Where I Keep Baby Chicks
Stopping at the farm store when baby chicks are in season means I’ll be unable to resist temptation. I brought home four new baby chickens this weekend. But, I already had a home for them. Here, I’ll show you where I keep baby chicks until they are big enough to live in the main coop. Hopefully, you’ll get some ideas to build your own chicken brooder.
Rabbit Hutch
Yes, we are talking about baby chickens. So why am I bringing up rabbit hutches? Well, my chicks go into a rabbit hutch to grow up. I used to do what many of you may do; raise the babies in a bucket in my bathtub. That got smelly fast! So, I came up with an alternative solution that has worked well for my last three groups of chicks.
Now, I set a rabbit hutch on the floor of my chicken coop. This allows the babies to get to know the big girls and roosters in a safe space. The weave of the bars is small enough that the babies can’t get through the holes and the hens can’t get into the chicks’ space. Believe it or not, hens will kill baby chicks so it is important to keep them separated.
Another useful thing about a rabbit hutch is that the kit I bought comes with a feeder; one less thing to pick out! The rabbit feeders do have a mesh bottom, which allows chick crumbles to fall out. This is not good! So I took a piece of cardboard, cut it to size, and lined the bottom of the feeder first. This does the trick to keep the baby chicken food inside the rabbit feeder.
You can get the same hutch I have from Amazon. I did not fully assemble mine, leaving the legs and tray off the bottom. But if you have some extra time, assembling the hutch completely would work just as well.
The links on this page are Amazon Affiliate Links.
Rabbit Hutch Complete Kit – Easy to Assemble Housing, Feeder, & Water Bottle Kit
by Pet Lodge
Excelsior Pads
The floor of a rabbit hutch is not safe for delicate baby chick legs, though. To keep them from hurting themselves, I lay out excelsior pads as flooring. These pads come in squares are made of fine wood strands that have been woven together to create a soft, squishy mat. The babies don’t try to eat the flooring like they do with hay, so it lasts longer. They are also much less messy than wood shavings. The excelsior pads are easy to pick up and throw away once they’re too dirty to stay. (I also line my hens’ nesting boxes with excelsior pads. They’re pretty handy!)
Nest Box Pads for Chicken Nesting Boxes – 13 x 13 Pads Made in USA from Sustainably Sourced Aspen Excelsior
Nest Box Pads for Chicken Nesting Boxes – 13 x 13 Pads Made in USA from Sustainably Sourced Aspen Excelsior
by the Pecking Order Store
Heater
To keep the babies alive, it is very, very important to get them a heat source. If hatched naturally, a mama chicken would still be sitting on chicks well after they are hatched. Baby chickens cannot produce enough body heat to stay alive on their own. Many people get their chicks a heat lamp, but this poses a huge fire risk. I love using brooder plates instead. These little plastic trays warm up just enough to keep the babies comfy, but I’ve never had any worries that they will catch on fire while I am sleeping. Plus, the chicks can go under the plate when they are cold and leave if they get hot. It makes me feel better that they’re not trapped in a bucket under a hot lamp.
Thermo Chicken Brooder, Brooder Heater for Chicks
by K&H Pet Products
Waterer
There are tons of choices for water containers for little chicklets. I have a simple hanging poultry waterer for my chicks like the one shown below. I hang it on the roof of the rabbit hutch with a carabiner clip and it seems to work well for me.
Plastic Poultry Waterer | Durable Watering Container | Hanging Chicken Waterer No Waste | 1.5 Quart Plastic Poultry Waterer | Durable Watering Container | Hanging Chicken Waterer No Waste | 1.5 Quart
by Double-Tuf®
Stainless Steel Carabiner Spring Snap Hook
by sprookber
Chick Feed
When you pick up those baby chicks, you’ll need to grab a bag of “Chick Starter” crumbles for them to eat. You will have about a million brands and types to choose among. But, from what I have seen, the brands offer roughly the same product with two main choices: medicated and unmedicated. What type you choose will be up to you. Medicated feed helps prevent bad bacteria from growing in a baby chick’s digestive system. But this also may prevent good bacteria from growing there, as well. I think your personal preference should win out on this choice.
Non-Medicated Starter Crumble Feed for Chicks & Ducklings
by Manna Pro
Chick Starter Grower – Medicated Chick Feed Crumble for Young Chickens
by Manna Pro
I am so glad I already had my chick brooder set up when I made my impulse purchase. If you haven’t, I hope this helps you get started raising your new chicks up to be the best hens ever!
