Essential Guide to Feeding Baby Chicks
Raising baby chickens from the moment they hatch is a rewarding experience, but it requires careful attention to their nutritional needs and environment. If you’ve just welcomed your first chicks, whether you hatched them, or picked them up from a local feed store, you’re likely wondering what the best way is to feed and care for them. This guide covers what to feed baby chicks after hatching and provides tips to ensure their first days and weeks of life are healthy and happy.
This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure here.
Chicken Feed Terminology
Before we get into what to feed baby chicks, let’s review some common terms related to chick feed that you’ll encounter when raising baby chickens.
- Chick Starter Feed: A high-protein feed (typically 18-20%) designed for baby chicks from day one to around 6-8 weeks of age. It provides essential nutrients for rapid growth.
- Medicated Feed: Starter feed that contains medication, usually to prevent coccidiosis, a common parasitic disease in chicks. It helps protect chicks in environments where they may be exposed to this disease.
- Non-Medicated Feed: Chick starter feed without added medication, suitable for chicks raised in controlled environments or those vaccinated against coccidiosis.
- Grower Feed: Feed given to young chickens (typically 6-8 weeks old) until they are ready to lay. It contains slightly less protein than starter feed (around 16-18%) to support continued growth.
- Layer Feed: A feed formulated for laying hens, containing about 16% protein and high calcium levels (to support eggshell production). It should only be given to hens at around 16-20 weeks or when they start laying eggs.
- Chick Grit: Small, insoluble stones or grit that chicks consume to help grind and digest food in their gizzards. It’s essential that if they are given treats or foods beyond starter feed.
- Scratch Grains: A mix of cracked grains like corn, wheat, and barley that can be given to adult chickens as a treat. It’s not a complete feed and shouldn’t be given to chicks.
- Growers Pellets: A type of feed given to young chickens as they transition from chick feed to adult feed. It’s similar to grower feed but often in pellet form.
- Baby Chick Crumbs: Very finely milled starter feed, often the first food given to baby chicks, designed to be easy for them to eat.
- Complete Feeds: A feed that contains all the necessary nutrients, vitamins, and minerals that chicks or chickens need, often used in place of offering a mix of different feeds.
These terms help clarify the different types of feed appropriate for chicks at various stages of development.
Preparing for the Arrival of Your Baby Chickens
Before your baby chicks arrive, you need to set up a brooder—a warm, safe environment where they can thrive. Many people use a cardboard box lined with pine shavings or paper towels as an easy, affordable brooder. I’ve used a plastic tote, a cardboard box, and one my husband built. Puppy playpens are also an excellent option to use as a brooder.
Baby chicks are unable to regulate their body temperature, so they require a heat source. I prefer to use brooder heat plates and panels because it allows the chicks to move closer or farther from the warmth as needed. I also like to place a few feather dusters around the heat plate to mimic a mother hen. The first week, you want to have the heat plate relatively low, for extra warmth. As the chicks grow and need less heat, simply raise the brooder plate.
If you have a broody hen or mama hen raising her own chicks, she will naturally provide warmth and comfort, but you’ll still need to ensure they have access to proper food and fresh water.
Heat lamps should be avoided for baby chicks because they can create dangerously uneven temperatures in the brooder, which can lead to health problems like pasty butt—a condition where droppings stick to the chick’s vent, potentially blocking its ability to pass waste which can cause death. The intense, inconsistent heat from lamps can stress chicks, causing overheating and dehydration, both of which contribute to this issue. In addition to the risk of fire, heat lamps make it difficult to maintain the right temperature balance, whereas safer alternatives like radiant heat plates provide a more stable, natural warmth without these risks.
The First Feeding: What to Offer Day-Old Chicks
When your day-old chicks hatch, they still carry nutrients from the yolk sac inside their bodies, so they don’t need to eat right away. However, it’s important to offer them fresh water right away and chick starter feed within the first 2-3 days. To teach the baby chick where to find water, gently dip the chick’s beak into the water. This will encourage hydration, which is essential for kickstarting its digestive system and preventing dehydration in its early, critical hours of life. This simple step ensures the chicks know how to drink on their own as they adjust to their new environment.
Constant Access to Fresh Water
Clean, fresh water is crucial for baby chicks. Ensure the water is warm, but not hot, and offer it in a shallow container like a water dish or even a shallow lid to prevent drowning. Poultry nipple waterers are a great choice, as they provide clean water without the risk of contamination. Be sure to monitor the water level and keep it topped up throughout the day. Fresh, clean water helps with all the chicks’ bodily functions and prevents issues like pasty butt.
