Can you list the five things you need to raise healthy chicks in a brooder? Food, water, bedding, grit, heat. The first four are simple, but the fifth gets complicated. Mimicking the warm protection of a mother hen means keeping babies at an optimal temperature, which changes week by week until they’re ready to stay outside for good. And adding supplementary heat isn’t optional, no matter the time of year. From hatching day to that first night spent in the coop, monitoring and providing the right temperatures for chicks makes the transition smooth and keeps babies healthy.
Only chicks, not chickens, need supplemental heat in winter, and only for a short time. Comfortable human homes are 20 to 30 degrees Fahrenheit too cold for chicks. The ideal temperature for chicks that are 7 days old or younger is 95 degrees, and then 90 degrees in the second week and 85 degrees in the third. Each week declines by 5 degrees until chicks are ready to live outside. To
