change every 2-3 days to prevent ammonia buildup and keep your chicks healthy.

When can baby chicks go outside?

Baby chicks can begin supervised outdoor visits in warm weather after 3-4 weeks, but shouldn’t move permanently outside until they’re fully feathered at around 6-8 weeks old. Even then, they need a predator-proof coop with proper shelter.

How do I prevent pasty butt in baby chicks?

To prevent pasty butt (clogged vent), ensure proper brooder temperature, provide clean water with a little apple cider vinegar (1 tablespoon per gallon), use quality chick starter feed, and keep bedding clean and dry. Check chicks daily and gently clean any blockage with warm water.

When do baby chicks start laying eggs?

Most chicken breeds begin laying eggs between 18-24 weeks of age. Heritage breeds may take a bit longer, while production breeds like Leghorns might start a bit earlier. Diet, daylight hours, and overall health also affect when a chicken starts laying.

Can baby chicks eat treats?

Baby chicks should primarily eat chick starter feed for the first 8 weeks. After 2-3 weeks of age, you can introduce very small amounts of treats like mealworms, finely chopped greens, or scrambled eggs.

How can I tell if my baby chicks are male or female?

Determining gender in baby chicks is challenging for beginners. With most breeds, you’ll need to wait until 8-12 weeks when physical differences become more apparent.

Males develop larger combs and wattles, and eventually crow. Some hatcheries offer sexed chicks for an additional fee.

How many chicks should I start with?

For beginners, 3-6 chicks is an ideal starting number. This provides a good social group for the chickens while keeping care manageable. Check your local regulations, as many urban areas limit the number of chickens you can keep (and often prohibit roosters).

What are the best chicken breeds for beginners?

Beginner-friendly breeds include Rhode Island Reds, Plymouth Rocks, Orpingtons, Sussex, and Australorps. These breeds are generally docile, hardy, good egg producers, and adaptable to various climates.

And that’s really all there is too it! Set your chicken area up before you get your chicks, keep them warm, feed them high quality organic feed from day one, and enjoy them. Your baby chicks will grow up into hilarious egg-laying chickens and provide you with fresh eggs and hours of entertainment.

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