What Is Day Old Chicks?
The “day-old chick” (DOC) is the newly-hatched chick (Gallus gallus). It can be considered in the hatchery, and until the farm where it will be housed and fed to provide a broiler chicken, a laying hen, or a breeding cock or hen.
What Is Considered A Day Old Chick?
A chick classified as a ‘day-old chick’ is up to 72 hours old (this is when the yolk sac in the egg runs out). At present, chicks destined for organic systems are not treated differently until they get to the grow-out farm.
How Do You Care For Day Old Chicks?
Basic Care for Day Old Chicks:
- Keep brooder temps at 95 F for the first week, decrease by 5 degrees each week until they are fully feathered.
- Make sure there is room for chicks to get out of the heat.
- Provide probiotics in their drinking water to establish healthy digestive systems.
What do you need for day old chicks?
You’ll need several supplies for housing the baby chicks and for keeping them warm and well-fed:
- Chick Brooder Guard or Area. The Spruce / Lauren Ware.
- Chick Brooder Heat Lamp.
- Chick Waterer.
- Chick Feeder.
- Chick Bedding.
- Chick Starter.
- Chick Supplements.
How Can You Tell A Quality Chick?
From the hatchery’s perspective, a good day-old-chick is free from physical disorders, and shows the following traits: strong, standing on its legs; fluffy (including standing fluff on the head); active but relaxed; clean; open, round eyes; soft, supple belly; well-closed, invisible navel; not bony; not dehydrated.
Best Temperature for Day Old Chicks:
For the first week of their lives, chicks should be kept in a brooding area that is 95 degrees Fahrenheit, with space to get out of the heat if they get too warm.
- Week 1: 95 degrees Fahrenheit
- Week 2: 90 degrees Fahrenheit
- Week 3: 85 degrees Fahrenheit
- Week 4: 80 degrees Fahrenheit
- Week 5: 75 degrees Fahrenheit
- Week 6: 70 degrees Fahrenheit
Each week you will need to reduce the temperature of the brooder 5 degrees F until the youngsters are feathered out.
If you notice the chicks piling on top of each other under the heat lamp, they are too cold. Lower the lamp, use a warmer bulb (an incandescent bulb may not be enough) or add another heat lamp to the brooder.
How to Care for Day Old Chicks:
Are you wondering how to care for day-old chicks? I’ve had a lot of practice over the years and in the process, I’ve learned a lot about proper chick care!
If you are hatching eggs in an incubator or ordering day old chicks through the mail, the following instructions will help you care for your chicks.
Been there, done that? This post will help refresh your memory. Although this is geared toward chicks, the instructions are basically the same for day-old turkeys, ducks, and geese.
This post contains affiliate links or advertisements. You won’t pay extra but I may earn a small commission if you purchase products through those links. Thank you for supporting The Self Sufficient HomeAcre!
Basic Care for Day Old Chicks:
- Keep brooder temps at 95 F for the first week, decrease by 5 degrees each week until they are fully feathered.
- Make sure there is room for chicks to get out of the heat.
- Provide probiotics in their drinking water to establish healthy digestive systems
- Keep food and shallow water containers clean and filled.
- Make sure there are no drafts or sunny spots to cause temperature changes in the brooder area.
- Make sure rodents, pets, or well-meaning children can’t hurt chicks.
Keep Your Day Old Chicks Warm:
If you are using a heat lamp, turn it on two or three days in advance so you can adjust the height to provide the proper temperature.
I have used a heat lamp and an Eco Glow brooder, and both worked well. I’ve also created my own my Redneck Brooder System. It is safer than a heat lamp (less chance of causing a fire) and uses less energy.
My homemade brooder is similar to the Brinsea EcoGlow Brooder for Chicks or Ducklings which mimics the warmth of a mother hen.
If my chicks are going straight to the barn when the temps are low, I use seedling heat mats and a heat lamp. The heat lamp warms up their room and the heat mats gives them a warm comfy place to nap.
Make sure there are no drafts in their brooding area.
The Best Temperature for Baby Chicks:
For the first week of their lives, chicks should be kept in a brooding area that is 95 degrees Fahrenheit, with space to get out of the heat if they get too warm.
- Week 1: 95 degrees Fahrenheit
- Week 2: 90 degrees Fahrenheit
- Week 3: 85 degrees Fahrenheit
- Week 4: 80 degrees Fahrenheit
- Week 5: 75 degrees Fahrenheit
- Week 6: 70 degrees Fahrenheit
Each week you will need to reduce the temperature of the brooder 5 degrees F until the youngsters are feathered out.
If you notice the chicks piling on top of each other under the heat lamp, they are too cold. Lower the lamp, use a warmer bulb (an incandescent bulb may not be enough) or add another heat lamp to the brooder.
If the chicks are as far from the heat lamp as possible and they are panting, the temperature is too warm for them. Raise the heat lamp or switch to a lower watt bulb.
Be sure the peeps have room to move around and find the best temperature for themselves.
Keep a digital thermometer under the heat lamp and check it several times a day. Be careful not to adjust the heat lamp and then get busy with something else. It doesn’t take long for extreme temperatures to kill baby poultry.
Food and Water:
Make sure your chicks have clean drinking water in a container that they can’t fall in and drown.
Dip their beaks in the water when you first unpack them from the shipping box to teach them how to drink. Normally the mother hen would teach them this, but you’ll need to fill in. Be careful to dip just the tip of their beak into the water.
If you hatched your chicks in an incubator, you may wait until the day after they hatch to teach them to drink. They may learn on their own!
- For the first day, give them water with probiotics only.
- Too much sugar or electrolytes can cause ‘pasty butt. ‘
- Don’t use honey in place of the sugar, it can have a type of botulism that can kill baby animals.
- Provide chick starter crumbles for your little peeps and watch to see if they eat.
- If your chicks were vaccinated for coccidiosis, you should give them non-medicated feed.
- If they aren’t showing any interest in their food, try clipping up some tiny pieces of lettuce on top of the crumbles.
- For other types of baby poultry, check to see if starter crumbles contain enough protein.
- Provide chick grit to help aid their digestion. I use chick grit with probiotics.
- Don’t use newspapers or anything that is slippery to line the bottom of your brooder.
- You may use paper towels, but I have switched to a textured vinyl shelf liner that is easy to clean. The texture gives a non-slip surface which prevents spraddle leg in chicks.
- Once the chicks are moved to the barn, I use wood shavings for their bedding. They are easily raked away and replenished as the chicks soil them.
- When the peeps are a couple of weeks old I usually switch to hay or straw for their bedding and I’ve never had any problems. When they are really small they tend to trip over the straw.
What does a healthy chick look like?
Healthy hens are strong, confident, alert and strut their stuff. You can see it in her shiny feathers and brightly colored comb. A healthy chicken also consistently produces farm fresh eggs with strong shells. On the other hand, think dull, lethargic, low performance.
How Long Do Day Chicks Stay Inside?
around 6 weeks
Although it varies, chicks should stay in a brooder for around 6 weeks or until they develop adult feathers. Once the chicks are 3 or 4 weeks old, they can be allowed to leave the brooder during warm weather.
Price Of Day Old Chicks;
| BIRD | TYPE | PRICE | |
| Layer | Local | GHS 5.5 | |
| Layer | Imported | GHS 8 |