Welcome to the Brooding Chicks Master Course!Backyard Poultry has been educating small flock owners at every experience level about all things poultry for more than 15 years. Our advice is researched, vetted, and trusted by flock owners across the nation and the globe.We are excited to help you start your journey of raising your own chicks so that you can enjoy a happy, healthy flock.I’m your instructor, Lacy Armentor. In the video below, I’ll summarize what we will cover in this course and walk you through how to navigate through the lessons. Press play to get started!Learning ObjectivesBy the end of this course, you will be able to: Choose the ideal brooder, equipment, and supplies that best suit your own unique situation. Know the environment, nutrition, and care that chicks need to thrive and successfully grow from hatchlings to adolescents. Identify and troubleshoot environmental conditions in a brooder that may be detrimental to chicks. Recognize common chick behavior and distinguish between normal behavior and behavior issues. Know the basic indicators of chicken health and be able to identify the symptoms of stress, illness, disease, and physical defects, and treat them appropriately. Evaluate chicks’ readiness to move outside, and successfully integrate new chicks to an existing flock.

For chicks that aren’t raised by hens, their first weeks of life are spent in a brooder. What is a brooder?  A brooder is an enclosed, heated space where chicks are provided the environment that they need to grow and thrive. Mother hens provide warmth and security for their chicks and make sure they find food and water. Whether you choose a commercially-produced or DIY chicken brooder, it, along with the care you provide, takes the place of the mother hen.Let’s begin with an overview of the basic requirements for a brooder. We’ll talk about what you should keep in mind when choosing the type of brooder you’ll use, and where you’ll set it up.Scroll for a full transcript of this video.Key Points on Chick Brooder Basics Your brooder should be set up before your chicks arrive. This allows time for the brooder to warm up to temperature and minimizes the stress on your chicks. Basic Brooder Requirements Adequate space Supplemental heat Feed and water Proper ventilation, yet free from drafts Secure from predators and escaping chicks Proper flooring Easy to clean Chicks require 1/2 sq ft of space per bird for the first few weeks of life and 1 sq ft of space for the remainder of their brooder residency.Transcript: DIY Chicken Brooder Ideas & Other Brooder Basics00:00:10 Your brooders should be set up before your hatchlings arrive. Allow time for the brooder to warm up and their water to warm the broader temperature. This allows the chicks to move directly into their brooder and learn where to eat, drink and keep warm. Brooders can be set up in your home, in a garage or shed, or within a larger chicken coop or barn.Brooding Chicks Indoors00:00:32 There are special considerations for each of these locations. If you plan to keep your brooder indoors, keep in mind that a lot of fine dust will be produced. This can be tough to get out of fabric and carpet, so you might want to stick to areas with hard surfaces such as bathrooms or laundry rooms or cover your furniture with protective covers if they're nearby the brooder.00:00:53 Although they aren't always incredibly loud, you will be able to hear your chicks chirping, so be sure to consider that as well.00:01:02 Depending on the location, you may set up your brooder indoors. You might need to decide if the heat or light from a heat lamp may disturb you. Though this can be mitigated with different heat source choices.00:01:15 If you decide to set up your brooder in a garage or shed, make sure you have good ventilation, but that the chicks won't be affected by drafts. Predators also have a better chance of getting into a shuttered garage, so you'll likely want to cover your brooder with some sturdy hardware cloth for protection from predators. This may also be the case if you have family pets with access to your broader area.Brooding Chicks Outdoors00:01:40 Setting up a brooder in a large coop or outdoors will require protection from predators as well as the elements. Ensure the brooder is placed under our roof so that the chicks don't get wet in the rain. Adult chickens might go out and forage in rain and bad weather, but you shouldn't allow young chicks to get wet because they aren't able to regulate their body heat yet.00:02:04 You may also have to partially cover the brooder to keep too much heat from dissipating. Be sure to leave plenty of ventilation for the chicks and don't trap in too much heat to the point that chicks can't move to a cooler area of the brooder.00:02:18 The possibilities are endless when it comes to deciding what to use as your brooder. We'll look at a few different examples to give you some inspiration. Regardless of what your brooder looks like, there are some factors that you will need to keep in mind when planning your brooder setup.00:02:34 We'll go further into detail on each of these in the next sections.Chick Brooder Specifications: What Is a Brooder?00:02:40 Your brooder will need to be large enough to comfortably house your chicks, allowing