Baby Chicks Care

This is page 2 of our article Baby Chicks Care. For page 1 of Baby Chick Care Tips click here. Your new chicks may have some special needs. They should be watched vigilantly over the first few days to be sure they are adapting to their new environment.

You will be keeping the bedding clean, changing and cleaning feed and water troughs and checking the chicks for health issues.

Draft Shield: 
use a low, circular ‘fence’ to keep the chicks together and near the heat source. A strip of cardboard works well. Attach the ends of a 4” strip to make a circle and set this on the bedding on the floor, under the lamp.

This will block drafts to the chicks and keep them from wandering away from the heat. It also lets them get away from the heat if they need to. Remove it at about the 4th-5th week, or when you remove the heat lamp (if weather allows).

Travelling Chicks:
Chicks can have a long and sometimes hard trip on their way to your home. Here are some tips to help them get over the stress of traveling.

Sweets: Add 6 tablespoons of sugar to their water. Also, mix this water into their feed to create a soup-like mix. Do this for 3-4 days until they have gotten over the traveling stress.

Pasty Butt: 
The chicks can have manure stuck to the feathers on their butt, which impedes their normal functions. It will develop into a plug that needs to be removed or they will die. Brush the area with a cloth and warm water. You might have to pull off the blocked feathers. Usually using warm water will do the trick and the matted area will disappear as the feathers grow out.

Drooping heads:
The chicks may not survive the trip due to illness. If the chicks have drooping heads or are puffed up and not moving, they will probably not recover. Healthy chicks are fluffy, and cheep, eat and drink regularly.

Feed Grit: 
On the third day add chick grit on the feed. This helps their digestion if used sparingly.

Picking: 
Picking is when chicks will peck each other, sometimes because if too much bright light, too hot, or too crowded conditions. Sometimes there is no reason. You can avoid this by using a red lamp instead of a white bulb, making sure chicks have enough room to get away from the heat lamp and by adding fresh clipped grass to their bedding. Treat a chick’s pecking injuries with pine tar to help it heal.

Raising chicks is a fun hobby. It is rewarding to watch them grow and develop into beautiful, healthy hens. By following this checklist you will make sure they have a great start to life.

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