Being in the business of hatching, we have learned through trial and error which products work best for this phase of a chicken’s life. Although there are many other items you can add to your brooding equipment list, these are the essential items we recommend and use in our own brooder at Gypsy Shoals Farm. Links to all products are available at the bottom of this article.

Creating a safe and spacious brooding area is crucial to protect the chicks from household pets and other potential hazards. A brooder box or a designated part of the coop should be set up with adequate space for the chicks to move around freely. 

The brooding area should also be well-ventilated while offering protection from extreme weather conditions. You will find that a dog crate or doggie playpen will meet these needs perfectly. They are easy to clean and the top cover keeps your chicks from escaping once they begin stretching their wings and attempting to fly.

Chicks are unable to regulate their body temperature until they shed their down and grow feathers. A heat source is vital for their survival. A brooder heater is commonly used to provide warmth in the brooding area. Heat lamps are NOT a good solution because of the very real fire danger they present. A chick brooder heating plate provides the warmth baby chicks need without the fire danger.

With adjustable legs, a brooder heating plate allows you to raise or lower the warmth as your chicks grow. An additional benefit to using a heating plate is the ability for chicks to escape the heat if they are too hot by simply walking out from under it. Baby chicks will tell you if they are too hot or too cold. Quiet chicks are happy and content chicks.

Choosing the right bedding or flooring for the brooder is important to maintain hygiene, promote good health, and prevent diseases. Common options for bedding include wood shavings, straw, or paper products, but the best bedding is simple puppy pads. Choose a size that fits the dimensions of your brooder box and change it at least once a day.

Puppy pads make keeping the brooder clean a breeze. No wood shavings to scrape out into a dust pan. No soggy paper bedding to clean up. Simply roll up the dirty one, toss it and replace it with a new one.

Puppy pads also assist in preventing splayed leg and curled toes that can develop if baby chicks are kept on a slick surface such as plastic. Whatever you choose, the bedding material should have good absorbency, be easy to clean, and provide a comfortable surface for the chicks to rest and move around on.

Chicks require access to fresh water and feed at all times. Proper hydration and nutrition are crucial for their growth and development. Invest in a waterer specifically designed for chicks with a shallow dish, or use a chick-sized poultry nipple waterer that prevents drowning. A nipple waterer ensures clean water is available because baby chicks are unable to walk through it.

Similarly, choose a small-sized feeder that enables the chicks to access their feed easily. Choose a poultry feeder that is segmented with holes to access the feed. Chicks will naturally scratch and peck. If you feed them out of a regular bowl, they will create a great deal of waste and cost a great deal more in feed as a result.

Your baby chicks won’t eat much the first few days after hatch. This is because they already have full bellies! Before hatching, the chick ingests the yolk which contains the vital nutrition to sustain them for 24-72 hours after hatching. Ensure that the waterer and feeder are kept clean and refilled regularly to provide a constant supply of fresh food and water.