Raising by Age
Select a species and age to see what should be happening right now.
Day 7 of life
Right Now
Chicks are extremely delicate and must find feed and water immediately. Most early losses happen because chicks never start eating or drinking. The first 1-2 nights are the highest-risk period for piling deaths — check on chicks frequently, especially at night.
Temperature
Start at 95°F at the edge of the brooder, 100°F directly under the stove, 88-90°F at the room edge. Hold steady for the first 5 days. Watch behavior: piling under the lamp = too cold (lower lamp, add bulbs, draft-proof); spread out and panting = too hot (raise lamp, turn off a bulb).
Feed
30% protein medicated pre-starter, fine crumble. Use feed flats spread around the brooder for the first 7 days so feed is easy to find. Never let feed run out. Dip each chick's beak in water on arrival.
Water
One gallon waterer per 75 chicks with narrow lip (1/2 inch or less) or marbles in the trough to prevent drowning. One satellite drinker per 100 birds. Check waterers multiple times daily — chicks drink 1-2x their feed volume in water.
Setup
4 birds per sq ft. Dried pine shavings (kiln-dried, dust-free, about 1 inch in size) bedding, covered with brooder paper or burlap. Draft shield (cardboard ring, 14-18 inches high) for first 5-7 days. Feed and water 18-24 inches from brooder edge — never under the heat.
Bird Behavior
Chicks should form a circle around the heat lamp. Active, alert, eating and drinking. Distributed comfortably throughout the brooder — not bunched under the lamp, not spread to the edges.
Watch For
Piling at night (chilling), starve-out (chicks not finding feed/water by day 4-5), drowning in waterers, eating litter/bedding, dehydration from feed/water placed too close to heat.
Coming Up
Remove brooder paper/burlap after day 7. Transition from feed flats to regular feeders. Begin dropping temperature 1 degree every other day after week 1.