them to move around, access their feed and water, and move closer or further from their heat source as needed.00:02:52 You will need to provide that heat source for your chicks. The most common options are heat lamps and panel heaters. You want to make sure that your chicks can get away from the direct heat if they get too warm.00:03:05 We'll talk about a few different options for feeding and watering chicks. What you choose to use might be decided based on the amount of space you have in your brooder and how many chicks you're raising.00:03:17 Your chicks will need good air exchange, but you'll want to make sure that you don't have them placed directly under an air current, as this could cause them to get chilled. Since heat rises most open top brooders will have adequate ventilation.00:03:32 If you aren't sure if your location is free from drafts, you can hold a piece of tissue paper low in the brooder at check level, which is about two inches from the floor and see if it moves in a draft. The direction it blows will help you determine where your draft is coming from.[Pause in narration for visual demonstration of how to use a plate warmer in your chick brooder.]Securing Your Brooder Against Predators and Pets00:04:38 Brooders should be secure so that predators aren't a threat to your chicks. How you will predator-proof your brooder will depend a lot on where it's set up. If you're brooding chicks inside your home, you may have family pets you'll need to protect your chicks from. If you put your brooder in an outdoor area or in a shed, you'll want to consider predators such as raccoons and possums.00:05:01 When your chicks first move into the brooder, you won't have to worry much about them escaping. However, after a couple of weeks, they will begin to grow feathers and grow bold as well, and will begin wanting to explore the world outside of their brooder — whether you want them to or not. A cover made from hardware cloth is a good option for keeping chicks in, while allowing good ventilation, this helps with predator proofing as well.Brooder Bedding and Cleaning Considerations00:05:27 When you first receive your chicks, you can use paper towels or puppy pads to line the brooder as their first bedding. You want to switch to a loose bedding after a couple of days and we'll talk more about those options here in a bit.00:05:40 No matter what type of brooder you choose, they all have to be cleaned. Keep this in mind and make things as easy as possible for yourself. This is one of the reasons I use stock tanks or troughs as brooders. They're large enough that I can brood quite a few chicks in them, but light enough that I can move them and clean them pretty easily by myself.DIY Brooder Ideas: Stock Tanks, Plastic Totes, and Cardboard Boxes00:06:03 As I mentioned before, I use stock tanks as brooders. They can be a little pricey if bought new, but they last for many years and have other uses as well. I have a few different sizes and choose which I use based on how many chicks I'm brooding. Having multiple is nice because when I'm cleaning my active brooder I can set my chicks in an empty brooder until I'm finished.00:06:27 Bins and totes are a great, inexpensive option if you don't have a lot of chicks to brood, or if you plan to move them into a larger space or amongst multiple totes as they grow.00:06:38 A sturdy cardboard box can be a good option for a brooder. These might be a good choice if you'd like to avoid to clean up a brooder and store it when you're finished brooding your chicks. Plus, you can likely get it for free. You could post on a neighborhood page and see if anyone has an appliance box you could reuse for your brooder. One great idea I've seen used is someone got a large watermelon box from their local grocery store, made a mesh lid for it, and use that as their brooder.DIY Brooder Ideas: Puppy Pens, Kiddie Pools, and Kennels00:07:07 Remember when I said that the possibilities are endless when it comes to brooders? If you're creative, you can make a brooder out of so many everyday things. Here's some inspiration for you. This is a portable puppy play pen that has a zip on net lid and a kiddie pool to make clean up easy. You would just have to lift the pull out and dump out the old.00:07:28 A dog kennel can make a really good brooder, and here's a clever way to expand your brooder space as chicks grow. The kennel door can be opened into a second kennel once the chicks need more space. Note the cardboard lining. This keeps the bedding contained so that it doesn't get spread out through the crate wires and makes cleaning up easier.DIY Brooder Ideas: Used Furniture00:07:50 An old crib or playpen is another option. These can easily be made secure and provide good ventilation. If you were to use a crib that was elevated off the ground, that can make caring for your chicks much easier if you have a bad back.00:08:05 Use your imagination and give life to something that may otherwise be destined for the landfill. Here's a really cool example of some ingenious thinking of how someone turned an old piece of furniture that they got at Goodwill into an amazing brooder. This one even happens to have a spot for a broody hen.DIY Brooder Ideas: Area Brooder in Existing Livestock Enclosures00:08:31 If