How to take Care of Baby Chicks
Care of Baby Chicks is a huge challenge for first-time owners in poultry farming. Baby chicks are a great addition to the family but they require proper care for healthy growth and development. If you fail to look after your baby chicks then it may result in the mortality of chicks.
In this article, we will cover every detail on How to Take Care of Baby Chicks from the day of hatching till maturity. Weโll also cover every aspect from brooding to bedding, feeding protocols, health issues with treatments, and much more. So stay tuned with us.
Before going into the detail on the care guide of chicks. I want to ask a question from you, What is your purpose for raising baby chicks?
Raising Baby Chicks: What is your purpose?
Letโs have an example if you want to buy a car, but you donโt know the features of that car, what to see before buying a car and how to drive a car, then surely your money will be going to waste, and you will suffer a loss. In the same way, if you donโt know about chicks breed,ย care of baby chicks, and otherย than beforeย raising baby chicks, you should know all the details on how to take care of Baby Chicks from day-old after hatching to till maturity.
If you want to raise chicks for getting eggs, you should raise layer breed. Broilers are for meat purposes. Some people raise fancy birds like Bantam etc
Take your time and read from different articles, catalogs, and research papers. It will save you some headaches down the line. You can check out our detailed discussion about theย chicken breeds. This article is a great place to start researching your prospective breeds. It will tell you the origin of each chicken breed, egg-laying capability, pure breed characteristics, and much more.
Baby Chicks for Sale: Where to Buy Baby Chicks?
If you selected which type of chicken breed youโre going to adopt, then the next most important thing is Where to buy baby chicks, or is there any sale for baby chicks? These are the frequently asked questions by the people. The answer is simple: There are many ways to buy baby chicks, and it depends upon your choice whether you prefer an online chicks supplier service or purchase from a local farm seller.
Infact, in my opinion, the buying of baby chicks depends on how long youโre willing to wait for eggs. For example, if you want to buy day-old chicks, then hatchery should be your priority.
Day Old Chicks:
You can buy day-old chicks from hatcheries either online or by a local farm. The main thing to consider here before buying day-old baby chicks is to ensure that either they have done proper vaccination from problems like Newcastle, Marekโs diseases or not.
Pullets:
Pullets are female chicks that yet did not give any egg. It is about 20 weeks old and is expensive than day-old chicks. You can buy it from a local farm seller or hatchery.
Mature Egg laying Hens:
If you are thinking to buy those hens that are already laying eggs then itโs easy to buy. You can get it from local sellers. There is no need for any hatchery to buy these hens. But in my opinion, it is not a suitable choice for first-time owners.
Hatch Your Own Chick at Home Using Incubator:
The other way is to get your own hatched eggs. I do not recommend this for a first-time chicken owner. Incubation is never straightforward (in my experience), and itโs an important factor in the care of baby chicks. So, you must have to know all the guidelines on how to use an incubator for proper hatching
Some Major hatcheries and Farm from where you can buy baby chicks:
Besides chickens, online hatcheries also offer turkeys, geese, guinea, ducks, and more. Make sure you read the full guidelines because some of the prices look attractive but require a minimum order of a larger quantity than some other companies. Some offer free shipping, while others only ship several times a year. Below are some of the hatcheries from where you can buy baby chicks:
Privett Hatchery
My Pet Chicken
Murray McMurray Hatchery
J.M. Hatchery
Freedom Ranger Hatchery
If you live in Uk then you can Buy from here
NEWSNOW
Indian Buyer can buy from this site
India Mart
In Pakistan Olx is the best way to locate local farms
Olx
Equipment needed for Care of Baby Chicks
Till now, we have discussed in detail โ why are you raising chicks and from where you can buy them. Now it comes to equipment that is required for proper care of baby chicks.
Brooder for Baby Chicks:
A brooder is a basic requirement for the care of baby chicks. Itโs like a home with proper facilities that are required for the proper growth of chicks. It is like a container rolled into a circular shape with pine shavings or another embedding medium with a light on the top. It can be as simple as a cardboard piece, or can be made of metal depending upon the budget. Now let discuss what makes a brooder an ideal one.
Shape of the Brooder:
The brooder should be circular and should not be square or rectangular because it creates the corners in the brooders, and when baby chicks are roaming away from the center of the brooder there are greater chances that they all will gather at the corners with one jumping on another. This problem leads to suffocation in baby chicks that can cause death.
Geometry of Brooder:
The wall of the brooder should be at least 18 inches high to avoids the chicks to jump out of the brooder that may cause any injury. Because day-old baby cheeks are week and their skeleton is not strong enough to protect them that is why itโs the most important thing for the Care of Baby Chicks.
Rodent-Proof Brooder :
The brooder should be rodent-proof, which means it must be kept indoors or at such places where there is no other pet that can attack chicks.
Brooder Must be at Dry Places:
The brooder must be in dry places because if the surface is wet then it will lead to many health issues like cold, flu, and other respiratory problems. Another main thing is that salmonella also grows in wet places, so there will be chances of salmonella infection in poultry birds.
Bedding of Brooder:
The floor or bedding of the brooder should be smooth to walk. If it is slippery, it can lead to leg injuries in baby chicks like spraddle legs, etc.
Enough Space in Brooder:
There must be enough space for the chicks to walk in the brooder. According to size each bird should have 1.5 sqft space.
Dont Use Plastic Brooder:
The material used for making the brooder should not be plastic; because; in a brooder, light is present for keeping the chicks warm. Hight temperature can melt the plastic that further falls onto the bedding of the brooder and can catch fire. So beware of that.
CHow to Care of Baby Chicks in Winter and Summer
As I already mentioned, temperature regulation has an impact on the mortality of baby chicks. If you fail to regulate brooder temperature, then the consequences will be daring. So for proper Care of Baby Chicks, the temperature has to be maintained in an ideal range to protect the baby chick from any health issue.
Care of Baby Chicks in Winter:
Care of Baby Chicks in Winter is challenging. In winter, it is necessary to note the temperature of the brooder. A temperature sensor can be used for this purpose. Any deviation from the ideal temperature needs calls for action.
In Winter season keeps the day-old chicks in a warm place until they are fully feathered. For this purpose, you can use a heating fan in the brooder or a red light heating source.
How to Know If Your Baby Chicks are Cold?
If you look that the baby chicks start gathering near the heating source in the brooder, then this is the indication that your baby chicks are feeling cold. Another indication is a loud, high-pitched cheeping sound. On examination, their legs will be cold to the touch. Chicks look swollen.
What to do to keep them warm: Ideal temperature of Brooder in Winter
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