Chook Me!

I just got three baby chicks, what do I need to know to keep them healthy?

We just got 3 baby chicks and some chicken feed. What helpful tips should I know to help raise them?

Public Comments

1. You need to have a light on them for warmth. a low watt one just enough to keep them warm a high watt will get too hot and kill them. make sure they have room to get away from the light if they need to .. make sure they in a pen where snakes and other animals can't get to them.. The food need to be chick feed because they cant eat big chicken pellets yet.. Don't turn them loose with any grown chickens until they are pretty big other chickens will peck them and kill them. Get a automatic water thing its just a jar with a tray you twist on at the bottom.. they don't knock it over and stuff its pretty heavy. other than that you should be good to go. Baby chicks are delicate! don't handle them too much handling them too much can kill them too! Have fun with them :)
2. getting chilled is the thing that will usually kill chicks. You need a heat source, a heat lamp or low watt light bulb suspended from the top of the cage is the easiest and most consistent way to provide this. They also need food, high protein crumbles are the best, and they also need clean water. Give the food and water in shallow dishes and keep their accommodation clean. You can introduce greens as they get a bit bigger.