Quick Chick Checklist
January 16, 2022
(A chick eyeing the mini roost in the brooder!)
Any new hobby, or project, or recipe (or bringing a new baby home for that matter!) requires a shopping list. And raising baby chicks is no different.
Your first time getting ready for your chicks to arrive, you might feel overwhelmed with all the supplies and choices available to you.
So I've created this shopping list of baby chick supplies to be sure you're ready for your new arrivals - whether you go pick them up at the feed store or have them shipped to you at home.
What you basically need to do is replicate the set-up you see at your feed store. Your chicks need a safe warm place to grow up, feed, water, soft bedding, etc.
While you're at the feed store, you can get your shopping done before you pick out your chicks, but if you're having your chicks delivered, why not have their baby chicks supplies delivered as well?
It's a good idea anyway to assemble everything you need and get your nursery set up well in advance of the arrival of your chicks.
Even if it's not your first time around the block raising baby chicks but it's been awhile, it's a good idea to go over the list to make sure you have everything you need.
So take a look at my curated list of baby chick supplies all available online and be sure to bookmark or pin this shopping list of baby chick supplies to be sure you're ready for the big day!
Definite Need:
You can either hatch your own eggs (from a local feed store or online hatchery), or you can pick up chicks at your local feed store.
To keep your babies safe, they'll need a nursery, called a "brooder". It can be a cardboard box, plastic tote, metal tub, or kennel.
To absorb any water messes your chicks make, it's a good idea to line the bottom of the brooder with a few layers of newspaper.
Newspaper is slippery and hard for baby chicks to get a good grip on. That can lead to spraddle leg. So I like to put a piece of rubber shelf liner on top of the newspaper. It's grippy and easy to hose off to clean it.
Baby chicks need help staying warm, so you'll need a heat lamp for them for the first 6 weeks. The first week, the brooder should stay around 95 degrees.
Then you can lower the temperature (by raising the lamp) five degrees a week until your chicks have their feathers and the outside temperatures aren't dipping much below 60-65 degrees.
White light can cause aggressiveness and pecking issue in baby chicks, so it's best to use a red light bulb. And a spare bulb is always good idea!
Chicks don't eat much, so a small bag will last you quite a while and you can choose between non-medicated, medicated, organic, or natural starter crumbles.
You'll need a small chick feeder of course to put their feed in. Make sure to keep your feeder filled 24/7. Chicks will eat, sleep, play, poop and go right back to eating round the clock, so they should have feed available whenever they get hungry.
Chicks need water 24/7 also. As with the feeders, be sure you have enough water, so the chicks can drink whenever they need to.
Baby chicks are quite top-heavy and can easily tip over and drown in even shallow water, so it's a good idea to put a marbles into the base of the waterer for the first few days to prevent drowning.
Nice To Have:
After the first few days, you can add some pine shavings to the brooder as bedding. They can be super messy though, so I generally don't bother.
Like adult chickens, baby chicks need help grinding up their food, so providing them a small dish of grit in the brooder meets that need.
Having some electrolytes on hand isn't a bad idea. Especially if you are having chicks shipped to you, they can use a bit of a boost after their long arduous journey. Sugar water can also help struggling chicks.
Offering electrolytes in the water for the first few days is recommended. You can also add some sugar to plain water for a little added energy boost for your chicks.
Especially if you're new to raising chicks, the peace of mind that having a thermometer in the brooder can bring is helpful.
Once you're more experienced, you'll feel comfortable adjusting the temperature just by looking at the chicks and monitoring their activity: if they're clustered under the light peeping loudly, they're cold; if they're pressed against the sides panting with their wings out, they're too hot.
- Basic chicken-keeping book
Having a book on hand for easy reference is always good idea!
My favorite book for referencing keeping chicks is A Kid's Guide To Keeping Backyard Chickens. (Yes I know it's for kids, but I still find it the best resource!!!)
If you're only planning on brooding chicks once, a heat lamp is by far the more economical option, but if this is going to become a regular thing for you, then I recommend investing in a Brinsea EcoGlow. It's much safer, uses less electricity, and people say the chicks like it better.
The EcoGlow is a radiant heating "table" that the chicks can huddle underneath when they get cold, and then head out from under to play and eat. It's a "nice to have" rather than a "need to have", but once you get one, you'll never go back to a heat lamp!
Over The Top:
Brooder babies don't have a mother hen to snuggle underneath, so you can hang a feather duster in your brooder. Chicks love to huddle under it. I think it'll make them feel more loved!
Bored baby chicks can start picking on each other and getting into trouble. Hanging a small mirror in your brooder will provide your chicks some entertainment.
A small roost, perch, or branch... something that your chicks can hop onto and practice perching on can help get them used to the big-kid roost in the coop.
Baby chicks will LOVE to rummage through the dirt and nibble on the grass. Don't worry! The dirt also provides the grit they need to digest that grass, so it's a great way to keep them busy and also teach them some outdoor "life skills".
Now that you have all your baby chick supplies ready, it's time to start raising some chicks! :)
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