— Brooder Guide · Index 14
Six weeks, no surprises.
A complete brooder is a heat source, a draft-free space, water, feed, and bedding. Get those right and the rest is just patience.
— Setup
Before they arrive.
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Brooder
2 sq. ft. per chick, doubled by week 4. A galvanized stock tank, plastic tote, or dedicated brooder box all work. No drafts.
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Heat
Heat plate (preferred) or 250W ceramic emitter. Skip red bulbs — they hide signs of distress and create fire risk.
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Bedding
Pine shavings 2 in. deep. No cedar (toxic). No newspaper alone (slippery, causes spraddle leg).
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Water
Quart waterer raised on a brick. Add marbles for the first three days so newly hatched chicks can't drown.
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Feed
20–22% protein chick starter. Use a long trough feeder, not an open bowl — chicks will sit in it.
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Thermometer
Place at chick level, not on the wall. Read it twice on day one before the box arrives.
— Week-by-week
The temperature curve.
Drop heat 5°F each week. Watch the chicks themselves — they will tell you faster than the thermometer.
| Week | Temp at chick level | Feed | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 95 °F | Starter, free choice | Pasty butt · sluggishness · piling under heat |
| 2 | 90 °F | Starter, free choice | Cannibalism cues · spraddle leg |
| 3 | 85 °F | Starter, free choice | Wing/tail feathers emerging |
| 4 | 80 °F | Starter + grit | First feather pin & bolder behavior |
| 5 | 75 °F | Starter + grit | Drafts · drinkers tipping over |
| 6 | Ambient | Switch to grower | Outdoor acclimation 1 hr/day |
— Read the room
Chicks tell you the temperature.
Too cold
Piled tight under the heat source, chirping loudly.
Lower the plate or raise the lamp.
Just right
Spread evenly under and around the heat, eating, drinking, dozing in small clusters.
Leave it alone.
Too hot
Pushed to the corners away from heat, panting, wings out.
Raise the heat source or lower the wattage.
— First 24 hours
When the box arrives.
Open the box at the post office or the moment you bring it home — do not let it sit. Count the chicks. Photograph any DOA before doing anything else (the live-arrival guarantee requires it).
One at a time, dip each chick\'s beak gently in the waterer. They learn to drink by example; one drink-shown chick teaches the rest in minutes. Place each bird under the heat plate or below the lamp.
Don\'t introduce feed for the first hour — water first. Then sprinkle starter on a paper towel next to the feeder so they can find it. Resist the urge to handle them. They have had a long forty-eight hours and need to rest.