Chicken Brooder Basics (Video)

So you've acquired or hatched a group of day-old chicks; now what? Introducing them to a chicken brooder that will keep them comfortable and safe should be first on the list. Watch this video to learn some chicken brooder basics.

By Hank Will

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Raising chicks from scratch — or nearly scratch — isn't all that difficult. Folks have been doing it for thousands of years, and most pulled it off without all the technology we have today. Whether you purchase day-old birds from a hatchery or incubate fertile eggs instead, there's little reason to believe that your efforts won't result in one fine flock.

Quick Chick Checklist
Here's what you will need before your chicks arrive:

• Brooder box — either homemade or store bought
• Heat lamp
• Starter feed
• Chick-sized feeder
• Chick-sized waterer (with marbles or small stones)
• Chick-sized grit
• Newspaper pine shavings
• Plain Pedialyte, Manna Pro Life-Lytes or Sav-a-Chick

Watch the full video for more information about chicken brooders.

More on Raising Chicks from MOTHER EARTH NEWS

• Raising Chicks: Chick Brooder Temperature and Light Requirements
• Hatch Your Own Chicks!
• Brooding Baby Chicks in Winter

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