Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Bringing home baby chicks is exciting, but the first few weeks are when beginners either build confidence or run into problems.

Chicks are hardy in some ways, but they require more maintenance at the start, needing steady heat, clean water, the right feed, dry bedding, enough space, and close observation. Most chick losses happen when one of those basics slips. All extension guidance stresses that temperature, space, dryness, and clean feed and water are the foundation of successful brooding.

Before You Bring Chicks Home

The biggest beginner mistake is buying chicks first and setting up later. To have a better chance of success with your baby chicks, you must have everything ready before they arrive.

Your brooder should be fully assembled, bedded, heated, and tested before the chicks arrive. That means the heat source is on, the temperature is stable, the feeder and waterer are in place, and you already know where the chicks will stay for the next several weeks. Some of the best advice is to start studying and planning late fall or early winter, so you have enough time to get your chicks’ new home ready.

If you are getting chicks by mail, timing matters even more. USPS permits the mailing of certain day-old poultry, but those chicks are perishable and time-sensitive. In practice, many hatchery shipments are held for pickup at your local post office, so you need to be ready to go pick them up promptly when they arrive.

Do not schedule a shipment for a day when you will be away from home, hard to reach by phone, or unable to get to the post office quickly. Chicks have 1-2 days in transit, so they will be without water and food, making it vital to be there to get them home.

A beginner should have these things ready before the chicks arrive:

• brooder container or enclosed brooding area
• safe heat source
• chick starter feed
• shallow waterer (chicks can drown if the water is too deep)
• pine shavings or another safe, absorbent bedding
• thermometer
• extra bedding for quick changes

What To Do the Minute Chicks Arrive

Whether you picked chicks up at a feed store or brought them home from the post office, your first job is not to admire them. Your first job is to get them warm and drinking.

Gently place them into the brooder right away. If they were shipped, dip each beak lightly into the water so the chick learns where the water source is. Shipping is stressful, and hydration comes first. Feed should be available immediately, too, but water is the urgent need. Good hatcheries and extension programs both emphasize getting chicks settled quickly and minimizing stress after transport.

Then step back and watch them for fifteen to twenty minutes. Their behavior will tell you a lot. If they pile tightly under the heat, they are cold. If they avoid the heated area and spread to the edges, they are too hot. If they move around, peep softly, eat, drink, and rest comfortably, the setup is close to right. Extension guidance specifically recommends using chick behavior, not just thermometer readings, to judge brooder comfort.

Setting Up a Brooder the Right Way

A brooder is simply a safe, draft-protected space that gives chicks heat, bedding, feed, water, and room to move.

For a small backyard flock, a stock tank, large tote, livestock trough, or homemade brooder box can work. What matters most is safety and function. The floor should not be slick. Oklahoma State University Extension notes that chicks need absorbent bedding and warns against slick surfaces such as plain newspaper, which can contribute to leg problems. Cedar is also a poor choice because of irritating fumes.

Pine shavings are a solid beginner option because they absorb moisture well and are easy to replace. Lay down enough bedding to keep the floor dry, then quickly change wet spots. Chicks spend a lot of time on the floor, so damp bedding quickly becomes a health problem.

Space matters more than beginners expect because chicks grow quickly. Penn State Extension notes that space needs increase as birds grow, and Minnesota guidance also stresses allowing enough room under and around the heat source so chicks can choose their comfort zone.

Brooder Setup Chart

Temperature Is the Make-or-Break Issue

For week one, most extension sources recommend a brooder temperature around 90° to 95° Fahrenheit at chick level, then lowering it by 5° each week as the chicks feather out. Penn State, Minnesota, Oklahoma State, and Purdue all give essentially the same week-by-week pattern, with small differences depending on conditions and the heat source. What matters here is not just the number. It is where you measure it. Take the temperature near the chick level under the heat source, while Purdue notes measuring near the floor. That matters because a brooder can feel very different at floor level than it does a foot higher.

And because you wanted a how-to article, here is the practical part beginners need to hear: Do not chase the thermostat all day. Set up one warm zone and one cooler zone. Let the chicks choose where to stand. That is much safer than trying to make the whole brooder one exact temperature.

Feeding Baby Chicks the Right Way

Baby chicks need a commercial chick starter feed formulated for their age. Young birds should be fed a complete ration formulated for chicks, with adequate protein in the starter feed to support early growth. Do not give random grains, scratch, or lots of treats at this stage. Starter feed is designed to do the heavy lifting.

Keep feed available free-choice, which means the chicks can eat whenever they want. Refill small amounts often rather than dumping in a huge amount that gets dirty, damp, or wasted. If the feed gets wet or full of droppings, clean it out and replace it. Water needs just as much attention. Chicks foul water quickly, and warm brooders can dry them out fast. Use a shallow waterer made for chicks so they do not fall in and chill or drown.

Your Daily Chick Care Routine

A beginner does better with a simple routine than with vague advice.

Each morning, look at chick behavior before you do anything else. A brooder full of active chicks sounds and looks different from one that has something wrong. Check the temperature, water, feed, and bedding.

At midday, check the water again and remove any wet or dirty bedding. In warm weather or with larger groups, you may need to freshen water more than once.

In the evening, do one last pass on feed, water, and bedding, then make sure the heat source is working safely before bed.

This sounds like a lot, but most checks take only a few minutes once the setup is stable.

Week-by-Week Guide for Beginners

Week 1: Keep Them Alive and Stable

This week is all about basics.