you have an existing structure such as a coop or a barn, or in the case of this example, a horse trailer that's large enough where you can block off an area to brood your chicks in, this can be a great option. You will have the freedom to start small and keep chicks close to the heat source, food and water, and then increase the area your chicks have access to as they grow.00:08:54 One thing to be mindful of is if you do set up an area brooder in a larger coop, is that if you have an existing flock already and your chicks come from elsewhere, it's best not to allow your established flock access to the space where the chicks are. I like to keep new birds quarantine from the flock for about 30 days to ensure I don't introduce any new pathogens I wasn't aware of that the new birds may have been carrying.00:09:21 Adults can be rough on small chicks as well. In a later section, we'll talk more about how to introduce chicks to an established flock. If you plan to continue to brood chicks and want a brooder that checks all of your boxes, you might want to build your own. If you're handy, you can make a brooder to your own specs and will be able to use it for years to come.DIY Brooder Ideas: Reclaimed Wood and Modular Brooder Panels00:09:41 Here's a fantastic example of a really well-done brooder that the builder designed and built himself. Of course, your brooder doesn't need to be fancy. A great option is to use reclaimed wood or other materials and get creative.00:09:56 You have the option to purchase modular brooder panel kits like this example. You can find both reusable and disposable options. You can add additional panels for your chicks as they grow to give them more space. And you can even purchase a complete kit that includes your heat source, feeder, waterer and a stand to elevate the feeder and waterer. Here's a couple of different examples of configurations you can use.Commercial Brooders and Batteries00:10:25 Of course, there's some really cool brooders that you can buy commercially. These may be a good option if you plan to continue to brood chicks year after year or wanna brood large numbers of chicks and want a very efficient setup. Box brooders come with heat sources, lights and water and food troughs that are built onto the outside of the brooder so that chicks can stick their head out to eat and drink, which avoids food and water mess inside the brooder. The floors are hardware cloth with removable trays underneath that you can pull out to clean. These can hold around 50 chicks for four weeks, or 100 chicks for two weeks.00:11:03 A battery brooder is multiple box brooders that are stacked on top of each other in some instances, rather than being comprised entirely of brooders, some of the levels may be grow-out pens for older chicks to move into once they've outgrown their brooder box. These grow-out units are a bit taller and don't have heat sources in them.How Big a Brooder Do I Need?00:11:25 Space requirements will increase as the size of your chicks increase. You can either start out with the brooder that's large enough for the chicks throughout their entire brooder residency, or you can start smaller and allow them to graduate to a larger space or split the chicks between multiple brooders as they grow.00:11:43 Chicks require enough room to be able to move around and get exercise and have the ability to move away from their heat source. Overcrowding can cause health issues such as weak Slade legs and an increased risk of coccidiosis. Behavior problems such as chicks pecking each other are exacerbated by overcrowding.00:12:06 You can expect to provide about 1/2 a square foot per chick for the first few weeks, after which the chicks will require about one square foot of space per bird.00:12:17 These guidelines are for standard sized chicks and bantams would require a little less space due to their smaller size.More on Brooding Chicks Welcome to the Brooding Chicks Master Course! DIY Chicken Brooders and Other Brooder Basics Brooder Heat Requirements Chick Brooder Bedding Feeding and Watering Chicks Chick Growth and Development Chick Behavior Chick Health Graduating from the Brooder to the Coop

Heat Source OptionsThere are several options for heat sources in your brooder. We’ll look at how each one works so that you can decide which will work best for your brooder set-up.Key Points Summary Heat lamps and panel heaters are the most popular heat source options. Heat lamps are an easy-to-find option. They should be used with caution, as they can start a fire if used incorrectly or if they break. Panel heaters are a safe and efficient option that creates an environment similar to a mother hen’s body heat. If your heat source doesn’t produce light or is red-tinted, and your brooder is in a dark area, you will need to provide supplemental daytime lighting for your chicks.Is Your Brooder Too Hot or Too Cold?Too HotChicks will pant, peck at each other, chirp loudly, and stay as far away from their heat source as possible.Just RightChicks will chirp contentedly, wander around the brooder, eat and drink normally, and will return to their heat source as needed to warm up.Too ColdChicks will huddle together directly under their heat source, chirp loudly, and won’t wander around the brooder much.

