10/01/2026
If you’ve never raised chicks before, here’s exactly how we went from a box in our laundry room to our chicken coop.
Weeks 0–1: Start small
We started our chicks in a simple box in the laundry room with chick bedding, chick starter feed, fresh water, and a safe heat source. New chicks need supplemental heat because they can’t regulate their body temperature well yet.
Around 1 week: They start getting adventurous! 😂
Our chicks quickly learned how to fly out of the box, so we added a wooden frame covered with chicken wire. This kept them safely contained while still allowing plenty of ventilation.
As they grow: Give them more space
Once they outgrew the box, we moved them into a dedicated brooder area inside our chicken coop. Our coop has electricity, so we were able to safely use a brooder heating plate rather than a heat lamp.
A brooder plate is especially nice because the chicks can move underneath it when they need warmth and move away when they’re comfortable.
Around 6–8 weeks: Start transitioning
As chicks develop their feathers, they need progressively less supplemental heat. Their exact transition depends on their feathering, the weather, and nighttime temperatures.
At around 8 weeks, our chicks were ready to explore the rest of the coop and run.
🐥 Beginner tip: Don’t focus only on the calendar. Watch the chicks! If they’re huddled tightly underneath the heat source, they may be cold. If they’re avoiding it and panting, they may be too warm. Comfortable chicks should be active, eating, drinking and spread throughout their brooder.
Raising chicks doesn’t have to be complicated or fancy. Start with the basics—warmth, clean water, chick starter, clean bedding, adequate space and protection from predators—and adjust as they grow.
And remember, they grow FAST. What works for a box of tiny chicks won’t work for them a few weeks later!
We’re sharing all things chickens this October at Simplee Rooted—from preparing for chicks to coop essentials, feeding, winter prep and everything we’ve learned along the way.
