What Do You Need for Baby Chicks? A Beginner’s Checklist

Bringing home baby chicks is so exciting! Whether you’re hatching your own eggs or buying chicks for your backyard flock, having everything ready before they arrive makes those first few weeks much easier.

Baby chicks need warmth, clean water, the right food, and a safe place to grow. If you’re preparing for your first flock, here’s a list of the supplies you’ll want to have ready before bringing your fluffy little babies home!

1. A Safe Brooder

A brooder is the space where your baby chicks live while they’re growing and developing their feathers. You can use a purpose-made brooder, a suitable plastic or metal enclosure, or another secure setup that provides enough room for your chicks. One of my favorite things to use is an old horse trough! It provides plenty of space for your chicks to grow, is sturdy, and can be a great option for a brooder when set up safely with proper bedding, ventilation, and a secure heat source.

Your brooder should be:

• Large enough for all your chicks to move around comfortably.
• Well ventilated without exposing chicks to cold drafts.
• Easy to clean.
• Secure enough to keep pets and other animals out.

Remember that chicks grow quickly! A setup that works for a few tiny chicks may become crowded as they get bigger, so plan to increase their space as needed.

Recommended Chick Brooder

2. A Safe Heat Source

Baby chicks need supplemental warmth until they’re sufficiently feathered and able to regulate their body temperature. A brooder plate or a heat lamp can provide warmth, but each needs to be used carefully.

A brooder plate allows chicks to warm themselves underneath it, similar to how they would gather under a mother hen. Heat lamps can also work, but they must be securely installed and kept a safe distance from bedding and other flammable materials.

For a typical brooder, the starting temperature is around 95°F at chick level during the first week, decreasing by approximately 5°F each week as the chicks grow. Adjust based on the chicks’ behavior, their feather development, and the conditions in your brooder.

Watch your chicks:

• Huddled together under the heat: They may be too cold.
• Moving away from the heat, panting, or holding their wings out: They may be too hot.
• Moving around, eating, drinking, and resting comfortably: They’re likely comfortable.

Always provide enough space for chicks to move away from the heat source when they need to cool down.

Recommended products:

• Brooder Plate
• Heat Lamp

3. Chick Starter Feed

Baby chicks need feed formulated specifically for their nutritional needs. Chick starter feed provides the protein, vitamins, and minerals they need during their early growth.

Choose a quality chick starter appropriate for your birds and follow the manufacturer’s feeding instructions. Depending on the product and your flock, starter feed may be offered for the first several weeks before transitioning to a grower feed.

Medicated and unmedicated starter feeds are both available. If you choose medicated feed, check the label to understand what it contains and what protection it provides. Not all medicated feeds protect against the same diseases, and medication is not a substitute for good hygiene and proper management.

Keep feed dry, fresh, and protected from rodents and other pests.

4. A Chick-Safe Waterer

Clean water is essential from the moment your chicks arrive in the brooder.

Choose a waterer designed for chicks, with a shallow drinking area that reduces the risk of drowning. Keep it stable so it can’t easily tip over, and clean and refill it regularly.

Chicks can kick bedding and droppings into their water surprisingly quickly, so check it frequently throughout the day.

When introducing chicks to their waterer, you can gently dip the tip of each chick’s beak into the water to help it recognize where to drink. Never force water into a chick’s mouth.

As your chicks grow, make sure the waterer remains appropriate for their size and that all chicks can access it.

Click Here for My Favorite Feeder and Waterer Set

5. A Feeder

A small chick feeder helps keep feed accessible while reducing waste and contamination.

Choose one that is the right size for your flock, with enough feeding space that smaller or less assertive chicks aren’t pushed away. Keep it clean and positioned where chicks can reach it easily.

Avoid placing the feeder directly underneath the heat source, where feed may become unnecessarily warm or the area may become crowded.

As your chicks grow, you may need to upgrade to a larger feeder.

6. Safe Bedding

Bedding helps absorb moisture and gives chicks a comfortable surface to walk and rest on.

Suitable options include clean pine shavings or other poultry-safe bedding. Avoid cedar shavings, dusty materials, slippery surfaces, and anything chicks might easily eat in large amounts.

For newly hatched chicks, a clean, nonslip surface is especially important while they learn to walk. Some keepers use paper towels over appropriate bedding during the first few days to provide better traction and make it easier to monitor droppings.

Keep bedding dry and replace wet or dirty areas promptly. Damp bedding can contribute to unpleasant odors and unhealthy conditions.

7. Cleaning Supplies

Keeping your brooder clean helps support your chicks’ health and comfort.

You don’t need a complicated setup, but it helps to have:

• A small scoop or tool for removing dirty bedding.
• Extra bedding for regular changes.
• A brush or sponge reserved for cleaning chick equipment.
• A poultry-safe cleaning product for feeders, waterers, and the brooder.

Follow product directions and make sure equipment is properly rinsed and dried when required before chicks use it again.

Clean waterers and feeders regularly, remove wet bedding promptly, and wash your hands after handling chicks or cleaning their enclosure.

8. A Secure Location

Your brooder needs to be somewhere protected from drafts, extreme temperatures, predators, and household pets.

Chicks may be tiny, but they can squeeze through surprisingly small gaps. Make sure the enclosure is secure and that any heat equipment is installed safely.

If you’re keeping chicks in a garage, shed, or barn, pay attention to temperature changes and ventilation. Make sure they have appropriate warmth without overheating and that fumes, chemicals, and other hazards are kept away from them.

As the chicks grow, you’ll also need a plan for moving them into a suitable coop or other permanent housing when they’re ready.

9. A Plan for Their Future Home

Before bringing home chicks, think about where they’ll live once they outgrow the brooder.

You’ll need a coop or suitable housing, enough space for the number of birds you plan to keep, secure fencing or predator protection, and appropriate outdoor access where possible.

Research local rules about keeping chickens, including any restrictions on roosters. If you’re hatching eggs, remember that you may end up with more roosters than you can keep.

Planning ahead helps ensure your chicks have a safe, suitable home throughout their lives.

Your Baby Chick Supply Checklist

Before your chicks arrive, make sure you have the essentials ready!

• ☐ A secure brooder
• ☐ A safe heat source
• ☐ Chick starter feed
• ☐ A chick-safe waterer
• ☐ A feeder
• ☐ Clean, suitable bedding
• ☐ Basic cleaning supplies
• ☐ A safe location away from pets and predators
• ☐ A plan for their future coop and housing

One Last Tip Before Bringing Your Chicks Home

Set up your brooder and test your heat source before your chicks arrive. Make sure the temperature is appropriate, the waterer and feeder are accessible, and the enclosure is clean and secure.

If you’re hatching your own eggs, remember that newly hatched chicks can generally remain in the incubator until they’re dry and fluffy, often for up to about 24 hours, provided the incubator is functioning properly. Avoid opening it unnecessarily while other eggs are still hatching.

For more tips on the hatching process, check out our guide: 5 Things to Know Before Hatching Your First Chicks

At Hutch Farms, we love raising chickens and sharing farm life with our community. Whether you’re starting your first backyard flock or adding to an existing one, a little preparation goes a long way!

Happy chick raising! 🐣🤎

— Hutch Farms

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