Brooder Bedding OptionsThere are many bedding options for your brooder. Let’s talk about the most popular choices and the pros and cons of each.Key Points Summary The brooder floor should never be slick, as this can lead to issues such as a splayed leg. Sheets of newspaper are fine to use as a layer underneath your bedding, but should never be used as the surface your chicks will walk on, as it’s too slick. For the first couple of days, you can use paper towels or puppy pads as your brooder floor before switching to loose bedding.Chick Brooder Bedding OptionsPine ShavingsPros Easy to find Inexpensive AbsorbentCons Dusty Easily knocked into feed and waterPine PelletsPros Very absorbent Long-lasting Less mess in feed and water Less dust than shavingsCons More expensive than shavingsSandPros Long-lasting Easy to clean Absorbs and retains heatCons Can retain too much heat Heat lamps may heat sand up too much Play sand particles are too fineChopped StrawPros Low CostCons Not very absorbent Must be changed oftenShredded PaperPros Low or no costCons Not very absorbent Must be changed oftenCleaning the BrooderIt’s important to keep your brooder clean and dry for your chicks. In this video, I’ll cover how and when to clean your brooder.Key Points Summary Always remove damp bedding from your brooder as soon as possible. Damp bedding will mold and may cause brooder pneumonia. Coccidia also thrive in a warm, damp environment. Stir up the bedding to keep it dry and fluffy, which aids in absorption. Too many droppings in the brooder can lead to coccidiosis. Remove and replace your bedding periodically, as needed. Always remove and replace the bedding if you smell ammonia.

Watering ChicksChicks should always have access to clean drinking water from the moment they arrive in your care. We’ll look at waterer options for your brooder, and discuss the importance of this basic necessity.Key Points Summary Chicks should always have access to fresh, clean water. Water should be given at brooder temperature, rather than cold. Cold water can chill chicks. When chicks first move into their brooder, dip each chick’s beak into their water source so they are able to hydrate right away. Setting water on a raised, flat surface, or hanging it from above reduces the risk of chicks knocking over their water. This also helps keep bedding out of waterers.Feeding ChicksA proper diet is vital for growing chicks. Let’s take a look at options for feeders, then we will discuss the dietary needs of chicks.Key Points Summary The most common feeder options are: Trough feeders (reel top and hole top) Round feeders Tube feeders From hatch until they reach laying age at 18 weeks, chicks should be fed a chick starter ration. Medicated chick starters can be used to help prevent coccidiosis. Never feed medicated feed if your chicks were vaccinated against coccidiosis or if waterfowl share the brooder with your chicks. Once your chicks’ diet starts to include foods and treats beyond chick starter ration, you will need to provide grit so your chicks can digest these foods properly.

Growing Up and Feathering OutYou’ll be able to notice changes in your chicks nearly on a daily basis if you look closely! Here is what you can expect as your chicks grow up.Key Points Summary The progression of feathering out: Wings Tail Body Head The breed of chicken determines how quickly they will grow. Broilers, or meat birds, grow the fastest. Broilers are also more sparsely feathered than egg-laying breeds. As chicks feather out, they will become more mobile. It’s important to make sure the brooder is secure against escaping chicks.Determining the Sex of ChicksThere are tons of myths and old wives' tales when it comes to determining the sex of chicks. The truth is, it’s actually quite difficult to determine this on your own. We’ll cover some reliable methods of determining sex. Just remember, many times you’ll just have to wait and see!Key Points Summary Most hatcheries offer the option to purchase sexed chicks or straight-run chicks. Hatcheries often use the vent sexing method, which requires skill, training, and an eye for detail to observe the minor differences in the cloaca, just inside the chick’s vent. Feather sexing only applies to certain breeds or crosses and must be performed before three days of age. Sex-linking and auto-sexing use differences in feather colors or patterns at hatch to determine the sex of chicks.

