RAISING BABY CHICKS
How you start and grow your baby chicks and other poultry is very important. If you feed and
manage them along the lines we outline here, they should perform extremely well for you. If you
"cut corners" at any point, the chances are good that it will cost you in the long run.
Before the chicks arrive, make sure the starting area has been cleaned, disinfected and free of
poultry for 7-10 days if possible.
1. Start all baby chicks on a 20% Chick Starter (medicated). Carry them through 8 weeks of age on
this for all chicks other than Cornish-Rock broilers. At 8-9 weeks switch your egg-type, bantams,
rare and unusual breed chicks to an 18% grower ration. At 16 weeks of age, commence feeding
them a 16% Complete Layer ration. We suggest that no grain be fed on the side during any period
of the chick's life.
2. Water: Start your baby chicks for the first day on fresh clean water with 2 teaspoons of sugar
per quart of water in the initial water they receive…and let them drink just that water for one hour
before setting the feeders into the pen. This is an excellent way to help cover the stress of shipping,
etc. After this, give them fresh water to drink.
3. Provide 2.5 inches of feeder space and 1 inch of watering space per chick for the first 10-12
weeks. You will need to expand that a little more as the bird gets older. Provide 1/2 square foot of
floor space for the first 2 weeks. Expand that to one square foot until housing time (layers). At time
of housing, figure 1.75 to 2 square feet per bird for regular sized chickens and 1 to 1.5 square feet
per bird for the smaller bantams.
4. Litter/Bedding should cover the entire starting area to a depth of 2-3 inches. Peat moss, wood
chips and rice hulls work the best. Never cover litter/bedding with paper of any kind. The chicks
will slip on paper, and leg spraddling can become a problem. This problem is irreversible so
please do not use paper.
5. Heat lamps or brooders should have been on for 24 hours and the temperature should be in the
90-95 degree range with the bulb of the thermometer 2-3 inches off the floor. Drop the temperature
5 to 7 degrees per week to 70 degrees after which the birds should need little or no heat. Use a 100
watt bulb for the first week, a 75 watt bulb for the second week, a 60 watt bulb for the third week,
and a 40 watt bulb for the fourth week.
6. Water: You can provide them with 3 days of Biotin Stress Pak or Vitamins/Electrolytes, and then
give the fresh water again. Use Vitamins/Electrolytes as recommended by the manufacturer.
*Terramycin…this should be given when needed. Over use of antibiotics can decrease it's
effectiveness when actually needed. We would suggest using this only when chicks are sick.
Give dosage as suggested on package.
7. Draft Shield should surround the area where the chicks will be started. Corrugated cardboard,
12-18 inches high or bailed straw or hay work well for this.
We are a NPIP approved business as of September 2008. We are also licensed as certified Chick, Hatching Egg,
and Poultry Dealers.
