• Hatching and shipping: Meat chicks are hatched on different days depending on the breed. Generally, Cornish Cross chicks are hatched Monday or Tuesday, and ship out on the same day as hatch. Our alternative broilers (Red Sasso, Jackie, Grey Broiler, etc.) may hatch on different days, usually between Monday and Wednesday. They will ship on the same day as hatch and will arrive between Wednesday and Friday, depending on the day they hatched.
   
• Tracking: USPS does not update their online tracking for live poultry. Once the shipping label is created, USPS automatically generates a day and time for estimated arrival, which is not necessarily accurate. Many times, the tracking information will not be updated until the order is picked up. Rest assured that live animals are given priority and pushed through the system more quickly than what your tracking may suggest.
   
• Arrival: Your local post office will call when your shipment arrives. Please ensure your contact information is correct so you can pick up your birds quickly. It’s a good idea to let your post office know ahead of time that you are expecting live animals. When picking up your poultry, try to avoid sudden changes in temperature and keep them out of direct sunlight.
   
• Hydration: After their time in transit, your birds will likely be thirsty. One of the first things you should introduce is water. When putting your birds in the brooder, gently dip their beaks into the water source one by one so they know where to get a drink. Consider adding a hydrating supplement to their water, like StresEEZ, for an immediate boost.
   
• Observation: After arrival, watch your birds in their brooder to monitor how they are doing. Look for signs that they are too cold or too hot and adjust accordingly. Happy, comfortable birds will be spread evenly throughout the brooder and eating and drinking.
   

How to Properly Care for Broiler Chicks

• Broiler chicks grow at a rapid pace. They will need more space in their brooder to accommodate their needs. Because they grow so quickly, it’s a good idea to house them in a brooder larger than what you think they need, or plan to update it as they grow.
• Broilers need a higher protein content in their starter feed than layer chicks. For this reason, we recommend brooding them separately since they have unique nutritional needs. They also have the potential to trample smaller poultry due to how large they get.
• It’s important to manage the feed intake of your meat chicks, as broilers do not know when to stop eating. If given free access to feed, this can lead to leg and heart issues. Follow a feeding guide week by week to ensure you’re giving your broiler chicks the right amount of feed. A feeding schedule will also help you maximize your profit margins and feed conversion rates.
• Broiler chicks have a shorter brooding period than other poultry (about 3-4 weeks). Depending on your local climate conditions, they can be moved outside sooner than other poultry since they develop their feathers more quickly.

Housing and Brooder Space

Your broiler chicks will need to live in a brooder for the first few weeks of life. Plan to set it up in a safe, draft-free environment like a garage or barn. If your chick brooder has housed poultry in the past, make sure it is properly cleaned and sanitized before use.

Your baby chick brooder should be bigger than what you think you may need. Since meat chicks grow rapidly, it's good to have a plan in place should they outgrow their initial brooder space. We recommend metal stock tanks, or even a makeshift area blocked off in a barn or garage with wood panels.

Try this setup:

Lay a large tarp down on the floor
Place four plywood panels (at least 2 feet tall) along the sides to form a square or rectangle.
Attach the panels together with screws and hinges.
Fill the bottom of the brooder with 2-4 inches of pine shavings.
Place hardware cloth or wire over the top to prevent chicks from escaping.
Add a brooder ring or carboard to the sides to round out the corners.

This setup is a good option because it allows your brooder to grow with your chicks. You can detach and add in new panels later to accommodate for more space. It is also easy to take apart and put back together again for later use.

Bedding

Bedding for baby chicks should be dry and about 2-4 inches deep. We recommend pine shavings as the best option. Finely chopped straw is also suitable in a pinch, but pine shavings are the most absorbent as well as safe for the respiratory system of your meat chicks.

We do not recommend: 

Newspaper. It is slippery and not absorbent. It can cause splay leg and other issues for your chicks.

Treated woods. Cedar and other woods can be toxic and cause respiratory issues.

Sawdust. The fine dust can cause respiratory issues and chicks may mistake it for food.


Heating Requirements

When raising baby chicks, you need to provide them with supplemental heat until they are able to regulate their body temperature on their own. We recommend using a heat lamp over a brooder plate.