Common Chick BehaviorChicks exhibit instinctual behaviors from a very young age that will follow them into adulthood. Knowing what behaviors to expect from your chicks helps you recognize abnormal behavior that may indicate an issue.Key Points Summary Chicks fighting to establish a pecking order is normal and is usually nothing to worry about. They will have small scuffles as young chicks and get more serious about the pecking order once they begin to reach sexual maturity. Dust bathing is used for grooming and parasite control. Chicks usually begin perching around four weeks old. Having a perch in their brooder helps prepare them for roosting at night as adults. Ground scratching is how chicks search for food, insects, and grit. They’ll scratch through their brooder bedding even if these items can’t be found there. If you want your chicks to behave as pets, you’ll need to spend time handling them. The easiest time to do this is when they are still in the brooder.Behavior Issue – PickingPicking is an undesirable behavior that can arise in your young flock and is often initiated by a brooder management issue. We’ll cover the factors that can lead to picking, how to prevent picking, and how to put a stop to the behavior if it does become an issue in your brooder.Key Points Summary Picking is much easier to prevent than it is to correct. Factors that help prevent picking include: Correct brooder temperature. Plenty of space for each chick. Adequate numbers of feeders and waterers that aren’t allowed to run empty. Allowing chickens to have a dark/light cycle rather than constant bright light. Removal of any sick or injured chicks until completely healed. If picking behavior starts, instigators and injured chicks should be separated, and steps should be taken to improve brooder conditions and correct any issues that led to picking.

Health IndicatorsThere are several health indicators that will help guide you in evaluating your chicks on a day to day basis. Observing your chicks closely, and using these identifiers to catch issues early, will contribute to successful treatments and help resolve problems before they get out of hand.Key Points Summary Using health indicators can help you identify issues early on, leading to better treatment outcomes.A PDF version of the table below is available for download on the main course page under Materials.Contagious DiseasesCoccidiosis and Marek’s Disease are both contagious diseases chicks are susceptible to. We will cover how to protect your chicks from contracting these diseases, how to recognize symptoms, and what the treatment options are for each disease.Environmental Illnesses and IssuesGood brooder management should always be your first defense against illness and other issues. Let’s talk about the most common environmental illnesses and issues, how to avoid them, and how to treat them if problems do arise.Key Points Summary Splayed Leg Caused by high incubation temp or slick flooring. Treated by hobbling the chick until the legs stay in the proper position. Wry Neck Treatable if the cause is a vitamin deficiency by using vitamin E and selenium. Pasty Butt Easily treatable but can lead to death if not addressed. Often caused by incorrect brooder temp, or incorrect diet. Carefully remove dried droppings by softening them with warm water and picking off gently by hand. Brooder Pneumonia Caused by damp, moldy bedding. In order for chicks to recover, the bedding must be removed and replaced with clean, dry bedding. Omphalitis (Mushy Chick Disease) Infection of the navel, usually caused by bacteria in the incubator. Recovery is very rare, and chicks with omphalitis are usually culled. Predators Chicks are highly susceptible to predators. Brooders must be extremely secure, as predators will exploit any means of entry. Stress Overly stressed chicks are more susceptible to illness. Good brooder management keeps stress at sustainable levels.

They grow up so fast! Before you know it, those tiny sweet balls of fluff are ready to move out of the brooder. Field trips can help prepare them for the big move until it’s time to graduate from the brooder to the coop!Key Points Summary Chicks can start taking field trips outside around three weeks old as weather permits. If their outdoor playpen isn’t secure, only let them outside under supervision. If daytime outdoor temps are close to your brooder temps, chicks can stay outside during the day as long as weather is good. Keep an eye on their body language so you will know if they are too cold. If chicks have areas that have not yet feathered, they should not be allowed to sleep outside. Once fully feathered, chicks are ready to move to their outdoor coop full time! Check on the young birds in their new coop often for the first couple of days. Note their behavior, body language, and health indicators to make sure everyone is feeling good and acclimating well. Allow chickens plenty of time to see their coop as “home” before letting them out to free range. Your chickens may need help returning to the coop at sunset after their first few free-ranging sessions.Integrating Chicks into an Existing FlockIntegrating new birds into an existing flock can be intimidating. Seeing chickens establish their pecking order isn’t always pleasant, but it’s completely normal.In this section, we will discuss how to make the integration process as easy on you and your chickens as possible.Key Points Summary The closer in size your new birds are to your established flock, the better for integration. A slow introduction is best. Start by putting your young chickens where your flock can see them, but can’t make physical contact. Once the novelty of the new chickens wears off, you can let the chickens intermingle. Keep a close eye on them! If a chicken is particularly aggressive to the new chickens, separate her from the flock for a few days for an attitude adjustment. If you have a mixed age flock, feed chick starter/grower to the entire flock until the young birds reach 18 weeks of age.