9 Supplies for Raising Chicks in a Brooder

That first peep from a box of newly arrived chicks is a sound of pure potential, the beginning of a future flock. But their survival and health over the next six weeks depend entirely on the environment you create. A well-equipped brooder isn’t just a box; it’s a complete life-support system that stands in for a mother hen.

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Setting Up Your Brooder for Healthy Chicks

A brooder is a safe, warm, and clean space where chicks live until they are fully feathered and ready for the coop. The goal is to replicate the conditions a mother hen provides: consistent warmth, constant access to food and water, and protection from drafts and predators. A successful setup manages these elements to minimize stress and prevent common chick ailments like pasty butt, chilling, or dehydration.

Your primary focus should be on stability. Chicks are incredibly fragile, and sudden changes in temperature or a lack of clean water can be fatal within hours. Before your chicks arrive, your brooder should be completely set up, with the heat source running and the temperature stable for at least 24 hours. This ensures you aren’t making frantic adjustments with vulnerable new birds already inside.

Brooder Container – Tuff Stuff Stock Tank

Every brooder starts with the container itself. It needs to be draft-free, have high enough sides to keep curious chicks from escaping, and be easy to clean. While a large cardboard box or a plastic tote can work in a pinch for a tiny number of chicks, they are quickly outgrown and difficult to sanitize effectively.

For a durable, reusable, and perfectly suited option, a 110-gallon Tuff Stuff Stock Tank is the ideal foundation. Made from heavy-duty, recycled plastic, these tanks are nearly indestructible and won’t absorb moisture or odor like wood or cardboard. The smooth, seamless interior makes cleaning simple—just scoop out the bedding, spray it down, and you’re ready for the next batch. The high, solid walls provide excellent protection from drafts and prevent even the most ambitious jumpers from escaping as they get older. This is a one-time purchase that will serve you for years, not just for brooding but for countless other farm tasks.

Heat Source – Brinsea EcoGlow Safety 600 Brooder

Chicks cannot regulate their own body temperature for the first few weeks of life, making a reliable heat source the most critical piece of brooder equipment. Traditional heat lamps are a common choice, but they carry a significant fire risk, create uneven hot spots, and disrupt chicks’ natural sleep cycles with constant light.

The Brinsea EcoGlow Safety 600 Brooder is a far superior and safer alternative. Instead of a bulb, it uses a radiant heating plate that chicks huddle under, much like they would with a mother hen. This allows them to self-regulate their temperature by moving toward or away from the heat, promoting more natural behavior. The EcoGlow runs on low-voltage power, drastically reducing fire risk and consuming significantly less electricity than a 250-watt heat lamp. Its adjustable legs allow you to raise the plate as the chicks grow, ensuring it’s always at the perfect height. This is an investment in safety and in raising healthier, less-stressed birds.

Bedding – Standlee Premium Western Pine Shavings

Bedding is the floor of your brooder, providing insulation, absorbing moisture and waste, and giving chicks a textured surface for proper foot development. The wrong bedding can cause health problems, from respiratory issues caused by dust to leg problems from slippery surfaces.

Standlee Premium Western Pine Shavings are the gold standard for brooder bedding. The medium-sized flakes are highly absorbent, keeping the brooder floor dry and reducing ammonia buildup. They are also low in dust, which is critical for protecting the chicks’ delicate respiratory systems. Start with a deep, fluffy layer of at least two to three inches. Crucially, never use cedar shavings, as their aromatic oils are toxic to poultry. You’ll need to spot-clean the bedding daily and change it completely every few days to maintain a healthy environment.

Chick Feeder – Miller Little Giant Galvanized Feeder

Chicks are messy eaters. They will scratch at, walk in, and poop on their food if given the chance, wasting feed and creating a health hazard. A proper feeder is designed to minimize this behavior, keeping the feed clean and accessible.

The Miller Little Giant Galvanized Feeder is a classic design that works exceptionally well. The long, narrow trough with individual feeding holes prevents chicks from flicking feed everywhere with their beaks or kicking bedding into it with their feet. The galvanized steel construction is far more durable than plastic and is easy to scrub and sanitize between batches of chicks. For the first day or two, you might sprinkle some feed on a paper towel to teach them to eat, but they will quickly learn to use this feeder. As they grow, place the feeder on a small block of wood to keep it elevated and even cleaner.

Chick Waterer – Harris Farms Plastic Poultry Drinker

Constant access to fresh, clean water is non-negotiable for chick survival. Dehydration can set in rapidly. A good waterer prevents chicks from getting wet and chilled—a common cause of death—while being easy for you to refill and clean.

