Raising baby chicks can be a fun and rewarding experience for the entire family.
Whether you order your first batch of baby chicks through the mail or buy them at the local feed store, raising baby chicks can be a fun and rewarding experience for the entire family. Just as baby kittens and puppies have special needs, however, so do young baby birds. Preparing a place to raise the baby chicks and purchasing the proper equipment to take care of them before you begin can help to ensure their safety and well-being once they arrive.
Instructions
1. Prepare a warming box for the chicks. Use a plastic storage bin or cardboard box that is at least 12 inches tall for a warming box. The size of the box should provide two square feet of space per each chick.
2. Place absorbent bedding for the chicks inside the warming box. Fill the bottom of the warming box with a 1-inch layer of pine shavings. Do not use cedar shavings since this may cause respiratory issues for the young chicks.
3. Attach a 250-watt infrared heat lamp with a clamp to the side of the warming box. Position the light directly over the center of the box. Chicks need an average air temperature of 95 degrees F for the first week and then 90 degrees F for the second week, adjusting the temperature in this way by 5 degrees weekly as the chicks grow.
4. Place a chick waterer inside the warming box. One chick waterer is usually sufficient for up to 15 chicks. This device allows chicks to have access to water, but keeps them from walking through it or tipping the waterer over.
5. Fill a chick feeder with starter feed. Starter feed is a type of feed that is formulated as a crumble or mash that baby chicks can easily digest. Although starter feed can be fed to young chicks in a small bowl, use a plastic or metal chick feeder to keep chicks from pooping or walking through their food and to prevent them from possibly overturning the bowl onto one of their siblings.
6. Sprinkle a small handful of grit (¼ cup or less) in with the starter feed. Grit is a form of tiny pebbles that chickens store in their crops to help grind up food, which aids digestion.
7. Transfer the baby chicks to the warming box as soon as they arrive. If they do not appear to know where the food and water is, gently dunk the beak of one of the more active chicks into the water and allow it to drink. Once the other chicks see the first one drinking and then eating, they will typically follow suit.
8. Place chicken wire over the warming box to prevent the baby chicks from escaping. As chicks get older, they will prefer to roost on the edge of the warming box if they are not securely kept inside.
9. Check on the baby chicks several times a day. Baby chicks require constant care to ensure their survival. Allow them to have food and water around the clock and a supply of grit to aid with food digestion.
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