How to Raise Baby Chicks Without a Henhouse

Most chicks are not raised in a henhouse owing to the specialized care and needs of the baby chickens. Unless you have hatched the chicks under a broody hen (in which case the hen raises the chicks herself), the chicks will need to be raised in an area set up for them. Chicks are delicate and highly susceptible to cold and variables in their lifestyle. These babies require a great deal of care and supervision. Chicks are kept inside the house, not the henhouse, until they are fully fledged. It is necessary for the chicks to have a barn to live in after they have matured into adult birds.

Things You'll Need

  • Chick starter feed
  • Chick waterer
  • Paper towels (optional)
  • Wood shavings
  • Heat lamp
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Instructions

    • 1

      Prepare the chick brooding area inside the house by setting up a large cardboard box. Consider the number of chicks and choose a large enough box accordingly. Allow the chicks to have about half of the floor space free. Place shavings or nonslip paper towels inside the box.

    • 2

      Securely screw the heat lamp into a solid connector. Heat lamps get hot and sometimes cause fires. You can place the chicks near a heat source such as a radiator instead of using a heat lamp. Hang the heat lamp so that a section of the box (not the entire box) is between 90 and 95 degrees Fahrenheit. Slowly reduce the heat by 5 degrees each week. Chicks no longer need heat (unless the house is kept below 62 degrees) after four or five weeks.

    • 3

      Provide the chicks with constant access to chick feed and water. Be sure to use chick waterers, as chicks can drown easily. Check each chick for "pasting up," and if necessary immediately remove the stuck manure from the chick's bottom (vent) with a towel or tissue dampened in warm water. This situation can rapidly kill chicks.

    • 4

      Clean the chick's box a few times a day. Chicks must be kept clean. Handle chicks daily to check for health (they should be plump and fluffy with no eye or beak discharge), cleanliness and to get them used to being handled by people through imprinting.

    • 5

      After three weeks, chicks can go outside for sun and recreation if it is warm (over 60 degrees). Chicks can free-roam the house with supervision earlier than three weeks of age. The chicks must be supervised constantly, and a secured area makes this task easier. After four or five weeks, the chicks can be given access to a safe and secured run, away from adult chickens, and be introduced to the barn after five weeks (temperatures at night should be over 60 degrees).