So now you have your chicks in the brooder. One thing you need to do every day before disturbing them is to stand back and observe. The chicks will tell you if the heat is comfortable for them. If they are crowded directly under the beam, the chicks are cold and you should lower the lamp. If the chicks are crowded as far from the beam as they can get, then they are too warm and you should move the lamp higher. If the chicks are relatively evenly spaced around the brooder, then the temperature is just right. Expect to move it higher by increments as the chicks mature and remove it entirely after they are around 4-6 weeks. At this point mostly what you will be doing is checking them, adding feed/water, and cleaning the litter as it becomes soiled. You can handle your chicks after they've warmed up and settled into the brooder. Though I would limit handling at first to about 5 minutes, extending it as they get older.
Chickens feather in a very specific pattern, you'll notice their wing feathers will come in first, then their back, belly, and head last. However, because the wings come in first, it creates a potential difficulty for the homesteader. Because your chicks may try out their new wings before they are ready to leave the brooder. If you aren't careful, you could end up chasing chicks all over! Your brooder will need to have some kind of screen over the top. It will need to be heat resistant, because the lamp will be above it. I usually use wire, chicken wire will work fine, placed over the top and tucked around the edges of the tub. That will keep your chicks inside where they need to stay.
After about 4-6 weeks (age will vary), your chicks will be ready to start decreasing the temperature to prep them to move to the chicken yard. You will know they are ready when most of their feathers are in on their body. Never move the chicks away from the heat all at once, it could shock them. Instead, raise the lamp every few days or so until it's really not contributing to their warmth. Then move the chicks to their new area. You also could put them out for a couple hours a day, taking them in at night if it's chilly, for awhile longer. The more special care they receive at this age, the better the likelihood they will thrive once older.
Your chicken yard should be enclosed with chicken wire or small width wire fencing to keep your chicks in, and predators out. You should have somewhere for your juvenile/adult birds to get in out of the weather if they wish and also to roost at night. Take aerial predators into account when planning your setup. If hawks are a problem in your area, you might want to consider wire over the top. Make sure the sides of the enclosure are high enough to keep your birds inside. Chickens can't fly exactly, but they can hop with the assistance of their wings several feet in the air. Three feet isn't high enough for most adult birds! Now is a good time to think about where and what kind of nest boxes you will provide your soon-to-be hens. Wooden is fine, so are metal and even wire. You can keep them down low or mount them up higher. Regardless, I would put shavings and/or straw inside to invite the hens to lay their eggs in it.
Your chicken pen also needs to have water and a feeder. If they can, chickens will gladly scratch and scavenge all over. They'll eat all different kinds of things: bugs, worms, fallen fruits, grains, even bread! You'll soon discover that chickens provide a valuable receptacle for your leftover supper scraps. However, even with all of this they still need a small amount of feed in order to meet their nutritional needs. At this point though, you can switch them over from starter crumbs to either layer crumbs/pellets or scratch grains. The grains would be fine for non-laying birds, but plan to change to layer feed when they get closer to laying age.
Now is a good time to start trying to determine which gender the birds are. Some breeds are easier to determine than others. Unless you specifically purchased pullets (young hens), you can expect a certain number of roosters in your chicks. Even sexed chicks usually only have about a 95% accuracy, so even buying pullets you might still get a rooster by mistake. Usually (but not always) the size of the comb is an indicator. Rooster's combs tend to grow more quickly. However, keep in mind that a dominant hen will also have a larger comb. So the best idea is to make a note of the larger comb birds and then just wait. More than likely the big comb youngsters are male though. If you have more than 1 rooster and only a few hens, you'll have to make a choice whether to sell the extra male(s) or put them in the freezer. That, however, is a conversation for a different article.
At this point your chicks are thriving and doing well. You've got everything ready to go. Some of your hens may start laying as early as the next fall after their hatch (depends on breed). Others you will have to over-winter to the following spring before you'll start seeing eggs. It will be worth the wait though!
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