Heat lamps should be securely hung about 18 inches above the brooder floor. A thermometer placed on the floor should register 90-95 degrees (do this at least 24 hours before you expect your chicks to arrive). Put your watering station and feeder in separate areas of the brooder so your chicks can choose when to seek out warmth.

Heat lamps are our preferred method for heating brooders, as it provides the most ambient heat and can cover a large amount of chicks at one time. So long as it is properly installed and maintained, a heat lamp is safe for your chicks. Read our blog about heat lamps to learn more about their benefits.

One heat lamp can cover anywhere from 50-100 chicks. For meat chicks, here is a general guideline for their brooder temperature:

0-1 week old   90-95º F
1-2 week old   85-90º F
2-3 week old   80-85º F
3-4 week old   75-80º F
4-5 week old   70-75º F
5-6 week old   Start weaning from heat lamp (above 65º F)

While we recommend following this temperature guide, your chicks will be the best thermometer you have. Use their behavior as a guide to adjust your heat lamp.


If the temperature outside is identical to the temperature in their brooder, you can plan to move your poultry outside by the age of 3-4 weeks. Keep an eye on nighttime temperatures and plan to bring them back inside if it dips below 50 degrees.

Watering Stations

Room temperature water should be available at all times. We recommend a 1 gallon waterer for every 25 chicks. You can place these on a wood block to keep shavings out of the water.

When the chicks are smaller, make sure their watering station is shallow enough that they can escape if they fall in. Baby chicks can become chilled or drown if they aren't able to climb out on their own.

Allow your watering station to grow with your chicks. It should be placed at about the height of their back or shoulders for them to reach comfortably.

Broiler Feed

If you're wondering what to feed baby chicks, your broiler chicks will need slightly higher protein content than layer chicks. We recommend at least 20-22% protein for their starter feed. Adding a supplement like Aquastart to your feed can boost hydration and encourage early feeding.

If your chicks were not vaccinated, we recommend giving your baby chicks a medicated starter feed to keep them protected from Coccidiosis.

Your baby chick feeder should grow as your chicks do. Raise them up on wood blocks so they can comfortably reach the feed. You can also hang your feeder from an appropriate height if you want to keep shavings out of the feeder (you can usually do this around 2-3 weeks of age).

You can transition to a grower feed around 3-4 weeks of age (probably around the same time they leave the brooder) with a protein content between 16-18% to support steady growth.

Moving to Pasture

Many of our customers raise their poultry on pasture. Before moving your birds outside, make sure the following conditions have been met:

It's best to wait until at least 3-4 weeks of age when they start to develop their adult feathers. Doing so sooner may result in them becoming chilled or sick. Make sure the temperature outside is at least 65 degrees during the day and not dropping before 50 degrees at night. Do not put your poultry outside if the weather is extreme.

The transition to outdoors could happen as early as two weeks as long as the temperatures outside are suitable. If it's as hot outside as it is inside the brooder (80-90 degrees), then you can safely move them outside with supervision. If temperatures dip lower in the evenings, you can move them back inside for the night or provide them with supplemental heat.

When moving your baby poultry outside for the first time, choose a day when it is dry. Your chickens can no longer regulate their body temperature if they become wet. 

We recommend using a chicken tractor or something similar to protect your poultry from predators. A chicken tractor will also provide them with some shelter while they get used to being outside in the elements.

When receiving your poultry please be aware, it is important to care for your poultry, but you must also protect yourself from potentially harmful micro-organisms, germs (including salmonella) and bacteria by direct contact with poultry and livestock.

Helpful Reminders:

• Baby poultry have the potential to carry germs (including Salmonella) that make humans very sick, especially the young or elderly. Always wash your hands after handling your birds, and do not nuzzle, kiss, or snuggle your poultry. 
• Always supervise your children with poultry, and make sure hands are thoroughly washed after contact. Hand sanitizer is suitable if hot water and soap are not available. 
• Do not house poultry inside your home. It’s advisable to keep very young children or seniors with compromised immune systems away from poultry altogether.
• Even baby poultry that appears perfectly happy and healthy can carry Salmonella. Salmonella in most cases is mild, but it can be severe or even life threatening in certain cases.