Grit and Netting

Since chickens don’t have teeth they need something else to help them grind the food they eat for easier digestion. They need tiny pebbles which they store in their crop to grind their food. You need to give your baby chicks sand, parakeet or canary gravel which is available from your local pet store. You can either provide this in a different bowl or mix it with their feed.

Roosting Poles and Feed

For one reason or another, chickens love to roost when they're resting. One way to prevent them from playing with their waterer and feeder is to provide roosting poles about 5 inches off the ground to prevent them from roosting on the waterer and the feeder.

Waterers and Feeders

Your baby chicks will need water right away as soon as you’ve put them in their new home. Observe them carefully and make sure that they find where the waterer is. You can teach your baby chicks to drink from the waterer by gently dipping their beaks in the water.

Absorbent Bedding

Make sure that the flooring of the baby chicks housing is covered with absorbent material since they are big poopers. It is recommended to cover the floor with 1” thick wood shavings (pine is recommended) instead of newspaper or carton. Some people use paper towels but this requires changing often because they get soggy within a day or two.

Heat Source For Baby Chicks

During the first week of their lives, baby chicks need an air temperature of 95 degrees, 90 degrees on the second week, 85 degrees on the third, going down by 5 degrees weekly until the time they are ready to be transferred outside to their coop. Heating can best be provided by using a 250-watt infrared heat lamp positioned in the middle of their living area and suspended at a height that depends on your target temperature.