The Harris Farms Plastic Poultry Drinker (1-Quart) is perfectly designed for the brooder. Its simple, gravity-fed design is reliable, and the narrow water trough is shallow enough to prevent chicks from accidentally drowning or getting soaked. The bright red base naturally attracts them to the water source. Plastic is lightweight and won’t rust, but it requires diligent cleaning. You must scrub the waterer daily with soap and water to prevent biofilm buildup, which can harbor harmful bacteria. Like the feeder, elevating it slightly after the first week will help keep the water trough free of shavings.

Chick Feed – Purina Start & Grow Medicated Feed

For the first eight weeks of their lives, chicks need a complete feed formulated for their rapid growth. This isn’t the time for kitchen scraps or scratch grains. A high-protein starter crumble provides all the nutrients they need in a size they can easily eat.

Purina Start & Grow Medicated Feed is a widely available and trusted option that gives chicks a strong, healthy start. The "medicated" formula contains amprolium, a coccidiostat that helps prevent coccidiosis—a common and deadly intestinal disease in young poultry. This is a preventative measure, not a treatment, and is a crucial safeguard for your flock. It’s important to know if your chicks were vaccinated for coccidiosis at the hatchery; if so, you should use a non-medicated feed, as the medicated feed can interfere with the vaccine. For most backyard flocks sourced from feed stores, the medicated option is the right choice.

Chick Grit – Manna Pro Chick Grit with Probiotics

Chickens don’t have teeth; they use a muscular organ called the gizzard to grind their food. To do this effectively, they must consume small stones, or grit. While chicks can digest starter crumble without it, introducing grit early helps develop a healthy digestive system.

Manna Pro Chick Grit with Probiotics is an excellent choice because it serves two functions. First, it provides appropriately sized insoluble granite grit for tiny gizzards. Second, the added probiotics help establish a healthy gut flora, improving nutrient absorption and bolstering their immune systems. You don’t mix grit into the feed; simply provide it in a small, separate dish. A little goes a long way. If you are feeding only starter feed, grit is optional, but it becomes essential the moment you offer any treats, no matter how small.

Health Supplement – Sav-A-Chick Electrolyte Packet

The journey from the hatchery to your brooder is incredibly stressful for a day-old chick. They can easily become dehydrated and worn out. Giving them an immediate boost upon arrival can make a huge difference in their survival rate and overall vigor.

A Sav-A-Chick Electrolyte Packet is cheap insurance. This small packet contains a balanced mix of electrolytes, vitamins, and minerals designed to help chicks recover from the stress of shipping. Simply mix one packet into a gallon of water and offer it as their only water source for the first three to five days. It helps them rehydrate quickly and provides key nutrients to get their systems running properly. After the initial few days, switch to plain, fresh water.

Thermometer – Govee Digital Hygrometer Thermometer

You cannot manage what you do not measure. Maintaining the correct brooder temperature is a matter of life and death for chicks, and guessing is not an option. You need an accurate thermometer placed correctly to know what the temperature is where the chicks are actually living.

The Govee Digital Hygrometer Thermometer is a modern, reliable tool for this job. Its digital display is easy to read at a glance, and unlike old-fashioned mercury thermometers, it provides a precise reading. Critically, it also measures humidity (the "hygrometer" function), which helps you monitor for conditions that are too damp. Place the thermometer on the floor of the brooder under the edge of the heat source, because the temperature at the top of the brooder is irrelevant. The only temperature that matters is the one at chick level.

Monitoring Temperature and Chick Behavior

A thermometer gives you the data, but the chicks’ behavior tells you the story. For the first week, the temperature directly under the heat source should be around 95°F (35°C). You can then reduce the temperature by about 5°F each week until it matches the ambient temperature. However, the best indicator of comfort is the chicks themselves.

Pay close attention to how they are distributed. If they are all huddled tightly together directly under the heater, they are too cold. If they are spread out along the edges of the brooder, far from the heat source and possibly panting, they are too hot. The ideal scene is chicks evenly scattered throughout the brooder, with some under the heat, some eating and drinking, and some sleeping contentedly in other areas. This tells you they can comfortably regulate their own temperature, which is the ultimate goal.

Graduating Your Chicks from Brooder to Coop

The brooder is a temporary home. Around six weeks of age, your chicks will be fully feathered and look like miniature versions of adult chickens. This is when they are ready to "graduate" and move into their permanent coop. This transition should be gradual to avoid shock.

Start by turning off the brooder heat source for a day or two (as long as nighttime temperatures are mild) to acclimate them to ambient temperatures. Then, begin taking them on supervised "field trips" to the coop and run for a few hours on warm, sunny days. After a few days of this, you can move them into the coop permanently. Ensure the coop is secure from predators, has roosting bars, and is equipped with a larger feeder and waterer suitable for their growing size.

Setting up a brooder correctly is the most important step you can take to ensure a healthy, thriving flock. By investing in the right supplies from the start, you eliminate guesswork and create a safe, stable environment. Your reward will be watching those fragile, peeping fluffballs grow into robust, productive members of your homestead.