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Poultry

How to Take Care of Newborn Chicken

Sometimes people think that pets which have emotional bound with the owner is only limited to kind of dog or cat, but less will find that this  little cute cuddle chick is not only a breeder later on moreover this one is type which has love to share and what a spoiled animals they are. Whether you want to start having a hen, a pullets or baby bird from the beginning.  Keep in mind that having a baby chick is need more attention since they are more vulnerable to face the world instead of the already grown up hen or pullets. On the other hand having a baby one is give you the unique opportunity to bond and related each other over time.

Knowing this information will lead you to take action in to account that more need to be prepared when you have newborn chicken in your house. So please read some tips below on how to take care of newborn chicken to give you clue what to prepare in welcoming new members in your backyard breeder.

  • A place to stay safe

Many people build their own brooder from the hard cardboard or simple from the used boxes. Brooder is a place that is a baby chick can stay in limited area to prevent from the moving around a quite far and also from another obstacle might harm them. If you are busy enough do not hamper yourself much just go to the chicken shop then find the appropriate brooder that fit your need and budget.

  • Heating red lamp

Since we all know this baby chick is very week and flaccid to face the new world, it might be fragile to anything like a predator even a small one as well as to the climate in your region. Please pay attention to the season you have this time. Whether you have a warm season by now it might become colder at night. Hanging a heat red lamp will provide comfort and safe for the one which still uncovered by full grown feather all over the body. Make sure you give comfortable temperature means not too hot or too cold.

Observe if the baby birds cluster all together its probably the temperature you turn on is too cold, or if they are attach themselves to the wall and being separated from each other it might be they feel too hot. Just adjust the lamp in appropriate level of temperature. Research says that turn on in the specific level of degree, however I would recommend you to observe by yourself during the night time, you are the one who in charge in what degree of Celsius you  need to stays tuned, as long as your little cuddle can sleep better this indicate that they comfort and save.

  • Provide a soft and comfort bedding

While the overgrown chicken need the flooring coop, so the baby chick as well. Make certain that material you put not too rough since the skin is not well feathered so putting rough material could scratch them that will lead to kind of skin infection what I believe something certainly you will want to avoid in future. The good alternative is pine shaving or chopped straw, these two will absorb the poop and easy to remove and clean. Keep in mind using the paper from the used newspaper will hard to remove and also slippery, besides these two reasons this ink from the paper itself could leave another potential damage later on. One more thing need to avoid for bedding I recommend is cedar wood shaving, this produce aromatic oils that somehow can irritate the lungs of your little baby birds, moreover can lead to respiratory disease which will cause the stagnant baby chicken even turn in to fatal stage of death.

Just like a human, feeding a baby is more complex process compared with the adult. However this will give you the opportunity to gain trust from them, while you put or spread the food you will see the enthusiasm they show, the indulgence they appear, makes you in love more with them. They will see the love you give and in turn they will give it back to you. What a lovely friendship you both have. Usually we use an appropriate baby chick food like a chicken starter feed, in its form of mash or crumble. Whichever brand name you use, all this food is contains of nutritional items that support the growth of them. Beside that as you know chicken has no teeth so to help in processing food in the body, they will need the grit to grind up the food into pieces so will smooth the digestion system.  You may spread out the egg shell grit all over the brooder so they can forage this grit easily. If you wondering whether the baby chick peck the worm or a bugs in your yard, please do not too worry because this is normal and save for them, let them explore the new things around, let them grow , they need space and chance to become grown chicken.

Another essential thing not to forget is an accessible to water all the time. Chick tends to drink almost all day long, so having the water container inside the brooder is very crucial, neglecting this action can cause the dehydration of your little compound. Make sure you change the water anytime you see the water comes in mess, soiled with the poop. This will cause the illness if chick drinks from this contaminated water.

Question that might come up in your mind is frequently of the feeding itself.  This is a good solution for this, since baby chick may eat and drink all the time, so more often they eat and drink, more food and water you provide.  They will eat whenever they hungry and they will stop whenever they filled up. This habit will no overfeed so it will not end up with obese chick.

  • Caring and loving

Treat your baby chick as good as possible. Name them, play with them and cuddle them. This measure will lead to happy and healthy chick. So in the future they will become chicken laying eggs constantly.

So I hope this tips on how to take care of newborn chicken is source full for every one of us who keen on raising the little one into the grown up young chicken ahead.