Basic Care of Chicks
Free chicken keeping classes are held every other Thursday at 6PM: Please see our calendar for detailed schedule. Some courses co-taught with Tonya from the Portland Backyard Chicken Group! Please call (503)234-7733 for details.
First, make sure that your city allows you to keep chickens. Portland allows 3 hens (no roosters) without a permit. According to the Oregonian, other city rules include: “Beaverton allows them as household pets only. Milwaukie allows up to 50 chickens and roosters, but if neighbors complain, then noise violations apply. Forest Grove recently changed its code to allow four chickens on lots of at least 5,000 square feet. And Hillsboro is considering changing its chicken restrictions, although no action is expected before January.” Gresham is also considering lifting its ban and allowing 6 hens, no roosters.
You may start your flock of laying hens with chicks, started ‘pullets’ (young females) or, less-commonly, adult birds. Most people choose chicks because it gives them greater choice in breeds, a longer productive life and, well, they’re just so darned cute!
The process begins with selecting breeds that appeal to you and are suited for your lifestyle. Some, like the Rhode Island Red, are popular for their all-around utility and ease of care while others, such as the Polish types, are exotic and compelling. Links to descriptive sites to aid your research are listed below. Whatever you choose, it’s best to start the flock with at least two birds because chickens are social creatures. You have about a 3 week window to easily add new chicks to your original brood and may mix breeds freely.
Once you’ve selected several potential breeds, the next step is to determine what is available locally or by mail order. Plan on allowing 2-4 weeks to obtain quality birds of specific breeds. Mail-order allows for a nearly limitless selection, but hatcheries usually ship a minimum of 25 birds or charge substantially more for small orders. If you do order your own chicks, be sure to ask for ‘pullets’ (females, roosters not allowed in Portland) and to have them vaccinated against Marek’s disease.
Before bringing the chicks home you must create a comfortable ‘brooding’ area for the young birds. First, choose an area of your home that is relatively draft-free yet can be cleaned easily (chicks create surprising quantities of fine dust). A basement or well constructed garage are usually the best places. Chicks need to be contained in something that will shelter them and prevent escape. You can use a wash tub, cardboard box, or specially made brooding cages. This housing for the chicks needs to be as large as possible to help create warm and cool sides as well as to improve sanitation. The box needs to be at least 2 feet by 3 feet (and ideally 2 feet deep) for 3 chicks. For 4-5 chicks it should be at least 2 feet by 4 feet (and 2’ deep). The heat lamp (red bulb 250 watt) needs to be 2 feet over the litter and far on one side. The food and water should be on the other, cooler side.This is very important!.
It is also very important to protect the chicks from cats and dogs by completely excluding them from the area. The bottom of the brooder is then lined with an absorbent litter material. Which litter to use for chicks is the subject of much debate,but I will make it simple and suggest paper towels for the first 2 days, then pine (not cedar) shavings for until they are ready to go outside.
As part of the pre-set-up you will need to provide a feeder, a waterer, and a heat source. The feeder and waterer are usually made of plastic and are inexpensive and easy to clean - and clean them you will! They must be checked several times a day to remove litter and feces that have fouled them. It’s easy to do, but must be done consistently or the chicks will suffer. It is helpful to raise the feeder and waterer above the litter but always within easy reach of the chicks (you can raise them higher as they grow). Chick starter feed (we recommend medicated chick starter) must be used as adult feed is too high in calcium for young birds. They will continue to eat chick food for about 3 months. See our FAQ section for more info on feeds.
Heat is usually provided by a 250 watt heat lamp in a special metal reflector with a ceramic base. I prefer those fitted with a red bulb to prevent pecking and keep the room relatively dark to make sleep easier for the chicks. The lamp will be on 24 hours a day for several weeks. The temperature in the brooder must be adjusted by repositioning the lamp as the young, nearly naked chicks grow their adult feathers. You can clamp the lamp reflector to the side of the brooder to adjust its position, or you can hang the lamp from above: either way, keep it a safe distance from anything flammable. You should turn the light on the day before the chicks arrive to pre-warm the brooder and allow you to adjust the temperature.
The temperature of the brooder is very important. I like to set up my brooder with a warm area and a cooler area to place the food and water. The warm area should start at 95 degrees for chicks from 1-7 days old, and be reduced by 5 degrees every week until you’ve reached 70 degrees and the lamp is no longer needed. You can accomplish this by starting your bulb about 18” above the floor of the brooder and raising it about 2” a week. You should always use a thermometer (at bird height) to keep close watch on the temperature. Be careful not to melt your brooder if it is made of plastic as I once did! (Don’t worry, no chicks were harmed). Also remember that the lamp is fairly heavy and it could cause injury to the chicks if it falls on them.
When you bring the chicks home they should be gently placed in the brooder and quietly observed. You may want to gently dip their beaks in the water to show them where to find it, but most will figure this out on their own. The trip from the hatchery to your home has been exhausting: try to keep handling of the chicks to a minimum for the first day to allow them to rest and get acquainted with their new surroundings. Keep in mind that baby chicks are quite delicate and can easily be harmed by small children.
For the most part, this will be an exciting time. You will watch your chicks change dramatically from day to day. You do need to watch your chicks for signs of stress and illness. Happy chicks will spend nearly all of their time eating, drinking, voiding and sleeping. If your chicks are all crowded to the side of the brooder opposite of their heat lamp, it is a sign they may be overheated. Likewise, if they are fighting for space directly under the lamp, they might be chilled. Keep in mind that baby chicks normally enter their sleep cycle suddenly and will occasionally fall over where they stand. However, if a chick is looking listless and is not eating or drinking normally, gently hold it upside down and look at its vent (bottom). If you find a little plug of droppings there, your chick has “pasted up,” and this plug will have to be removed. If you cannot remove it easily, try softening it with a moistened cloth.This is potentially a serious, life-threatening condition so please take it seriously. That said, it is possible to injure a chick by cleaning too vigorously so only clean when really needed and always be very gentle. A few feathers with a little poo in the butt area is no reason to be alarmed.
For the next 6-8 weeks until they can be moved outside, you will tend the birds in their brooder. You will find a comfortable routine of changing their water, refilling their food, and removing and replacing soiled or moist litter (once a week at first, twice a week when they are larger). They will grow rapidly and develop insulating feathers in about two months. At this time they’ll be able to move outdoors to your coop and run. Expect the first eggs by the fifth month if the weather is not too cold.
Sites for Breed Research: