At a Glance: Raise Backyard Chickens (First 6 Weeks) Environmental Stability: Success begins in the brooder by maintaining a temperature of 95°F during the first week and gradually weaning chicks off heat as they develop feathers. Security & Mobility: Utilizing a mobile chicken tractor with a pressure-treated 2 x 4 base and pneumatic wheels allows for daily pasture rotation while providing “total predator protection” through heavy-duty hardware cloth. Nutritional Health: Ensure a smooth transition from medicated starter feed to layer pellets by week 18, always supplementing with fresh water and grit if the flock consumes anything other than standard feed. RELATED: How to Build a Mobile Chicken Tractor Setup for Small Acreage You’re checking the brooder thermometer for the fourth time this morning. One of your chicks is flopped over on its side, and you’ve convinced yourself something is wrong. Your partner is starting to ask when exactly these chickens go outside. You came home from the feed store in March with a box of six peeping fluffballs and a vague plan, and now you’re deep in conflicting internet advice, second-guessing everything. The truth is, most of what you’re panicking about is completely normal. The flopped chick is probably just sleeping and the brooder temperature is probably fine. Most experienced homesteaders will tell you chickens are a Year 2 project; it is something to add after you’ve gotten a garden season under your belt. That’s genuinely good advice for someone who hasn’t taken the plunge yet. But you’re already past that decision. Your chicks are here. This guide covers the next twelve weeks, one stage at a time. The First Six Weeks: Life in the Brooder Baby chicks cannot regulate their own body temperature until they’re fully feathered, which takes about six weeks. Before that, they depend entirely on an external heat source to survive. The brooder, whatever container you’re keeping them in, is their whole world for now, and getting it right makes everything easier downstream. Temperature and Behavior Start at 95°F during the first week. Drop the temperature by 5 degrees every week after that. By week six, you’re down to about 70°F, which is roughly room temperature, and they’re ready to move outside if the weather cooperates. The chicks will tell you exactly what they need: If they’re huddled in a tight pile: That means they’re cold; lower the lamp or add more warmth. If they’re panting and pressed against the walls: That means they’re feeling too hot; raise the lamp. If they’re spread out and peeping happily: That means the temperature is just right. Setting Up the Space A large cardboard box, a galvanized stock tank, or a plastic storage tote all work fine. Plan for at least one square foot per chick. For heat, a brooder plate heater is safer than a traditional heat lamp. If you must use a heat lamp, secure it with hardware rather than just using the clamp, as it might fall and cause fire. Use pine shavings for bedding as they’re absorbent, affordable, and easy to swap out. Avoid cedar, which can irritate the chicks’ lungs. How to Feed Your Flock at Every Stage Chicken nutrition isn’t complicated, but transitions matter. The wrong feed at the wrong stage won’t hurt your birds immediately, but it’ll affect their development over time. Feed Types StageFeed TypeTimelineHatchlingChick StarterWeeks 0–8GrowingGrower FeedWeeks 8–18LayingLayer FeedWeek 18+ (First Egg) Starter Feed: Use medicated starter if you aren’t sure if your chicks were vaccinated for coccidiosis. Fresh, clean water is just as important as feed so change it daily. Treats and Grit: After week two, you can offer small amounts of treats like plain yogurt or chopped greens to chicks. If you give anything other than starter feed, provide chick grit, which consists of small granite or sand particles that they use to grind food in their gizzard. Moving Your Chicks Outside When can chicks go outside? Full feathering happens between six and eight weeks. You can give them short supervised outdoor sessions starting around three weeks, but they must come back inside until their “adult suit” is fully grown. How Do You Know Your Coop Is Ready? The most common first-year disaster is a predator attack. Build your coop to withstand local predators and not for Pinterest board purposes. Use hardware cloth, not chicken wire: Chicken wire keeps chickens in, but cannot keep predators out. Bury an apron: Lay hardware cloth flat on the ground, extending 12 inches outward to stop diggers. Secure latches: Raccoons can open simple slide latches; use carabiners or locking hardware. Do You Need a Rooster? No, because hens lay eggs entirely on their own. A rooster is only needed if you want fertilized eggs, and fertilized eggs play no role in the average backyard flock producing breakfast. If you suspect you have a cockerel (male), look for a larger, redder comb and thicker legs around weeks 6–8. If you can’t keep a rooster due to noise or local laws, don’t worry; it’s a common sexing error that happens in roughly 1 in 10 purchases. Common Mistakes to Avoid Trusting the thermometer over the birds: If the gauge says 95°F but the chicks are huddling, that means they’re feeling cold. Overfeeding treats: Scratch grains are fun, but they are nutritionally incomplete. Moving chicks too early: A single unexpected cold snap can kill an under-feathered flock. Starting too big: Three to six hens is genuinely enough for a family of four; you’ll get more eggs than you expect and more manure than you planned for. If your chicks are still in the brooder, put down the thermometer and watch them for five minutes. That shift, from watching gauges to watching animals, is the skill that makes a great chicken keeper. If you’re approaching the six-week mark, spend 30 minutes on a predator audit. Walk the coop, check every latch, and look for ground-level gaps. One hour of prep now prevents a loss that would ruin an otherwise great season. Raise Backyard Chickens: Frequently Asked Questions When can baby chicks move from the brooder to an outdoor coop? Chicks are typically ready to move outside between six and eight weeks of age, once they are fully feathered and can regulate their own body temperature. While you can begin short, supervised outdoor sessions as early as three weeks, they must remain indoors until their “adult suit” has grown in completely. Do I need a rooster for my hens to produce eggs? No, a rooster is not necessary for egg production because hens will lay eggs entirely on their own. You only need a rooster if you intend to produce fertilized eggs for hatching, which is not required for a standard backyard flock. How can I tell if my brooder temperature is correct? While you should start at 95°F and drop 5 degrees weekly, you should primarily watch the chicks’ behavior: they are too cold if huddled in a tight pile and too hot if panting against the walls. Happy chicks will be spread out and peeping contentedly. What is the best material for predator-proofing a coop or tractor? You must use 1/2-inch galvanized hardware cloth rather than standard chicken wire, as chicken wire is only strong enough to keep birds in and cannot stop predators. For maximum security, bury a 12-inch mesh apron around the perimeter to deter digging animals. What should I feed my chickens at different stages of growth? Nutrition is divided into three main phases: Chick Starter for weeks 0–8, Grower Feed for weeks 8–18, and Layer Feed once they begin laying eggs around week 18. If you provide treats like yogurt or greens before they move outside, you must also provide chick grit to help them grind the food in their gizzards.