Things You'll Need
- Cardboard box or small animal cage
- Heat lamp or desk lamp with reflector
- Pine shavings
- Plastic or galvanized steel chick feeder
- Plastic or galvanized steel chick waterer
- Chicken starter feed
- Sand or parakeet gravel
Instructions
Keep your chick in a rabbit-sized cage or cardboard box (also called a "brooder") for the first couple of months.
Place the brooder in a warm, draft- and predator-free area. If you are using a cage, consider placing cardboard around the outside to prevent the chick from catching a chill.
Heat the brooder with a 100-watt light bulb and reflector or an actual heat lamp. Temperatures should be 95 to 100 degrees F for the first week, decreasing by 5 degrees F each week thereafter until the chick develops feathers (5 to 8 weeks old).
Cover the bottom of the brooder with 1 inch of fresh pine shavings. Avoid using newspaper for flooring as wet ink can become dangerously slick, causing the chick to fall and injure its already-fragile legs.
Change the bedding material every 2 to 4 days. Chicks are excessive poopers, and keeping bedding clean protects them from a number of diseases caused by unsanitary surroundings.
Provide clean, fresh water for your chick, as they drink frequently. You can purchase a chick waterer at a pet shop or feed/farm supply store. Avoid using a bowl of water because they poop in it and are also in danger of drowning.
Provide "chick starter" feed, the sole feed source for your chick's first two months. Place it in a chick feeder designed to keep poop out and food in.
Sprinkle sand or parakeet gravel on their food (as if you are salting it). Chicks lack the teeth necessary to grind their food, so the grit helps with digestion.
Play gently with your chick, allowing it to explore in a controlled environment. Chicks enjoy investigating and playing with their owners, but remember they can quickly become cold and tired. Limit playtime to short bouts.
Offer your chick an occasional treat--bread, bugs, worms or table scraps. Think of this as dessert, though, not the chick's main sustenance.
Increase your chick's living space as it grows. Provide at least 9 to 12 square inches of space by the time it is 4 weeks old.
Learn more about how to care for your chick at Mypetchicken.com (see Resources below).