How to Feed Baby Chickens

Baby chickens need to be in a confined area surrounded by wire for the first months of their lives to make sure they keep warm and have food and water nearby. If the chicks have their mother, then the mother will show them where to find the food and water, but if you are raising them then you will need to make sure that the food and water is close to the chicks. Warmth is also vital for baby chickens' survival. The area you have the baby chickens in must have plenty of light which will give off enough heat.

Things You'll Need

  • Wired cage
  • Waterer
  • Chicken Feeder
  • Medicated Chicken Crumbles
  • Lamps
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Instructions

    • 1

      Prepare a chicken feeder to feed the baby chickens. The feeder will need to be used after the first couple of days of birth.

    • 2

      Place medicated chick starter crumbles on the ground where the chickens are stationed. Do this for the first three or four days of their lives so that they learn to feed themselves. Then place the food in the feeder. Food should never be farther than 10 feet away from the baby chickens because they will not travel far to find food.

    • 3

      Check on the food every couple of hours to clean it of chicken feces. Remove the dirty food and replace it with fresh food. To keep from wasting a lot of food, do not fill the feeder up to the rim.

    • 4

      Provide bowls of water. Use heavy bowls to prevent the baby chickens from tipping the bowls over. You can also use waterers that disperse water as needed but will not tip over. Make sure to check the water every couple of hours to make sure that it is clean. Feces could also end up in the water and will require dumping for fresh water.

    • 5

      Add worms and insects to the baby chickens' diet. You can feed worms and insects to baby chickens once they reach two weeks old.