Another thing you may have to monitor, depending on your setup, is keeping the pine chips out of the waterer. Baby chicks are messy! They will kick the bedding all over which will end up in the waterer and soak up all their precious water. If you can elevate it where the baby chicks can still reach it, that will help, but be prepared to constantly remove chips from their waterer.
Best Feed for Baby Chicks: Choosing the Right Starter
Chick starter feed is specifically designed to provide the essential nutrients your little chicks need for growth. You can find this at most feed stores or farm suppliers. The chick feed you choose must be finely ground to accommodate their small beaks.
Chick starter feed comes in two varieties: medicated feed and non-medicated. The medicated version contains a small amount of coccidiostat, which helps prevent common chicken diseases like coccidiosis. If you’re raising your chicks under a broody hen or letting them free range, medicated feed may be a good idea as it helps prevent the spread of disease. If you’re keeping your chicks in a controlled environment, non-medicated feed may be sufficient. I have never used medicated feed, but it’s best to consult your local feed store for advice on the best feed based on your situation.
Introducing Chicks to Their New Feed
After the chicks’ first week, they should have constant access to chick starter feed. This feed contains the right balance of proteins, vitamins, and minerals to support their rapid growth. Make sure your chicks have free choice access to food, meaning they can eat whenever they want. Place the food in a clean chick feeder to keep it from spilling and mixing with bedding materials.
For the first several weeks, I like to offer my baby chicks what I call mush in addition to the food in their chick feeder. In the mornings I will take some of the chick starter feed, put it on a lid, and add just enough water where all the pieces of food are wet. I find this helps the baby chicks to eat and digest the food. After a few days, they get so excited and gobble it up! It’s very cute to watch.
Avoid giving your chicks adult chicken feed like layer feed meant for laying hens. Layer feed contains too much calcium for young chicks and can cause leg problems or kidney damage. Scratch grains or treats should also be limited, as they don’t offer the complete nutrition that young chicks need. Stick with the specially formulated chick starter feed for the best results.
How Much Do Chicks Eat Per Day?
A baby chick typically eats about 1 to 2 tablespoons of chick starter feed per day during its first week of life. As they grow, their appetite increases, and by the time they are a few weeks old, they can eat up to ¼ cup of feed per day. It’s important to provide constant access to feed, as chicks tend to eat small amounts frequently throughout the day to support their rapid growth and development.
When Can You Offer Treats?
You can start offering treats to baby chicks around 2-3 weeks of age, once they’ve begun to grow stronger and more active. However, make sure to provide chick grit alongside treats to help them digest these new foods, as their digestive systems are still developing. Treats should be given in moderation, with chick starter feed remaining their primary source of nutrition.
Here’s a list of acceptable treats for baby chicks (after 2-3 weeks of age):
- Finely chopped greens (lettuce, dandelion, spinach)
- Herbs (parsley, cilantro, basil)
- Mealworms (dried or live, in small amounts)
- Small pieces of fruit (apples, berries, melon – without seeds)
- Peas (chopped)
- Plain yogurt (in small amounts, for probiotics)
Transitioning to Grower Feed and Beyond
At around six to eight weeks of age, you’ll begin transitioning your chicks from starter feed to grower feed. Grower feed has slightly lower protein levels but still provides the necessary nutrients for healthy growth as your chicks mature into young chickens. As they approach point of lay (about 16-20 weeks), you can switch to a complete feed formulated for adult chickens.
Layer feed is formulated with higher levels of calcium to support strong eggshell production, so it’s essential to wait until they are mature enough to handle the extra calcium, as offering it too early can cause health issues.
Bottom Line
Raising baby chicks is a fun and rewarding process, but their specific needs in terms of food, water, and warmth must be met for them to grow into healthy adult chickens. Start them on a chick starter feed, keep their brooder warm, and ensure they have access to fresh water. As they grow, you can transition them to grower feed and eventually to layer feed once they reach the point of lay. By following these guidelines, you’ll ensure that your first chicks get the right start in life.
For more guidance on what to feed your chicks and where to find the right supplies, check with your local feed store or farm suppliers. They can help you find the best food options for your growing flock, ensuring you’re providing everything your new chicks need for a healthy, happy life!
What questions do you have? Let me know in the comments!
Related Posts:
What is Chicken Grit?
Understanding Pasty Butt
The Dangers of Using a Heat Lamp
When do Chickens Begin Laying Eggs?
To get more tips and lessons learned, join my Farm Life Community by signing up with your email address below!