Brooding Chicks: The First Weeks That Make or Break Your Flock

Raising chicks is kind of like babysitting a room full of toddlers armed with feathers and tiny beaks—they’re adorable, noisy, and very good at finding creative ways to get into trouble. But the first few weeks of their lives, called the brooding period, are the most critical. How you handle those weeks can decide whether you end up with a thriving flock or a disaster.

What Brooding Means

Brooding is the stage after chicks hatch when they’re still too young to regulate their body temperature. In nature, a mother hen keeps them warm, teaches them where to peck, and basically acts as a personal heater. Without a hen, that job falls on you (and your equipment).