Caring for Newly Hatched & Young Poultry

* Please note that these are our personal opinions and experiences, and our statements are not intended to be professional or medical advice in any way. We have added links to products that we have used. We are Amazon and CoopWorx affiliates, so if someone purchases an item on their site through one of these links, we might get a small commission at no additional charge. For all other links, we are in no way affiliated with the vendors or brands and do not receive any award or recognition for purchase.

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How We Care for Chicks

Heat

At a day old, chicks will need the hot spot in the brooder to be about 95-100 degrees Fahrenheit. Each week, the temperature should be reduced by about 5 until it gets to be about 70 degrees, or whatever the ambient temperature is. Until the chicks are fully feathered, they should be kept above 50 degrees.

To reach these temps, we first use this heat lamp (external link) – it is much more sturdy than the dinged up hardware store clamp lamps that pose a fire risk. True story, one of our tortoises almost burned down Jess’ old house with one of those! After the first few days, after the chicks are a bit stronger and more coordinated, we transition to an infrared heating plate (external link).

Water

Chicks need to stay dry, so we keep their waterer up on a kids’ sand sifting tray. It’s best to refill it at least once per day, because they love to scratch around and throw bedding into their water!

Food

Pretty much any chick starter will work! If you’re worried about coccidiosis, you can get a medicated crumble. We personally avoid meds wherever possible and use organic, soy-free (sometimes corn free) feed from either Cashton Farm Supply (external link) or New Country Organics (external link).

Until they’re 6 weeks old, feed 20-24% protein starter.
From 6-20 weeks, feed 18-20% protein grower.
From 20 weeks onward, you can feed 16% protein layer if you only have hens, but if you’ve got a rooster, it’s best to stick to grower or find an all-flock feed. The added calcium in layer feed can be dangerous to non-layers. For our flock, we feed everyone grower and then leave out a couple bowls of oyster shell that the hens pick at as needed.

Also, if you give scratch or treats, remember to always provide a bowl of grit if chickens aren’t free range – they need it to digest their food.

** To see almost all products & tools that we use for all of our farm critters, feel free to check out our Super Ultra Mega Shopping List.

How We Care for Poults & Keets

Heat

At a day old, poults will need the hot spot in the brooder to be about 95-98 degrees Fahrenheit. Each week, the temperature should be reduced by about 5 until it gets to be about 70 degrees, or whatever the ambient temperature is. Until the poults are fully feathered, they should be kept above 50 degrees.

To reach these temps, we first use this heat lamp (external link) – it is much more sturdy than the dinged up hardware store clamp lamps that pose a fire risk. True story, one of our tortoises almost burned down Jess’ old house with one of those! After the first few days, after the poults are a bit stronger and more coordinated, we transition to an infrared heating plate (external link).

Water

Poults need to stay dry, so we keep their waterer up on a kids’ sand sifting tray. It’s best to refill it at least once per day to make sure the water stays fresh.

Food

Turkey poults need more protein than chicks do, so we start them on an organic game bird feed by Modesto Milling.

Until they’re 6 weeks old, feed 24-28% protein starter.
From 7 weeks and onward, feed about 20% protein grower.

Turkey poults are… not the brightest. Watch them for at least the first couple weeks to make sure that everyone is eating well – even if there is plenty of food available, they are prone to “starving out” if they are crowded or pushed away from the feeding station. We try to help them with this by offering multiple dishes. It also helps a LOT to brood them with chicks, who will teach them how to eat & drink. Just remember that turkey/gamebird feed is fine for chicks, but chick feed has too little protein for turkeys/gamebirds.

Also, if you give scratch or treats, remember to provide a bowl of grit if turkeys aren’t free range – they need it to digest their food.

** To see almost all products & tools that we use for all of our farm critters, feel free to check out our Super Ultra Mega Shopping List.

How We Care for Ducklings & Goslings

Heat

At a day old, ducklings & goslings will need the hot spot in the brooder to be about 90-95 degrees Fahrenheit. Each week, the temperature should be reduced by about 5 until it gets to be about 70 degrees, or whatever the ambient temperature is. Until the ducklings have feathers, they should be kept above 50 degrees.

To reach these temps, we first tried an infrared heating plate (external link), but the ducklings & goslings weren’t as interested in it as the chicks were, so we switched to this heat lamp (external link) – it is much more sturdy than the dinged up hardware store clamp lamps that pose a fire risk. True story, one of our tortoises almost burned down Jess’ old house with one of those!

Water

Being waterfowl, most ducklings & goslings LOVE water, but they should be prevented from soaking themselves for the first couple weeks. Until their feathers start to grow in, they should have a dish that is only deep enough for them to cover their legs and/or bills. Once they have feathers, they’ll start preening and waterproofing themselves with oil from the glands above the base of their tails. At that point, they’ll be safe for swimming! If you have a mother/nurse duck or goose to raise ducklings & goslings, she will groom them with her oil so that they’re able to swim sooner.

Food

Gosling, duck, or general waterfowl starter is the obvious choice of food, but if you can’t find it or if you also happen to be brooding chicks and don’t want to buy multiple products, NON-MEDICATED chick starter will be fine as long as extra niacin is added. Medicated chick starter can kill waterfowl. We use organic, soy-free (sometimes corn free) feed from either Cashton Farm Supply (external link) or New Country Organics (external link).

Until they’re 3 weeks old, we feed 20-22% protein starter (with 2% brewer’s yeast added for niacin if using chick starter).
From 3-16 weeks, feed 15-16% protein grower (with 2% brewer’s yeast if using chick grower).
From 16 weeks onward, if you only have laying birds, you can feed 15-16% protein layer (with 2% brewer’s yeast if using chicken layer). If you’ve got a drake or mixed ages, it’s best to stick to grower or find an all-flock feed. The added calcium in layer feed can be dangerous to non-layers. For our flock, we stick with grower and then leave out a couple bowls of oyster shell that our layers pick at as needed.

The important thing is that ducklings & goslings receive the right amount of protein at different phases of growth. Too little, and they might be stunted. Too much, and they might develop angel wing from growing too fast.

The absolute best thing you can do to help ducklings & goslings grow well is to get them outside eating grass & bugs ASAP. Bring them some while they’re babies (and make sure to give them grit so that they can digest properly), and gradually increase their time outside until they’re out there as much as possible.

If ducks or geese are locked inside for any reason and given treats, it’s very important that they are also offered grit so that they can digest properly.

** To see almost all products & tools that we use for all of our farm critters, feel free to check out our Super Ultra Mega Shopping List.

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Caring for Newly Hatched & Young Poultry

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How We Care for Chicks

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