GuideBrooder · week-by-week

Raising chicks from day 1

Chicks need a brooder, a heat source, starter feed, fresh water, and dry bedding from the moment they arrive. The temperature schedule starts at 90–95°F at chick level under the heat source, drops 5°F per week through week 6, and ends at 65–70°F as chicks fully feather and transition toward the coop. This page is the week-by-week walkthrough.

Day 1 — arrival setup

Chicks arrive shipped or hatched. First-day priorities:

Brooder pre-warmed to 90–95°F at chick level under the lamp before chicks go in. Verify with a thermometer 2 inches off the floor under the edge of the lamp — not at the lamp face, not at adult head height.
Each chick dipped beak-first in the watererso they recognize water. They'll drink within minutes.
Fresh chick starter spread on paper towel for the first 2–3 days (helps chicks find feed without scratching it into bedding). Switch to a chick feeder by day 4.
Liquid water in a chick-safe waterer with small drinking lip (deep open dishes drown chicks). Marbles or pebbles in the trough during week 1 prevent drowning if you only have an adult waterer.
Pine shavings bedding 2–3 inches deep, OR paper towel for the first 2–3 days then switch to shavings (paper alone gets soaked, chicks slip on smooth surface). Do not use cedar shavings — toxic to chicks.

Watch chick behavior the first hour. Distributed across the brooder = correct. Piled directly under the lamp = too cold, raise the temperature. Pressed against the walls away from the lamp = too hot, raise the lamp 2–3 inches.

Week 1 — establishing baseline

Target temperature 90–95°F at chick level. Chicks are eating, drinking, and starting to develop primary wing feathers by end-of-week. Daily checklist:

Refill water 2× daily (chicks foul it constantly)
Refill feed; check feeder is clean and free of bedding
Spot-clean wet bedding under waterer; don't replace all bedding (gradually building deep-litter base)
Read thermometer at chick level; adjust lamp height as needed
Watch for pasty butt (dried feces blocking the vent) and clean any cases with warm water — common in week 1, fatal if untreated

Daily feed: ~0.08–0.10 lb per chick. For 10 chicks, ~5–7 lb of chick starter total in week 1.

Week 2 — first feathers

Target temperature drops to 85–90°F. Chicks show visible primary feathers on wings; some breeds start showing back feathers. Activity level rises sharply — chicks that mostly slept in week 1 now run, jump, and explore the brooder.

The brooder needs to be bigger than week-1 setup suggested — chicks at this size need ~0.5 sq ft each minimum, growing weekly. A standard 110-gal stock tank holds 10 chicks comfortably through week 3; 8 chicks through week 4.

Weeks 3–4 — transition phase

Targets: 80–85°F (week 3), 75–80°F (week 4). Chicks nearly fully feathered on backs and wings; tail feathers coming in. By end of week 4, chicks look like miniature adult birds.

Move the brooder to an outbuilding or garage if not already there. Chick dust at this stage coats indoor surfaces in 24–48 hours. Daily feed: ~0.14 lb per chick (~10 lb/week for 10 chicks).

Around week 4, supervised outdoor excursions in mild weather (60°F+ daytime, no wind, predator-secured pen) help chicks ambient-acclimate. 30–60 minutes is enough; keep a heat source in the brooder for the return.

Weeks 5–6 — feathered, near transition

Targets: 70–75°F (week 5), 65–70°F (week 6). Chicks fully feathered for most breeds; pinions and wing-coverts complete; tail feathers fully extended. Birds look like small adult chickens at week 6.

Consider switching to grower feed at week 6 if you're running starter+grower (vs straight to layer at 18 weeks). Daily feed: ~0.18 lb per chick. For 10 chicks across 6 weeks, you've used roughly 18–25 lb of starter/grower combined.

Week 6+ — coop transition

When chicks are fully feathered AND outdoor ambient is at least 50°F at night, transition to the coop. Steps:

Daytime visits to the coop with all chicks together for 3–5 days. Provides feed and water in the coop during these visits.
First overnight stay when forecast is at least 55°F overnight, no rain. Heat lamp in the coop the first 2 nights as a safety net (keep it 15+ inches off litter, GFCI outlet, fire-safe — see the brooder safety guide).
Pull the heat lamp by night 3–5 if chicks are sleeping distributed (not piled).
Don't mix chicks with an existing adult flock at this transition — separate runs for 2–4 weeks first, then integrate. Adult hens kill chicks they perceive as outsiders.

