English
The first four weeks decide more about how a batch of chicks turns out than almost anything you do afterward. Day-old chicks can't regulate their own body temperature yet, they're building an immune system from scratch, and every gram of feed they eat in week one is either wasted or turned into the frame they'll carry for the rest of their life. Getting heat, water, and starter feed right early is the cheapest insurance you can buy.
Heat First, Before the Chicks Even Arrive
Warm the brooding area before the chicks get there, not after. For the first week, chicks generally need the space around 32-35°C (90-95°F) directly under the heat source, dropping by roughly 3°C each week after that until you're close to room temperature by week four or five. Watch the birds rather than the thermometer: chicks huddled tightly under the heat source are cold, chicks spread out to the edges of the pen are too warm, and chicks evenly scattered and moving around comfortably means you've got it about right.
Water Before Feed
Let chicks find water first - dip a few beaks in the drinker so they learn where it is, since the rest of the group will copy them. Give them a couple of hours to settle and drink before introducing feed. Keep water at room temperature rather than cold, and make sure every chick can reach a drinker at the same time; overcrowded waterers are a common and avoidable source of early stress.
Getting Starter Feed and Supplements Right
A good starter feed should sit around 20% crude protein for layers and closer to 24% for broilers, with vitamins and minerals to support bone and immune development. Faida Mall stocks Chick Starter for this stage, along with Vital-Power and Maxi-Egg as vitamin and mineral supplements for birds under stress - after transport, a heat wave, or coming off a vaccination - or to support layers as they approach point of lay. These are supplements, not a replacement for a proper starter ration.
What to Watch in the First Week
Chick behavior is the most honest signal you have. Quiet, evenly-spread, actively eating and drinking chicks are doing fine. Shrill, constant cheeping usually means the pen is too cold, too crowded, or the birds are hungry or thirsty - go check before you assume it will sort itself out. Small problems caught on day two are cheap to fix; the same problems caught on day ten usually aren't.