Tips for Chick Brooders
Congrats on your hatch! Before you take your new chicks out of the incubator, make sure your brooder is pre-warmed! We recommend using a temp reader to monitor the temperature.
One of the biggest mistakes newbies make is using heat plates improperly. Make sure you follow the instructions for using the heat plates. It needs to be positioned low enough to touch their backs, try positioning it at an angle to make one end lower, so they can move further back to make more contact if they want. Also be sure that your heat plate is big enough to fit all your chicks underneath.
If using a heat lamp, we recommend using one with an adjustable knob to control the temperature. If yours does not have an adjustable knob, you can add a dimmer switch to control the temperature, making sure to use the proper wattage and using a bulb that can be dimmed. Also be sure to use fire-preventive measures, like a bulb guard, or even better, placing the lamp above a brooder with a wire-coated top.
If you notice any odd behavior within 24 hours of putting them in the brooder, try putting them back in the incubator. If they perk back up, it was likely a heat issue.
WARM WATER. Cold, chilled water can kill them. They don't need filtered water; tap water is the easiest, fastest way to give them lukewarm, room-temperature water. If you're not sure it's warm, it's probably not. Be sure to drown proof your waterer, if it has a wide base you can place marbles or clean rocks to prevent drowning. We recommend the Little Giant quail waterer base, the jars from Tractor Supply Co. will fit this base.
Feeders. Do not use the jars on the feeder base if they can fit inside the holes of the base, also making sure that if they can climb into the feeder that they can climb back out. We also recommend grinding the feed for at least a week, and placing the feed directly on the floor of the brooder for the first 3 days, or until they are able to reach the feed in the feeder.
24/7 Lighting. We recommend having constant light in the brooder until they are close to 3 weeks of age. Be sure to keep their water and brooder clean; constant light combined with heat can speed the growth of mold and bacteria.
Ventilation and Drafts. They need proper ventilation, but make sure to place your brooder in a draft free area, avoid putting them underneath a ceiling vent or an AC unit.
Lastly, make sure there are no areas they can squeeze into and get stuck, that includes space around feeders and waterers.