Proper Ways How to Take Care of Little Chickens

Baby chickens need care too.

If you are a first time chicken raiser, caring for baby chicken can seem like a daunting task but if you do your research and you have all the necessary things needed in your farm, then you don’t have to worry. Just be guided with these simple tips and surely your baby chickens will turn into big and healthy chickens which you can place later at great backyard chicken coop.


Chicken feed can be purchased from pet or livestock suppliers. The first food for baby chickens is the starter feed or grower feed, which you can place on a piece of cardboard near them when they first hatch. After a few days you can place their food in troughs. Make sure that they get steady supply of feed because they need to eat throughout the day and night. Finely chopped boiled egg yolk is a good source of essential nutrients so give this to your baby chickens. 


Spending few dollars on a good chicken feeder for your small chickens is a good investment. Using such feeder will make your chickens safe and clean as using bowl or dish to feed small chickens can cause untidiness and fighting amongst the chicken themselves. It can also lead to death for some chicks as they can be trapped underneath the bowl or dish if you will not keep a close eye on. You can also buy specialized feeder if you want.


Water is essential in caring for baby chickens. Some may die because of lack of water so be sure that they drink the water you provided. Put sugar into their drinking water for the first 2 days to give them extra energy. 


Heat is also key to the survival of baby chickens. They need warmth and the temperature should be at a steady 90-95 degrees during their first week. A typical 250-watt bulb will provide the warmth that the baby chickens need. As they grow, you can gradually lower the temperature until they can survive without the extra warmth.


Chicks do their bowel movements very often. On this note, lining their house unit with a good absorbent material should be done. An inch thick pine shavings is effective as an absorbent. It is not also advised to use newspapers or papers to absorbent poops from chicks as these are not effective as an absorbent. Poops cause slippery surface, which is a factor for chicks to have the so-called splayed legs or a deformity that can also cause the affected chicks being picked by others until they die. If you want to avoid this deformity for chickens, you should invest in good absorbent then.


Having the necessary equipment and doing extra research will make caring for baby chickens easier.

Splayed legs can be avoided with proper house absorbent material.

For your very own backyard chicken house, visit Howard Kingsley's Chicken House online store for a large selection of quality chicken coops and chicken houses at a great price.