- When you get your chickens home, give them access to warm room temperature drinking water. Gently dip their beaks in the water, so they know what it is and where it is. We recommend adding Chick E-lixir™ to drinking water daily. It is a natural approach to keeping chicks healthy by supporting developing immune systems and promoting bone growth. Chick E-lixir™ contains a unique blend of organic oregano essential oil, prebiotics, calcium, vitamins D & E, and electrolytes.
- Chicks should have a brooding area at least 105-degrees for the first hour and lower the temperature to 95-degrees over the next few hours. You can lower the temperature by lifting
the heat lamp. Chicks should be in a brooding area that has a surface temperature of 90- 95-degrees for the first week. Lower the temperature by five-degrees per week until you reach 70 degrees.
- Chicks should have at least 1/2 square foot of space to move away from heat.
- Block corners of the brooder with cardboard to make wider angles that are harder for chicks to pile on top of each other to prevent smothering.
- If chicks appear weak or lethargic upon arrival, mix about two-tablespoons of sugar into one-quart of warm water and give to the chicks. After 16-hours, switch to the regular water.
- To help chicks start eating, put chick feed on a small flat surface, like a container lid, so they can easily find the feed. This helps deter them from eating the bedding.
- Use larger wood shavings as bedding on the floor of the brooding area. Do not use sawdust, sand, cedar chips or shavings, or newspaper.
- Give chicks a starter/grower feed until they lay their first egg, then switch to an egg layer feed.
- Use an easily accessible one-foot trough feeder or round feeder and a one-gallon waterer for every 25 chicks.