Chicken Support Insights - Episode 18: Chick Behavior Signals Every Brooder Owner Should Know

Bringing chicks home is exciting, but it can also leave new flock owners second-guessing every detail in the brooder. In this episode, Nikki and Tina explain how chick behavior often reveals more than any thermometer, helping you recognize signs of comfort, stress, or imbalance through patterns like clustering, chirping, activity level, and spacing. Learning what normal behavior looks like in the first 24 to 48 hours after arrival can help you make calm, confident adjustments instead of reacting too quickly or guessing. 

What patterns are your chicks showing right now, and what might those behaviors be telling you about their environment?

For more educational resources on brooder setup, chick care timing, and planning your flock intentionally, explore our Care Guide available through Valley Hatchery. Subscribe to the podcast for more practical guidance designed to support confident, well-prepared flock owners.

Transcript

Nikki 0:09

Hi everyone, I'm Nikki and welcome back to the Chicken Support Insights podcast where we help you raise strong, healthy backyard flocks with confidence. I'm here with Tina. Today we are talking about something that gets overlooked a lot. How to actually read chick behavior in the brooder, especially during spring when birds are arriving fast and people are just trying to keep up. This is really about learning what your chicks are telling you instead of guessing. Let's get into it. Okay, Tina. So what is the first thing someone should look for when they're trying to understand chick behavior in the brooder?

Tina 0:44

Well, yes, it's a great question, Nikki. So the first thing that they should look at is really the chicks themselves. Now the temperature is very important. You know, the first eight hours, you want that temperature to be 100-105 degrees near the heat lamp, but they're they're gonna tell you a lot. So even though that is important to watch that that temperature, the chicks, if they are chirping incessantly, that means they're under some distress. Now, this is typical with just opening a box of chicks, of course, but after a little bit of time, they should calm down. Likewise, if they're just too incredibly quiet and they're not moving around and and things like that, that's indicating some stress too. So they should just sort of be moving around, eating and drinking, going from the hot area to the cold area, not being overly loud or overly quiet. So they'll tell you a lot. And I think that some people focus so much on temperature and other things that they don't actually look at the chicks and realize that there may be some signs, you know, with them. They might be looking lethargic or, you know, something like that. So it's really important to not only know, you know, all of the things that we teach in the care guide as far as temperature and everything, and dipping the water and the, you know, dipping the beak in the water and all of that, but to really look at the chicks because they'll tell you a lot.

Nikki 2:12

Right, exactly. And that's great information. Thank you for that.

Tina 2:16

And so, Nikki, what does normal behavior actually look like in those first 24 to 48 hours after they arrive?

Nikki 2:24

Well, those first couple of days are more about recovery, especially for shipped chicks. Like you noted on some they're going to be a little bit weak or lethargic, and that's all completely normal. And they will be moving around the brooder with short lists of energy, and like you said, exploring their surroundings, pecking at the bedding, and exploring their feeder and water. And another thing is they will be sleeping a lot throughout the day, and probably in piles, you know, to keep warm. So they can actually be like active one minute and sleeping a lot the next. And again, that's a completely normal pattern. And you do have to keep in mind they've been in transit for up to three days, and they need that time to stabilize.

Tina 3:06

Yeah, right. I mean, they're not going to act perfect right away.

Nikki 3:10

What are some common mistakes people make when reading chick behavior?

Tina 3:16

Yeah, so like I mentioned a moment ago, not realizing , extreme chirping or extreme quiet is a sign that there could be an issue. So a lot of times too, people will get the chicks and they will automatically see or think if they have chicks that are a little weak or a little lethargic, they automatically think, "Oh, that's normal, they just had shipping", which it is. But they should still be calling us because they should bounce back fairly quickly from that by providing them that first eight hours of extra warm brooder, 100 to 105 degrees, and likewise with basic temperature of warm plain water. So it shouldn't take the whole eight hours to bounce back, it should just be, you know, a couple hours maybe. And ignoring that little bit of like lethargy or weakness can run into problems later because they do need to really observe that and know what's going on. And of course, we're here. So call us if you're not sure. Refer to our care guide. We have like this podcast, we have many different ways of getting information, but we're here to help in all the ways that we can. So one thing is they might see that they're crowding a little bit because they're sleeping, and they might take that as it's too warm and then they're pushing that, you know, the heat lamp down, and then it's actually too hot. So they're kind of overcorrecting really quickly instead of just observing and watching patterns. Now, of course, the chicks, it's not good for them to ride those crazy waves. So you do want to help mitigate this by making sure that you've tested your brooder out prior to them coming and you know where the heat lamp needs to be for different temperatures. That's real important. They don't need to ride those waves. But being prepared, I think, is a big thing.

Nikki 5:12

Exactly. And like we said, we don't want you focusing on the thermometer, but you need to be looking at the birds themselves.

Tina 5:20

Right. Yeah, definitely one of the biggest things is assuming that quite you know, that it's fine just because they're not really doing a lot.

Nikki 5:29

Exactly.

Tina 5:30

And Nikki, how should someone adjust their brooder setup based on what they're seeing?

Nikki 5:37

Well, the key is making small adjustments and then watch what changes with their behavior. We all pointed out they are if they're huddled under that lamp, they're too cold. So you will need to lower that lamp and block any drafts there might be. And these changes will need to be made little by little instead of you know being done all at once, because that's a little extreme for their their little body. And and it can be, like I said, a little shocking for them. And then again, if they are too cold, they can decline quickly. So definitely want to, you know, do that very slowly. And then on the other hand, if they're far away from the heat source, they're too hot, and that lamp will need to be raised, and you will need to increase the ventilation. Um, if they are spread evenly and calm, everything is perfect and nothing major need major needs to be done. Just make adjustments as they grow. Then allowing your chicks to have enough space to move around and away from the heat is also important. Overcrowding can lead to stress with a chick. And make sure when you're making the adjustments to the brooder, watch their behavior before changing them again.

Tina 6:41

Right, yeah. Making too many changes too abruptly can be actually more disrupting for them than just little things. Absolutely. All right, well, hopefully, this gives you a different way to think about brooding. It's not just setup, it's observation. Take a few minutes to actually watch your chicks and see what they're doing before you make any changes. Most of the time, they're already telling you what they need. Thanks for listening, and we'll see you in the next episode. Bye.