Common day-1-to-week-6 problems

Pasty butt (dried feces blocking vent): warm damp washcloth, gentle wipe, vent open. Most common in week 1, often fatal if missed for 24+ hours.
Spraddle leg(legs splay outward, can't stand): tape legs together loosely with a small spacer for 48 hours. Caused by slick brooder floors — never use newspaper or paper-only flooring on smooth surfaces.
Coccidiosis (lethargic chicks, bloody droppings, rapid death): use medicated chick starter (amprolium) or vaccinate at the hatchery. Outbreaks kill quickly; act on first symptoms.
Pecking order injury(chicks pecking each other's vents or wings): brooder is overcrowded or red lamp dropped to white. Add space; switch to red-tinted bulb; isolate the most-injured chick to recover.

Run the brooder math

For your specific chick count and ambient room temperature, the brooder heat lamp calculator outputs the target temperature schedule, advisory wattage, and the mandatory safety checklist. The temperature schedule there matches week-by-week here; the wattage is sized to your specific brooder size + ambient.

Frequently asked

What do chicks need on day 1?

A brooder at 90–95°F at chick level under the heat source, chick starter feed (≥18% protein, medicated or unmedicated depending on hatchery vaccination status), liquid water with a chick-safe waterer that prevents drowning, and pine shavings or paper towel bedding. Don't add anything else day 1 — no treats, no scratch grain, no electrolytes unless chicks arrived stressed from shipping. Watch chick behavior: distributed = correct; piled under lamp = too cold; pressed against walls = too hot.

How long do chicks need a heat lamp?

Through week 6 typically — the temperature target drops from 90–95°F (week 1) to 65–70°F (week 6) at 5°F per week. By week 6, most chicks are fully feathered and can transition to coop temperatures (down to ~50°F ambient) safely. Mild-climate broods can hit week 4–5 and graduate; cold-climate broods often run heat through week 7. The bird's behavior is the signal: chicks staying away from the heat source most of the day are ready to come off.

How much do chicks eat per week?

About 0.08–0.12 lb per chick per day in week 1, rising to about 0.18 lb/day by week 6. For 10 chicks across 6 weeks, total feed is roughly 18–25 lb of chick starter — half a 50-lb bag of starter. Scale linearly for larger batches. Chicks should always have feed available; never run an empty feeder, especially during the first 4 weeks when growth velocity is high.

When can chicks go outside?

Short supervised excursions starting around week 4 in mild weather (60°F+ daytime). Full coop transition happens at week 6–8 once chicks are fully feathered. Cold-climate broods wait until week 8 or longer. The blocker isn't age — it's feathering. Birds with bare patches at the wing tips, neck, or back aren't ready regardless of week. Match the move to ambient temperature: never transition to a coop colder than ~50°F if chicks aren't fully feathered.

Can I keep chicks indoors?

Yes for the first 2–3 weeks, in a brooder enclosure (large plastic tote, stock tank, or built brooder box). After that, chick dust gets significant — chicks shed dander rapidly and the dust coats every surface in the room. Most keepers move the brooder to a garage, basement, or outbuilding by week 3. By week 6 the brooder is best in an outbuilding both for dust and for ambient-acclimating chicks before coop transition.

What's the most common mistake new keepers make with chicks?

Overheating the brooder. The instinct is to make chicks 'cozy' — but the temperature schedule (90–95°F → drop 5°F/week) is what the chicks need, not warmer. Overheated chicks crash with heat stress, pant, scatter to brooder edges, and stop eating. Use a thermometer at chick level under the lamp; trust the reading; ignore the urge to crank the heat. Second most common: not enough vertical space to let chicks self-regulate — chicks need a cool zone away from the lamp to escape heat.

By Jimmy L Wu. Reviewed 2026-05-01. Temperature schedule (90–95°F week 1, drop 5°F per week through week 6) anchored on UMN Extension “Raising Layer Chicks and Pullets.” The 15-inch-minimum-from-litter lamp suspension is also UMN Extension. Pasty-butt + spraddle-leg + coccidiosis framing reflects practitioner consensus across hatcheries and 4-H poultry programs. Not veterinary advice — for sick chicks or any animal-health emergency, consult an avian or livestock veterinarian, or your county Cooperative Extension office.