Keep the brooder warm, clean, and calm. Do not overhandle chicks. If you have kids, this is the hardest task. There is nothing more tempting than snuggling those adorable little fuzz balls, whether kids or adults.

Make sure all the chicks eat and drink. Watch for weak chicks getting pushed away from the feeder or waterer. Shipping stress, dehydration, and chilling show up early, so this is not the week to get casual.

Also watch for pasty butt, which is when droppings stick and dry around the vent. It can block elimination and become serious if ignored. Clean it gently with warm water and patience if you see buildup. Purdue 4-H materials identify pasty back ends as a common chick issue beginners need to know about.

Week 2: Adjust Heat and Watch Growth

By now, the chicks are more active, louder, and hungrier. Lower the heat by about 5 degrees and keep watching the behavior. You should see more confidence and less constant huddling if the brooder is set correctly. It’s also time to introduce the family to the chicks, letting them hold and get to know them.

This is also when overcrowding starts to show. If the brooder feels busy, it probably is. Add space before pecking or stress starts.

Week 3: More Feathers, More Mess, More Space Needed

The chicks begin to look less like fluffy toys and more like small birds. Feather growth increases, and so does brooder mess. You will likely clean more often now because bigger chicks spill more water and kick more bedding.

Keep dropping the temperature gradually. Start paying attention to ventilation, too. You still want a draft-free setup, but stale, damp air is not good for chicks.

Weeks 4 and 5: Start Thinking Ahead

At this point, many chicks are feathering in well, but they are not all ready for the same next step at the same age. Breed, weather, and feather coverage matter.

Use this stage to get the outside coop or grow-out area ready. Our predator protection guide will help you learn how to keep your flock safe once you move them to their outdoor home.

Week 6 and Beyond: Transition Carefully

Many chicks can move out of the brooder around this stage if they are fully feathered and the weather is mild. Minnesota notes that birds need little or no extra heat once fully feathered, though cold weather changes that equation.

Do not move chicks outside just because the calendar says six weeks. Move them when they are feathered, the weather supports it, and the coop is secure and dry.

Common Problems Beginners Run Into

A strong how-to guide should tell people what goes wrong, not just what should go right. When you are armed with the right information, your chances of success go up.

Chicks Are Huddling

That usually means they are cold or a draft is hitting them. Raise or adjust the heat and block direct drafts. Read chick behavior as a key indicator of temperature.

Chicks Are Avoiding the Heat

That usually means the brooder is too hot. Lift the lamp slightly or adjust the heat source so chicks have a cooler option.

Bedding Keeps Getting Wet

Waterers may be too large, leak, or be placed poorly. Wet bedding needs to be removed quickly. Keeping chicks dry is extremely important.

One Chick Seems Weak

Separate only if necessary, but do not ignore it. Make sure it is warm and that it is drinking. Weak chicks can be pushed aside by stronger birds.

Legs Sliding Out

Slick flooring can contribute to leg problems. This is why plain newspaper or smooth plastic alone is a poor brooder surface.

Raising Chicks in a Hot Climate

Hot-weather chick raising is not the same as cold-weather chick raising. Chicks still need heat when they are very young, but beginners in warm climates can accidentally overheat them by assuming more heat is always better. Extension sources are clear that chicks need a warm zone, but they also need room to move away from the heat source. Our guide will help you pick a breed that tolerates hot climates better than others.

In warm spring weather, you may need to reduce supplemental heat sooner during the day while still providing it at night. Watch behavior rather than stubbornly following a chart in a hot garage or barn.

Fresh water matters even more in warm conditions. Check it more often, keep it clean, and make sure the brooder is ventilated without exposing chicks to direct drafts.

When Chicks Can Go Outside

This is one of the most frequently asked beginner questions because people quickly get tired of the brooder mess.

The short answer is that chicks can spend brief supervised time outside in warm weather once they are developing feathers and conditions are gentle, but they should not move out full-time until they are feathered enough and the weather is consistently supportive. Fully feathered birds need little or no extra heat unless the weather is cold.

A beginner should ask four things before moving chicks:

• Are they mostly feathered?
• Are nights still cold?
• Is the coop dry and predator-proof?
• Can they get out of the wind and rain?

If the answer to any of those is no, wait a little longer.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do mail-order chicks really go to the post office?

Often, yes. Day-old poultry shipments are time-sensitive and are commonly held for pickup, so buyers should plan shipment timing carefully and be ready to pick them up promptly.

How long do baby chicks need supplemental heat?

Extension guidance commonly starts chicks at about 90° to 95° Fahrenheit in week one, then reduces the brooder temperature by about 5° per week as they feather out.

What should I do first when chicks arrive?

Get them warm, then make sure each chick drinks water. After that, observe their behavior before making adjustments.

Can I use newspaper in the brooder?

Not by itself. Slick flooring can contribute to leg problems, so absorbent bedding with traction is a better choice.

Final Thoughts

Raising baby chicks is not hard because it is mysterious. It is hard because the details matter early.

If you prepare the brooder before chicks arrive, time mail-order deliveries carefully, get every chick drinking, keep the bedding dry, use the right starter feed, and watch behavior rather than guess, you will avoid most beginner mistakes. The process gets easier every week after that.

References

Sources used for best practices and care guidance:

• Penn State Extension, Brooding of Domestic Fowl
• Oklahoma State University Extension, Backyard Flock Production
• University of Minnesota Extension, Raising Layer Chicks and Pullets
• Purdue Extension, Department of Animal Sciences Brooding Guidance
• Oklahoma State University, Small Scale Poultry Production
• USPS Postal Explorer, Mailable Live Animals