Most chick losses happen in the first month, and almost all of them trace back to four things: cold, thirst, dirty litter and missed vaccines. Get those right for thirty days and the rest of the journey is routine. Here is the checklist we run on our own farm.
Before the chicks arrive
The brooder must be ready and warm before the chicks land, not after. Clean and disinfect the house, spread dry litter, fill drinkers and feeders, and bring the brooding area up to temperature a few hours ahead. If you are still deciding what age of bird to start with, our day-old, one-month or point-of-lay guide compares the options honestly.
Week one: heat is life
Chicks need 30 to 35 degrees in the first week, on standard guidance from chick suppliers like Kenchic. Watch the birds, not the thermometer: chicks huddled tight under the heat source are cold; chicks pressed to the far edges are too hot; chicks spread evenly and cheeping softly are comfortable.
Water comes before feed - dip a few beaks so they learn the drinker. Then starter mash, available at all times. Our month-by-month Kenbro guide gives the feeding amounts by age.
Weeks two to four: step the heat down, keep the schedule
- Lower the heat by about two to three degrees each week as feathers grow.
- Vaccinate on schedule - the first month carries several doses, and each one missed is a door left open. Our vaccination schedule lists them day by day.
- Keep litter dry. Wet litter breeds coccidiosis, the silent killer of week three.
- Give them room. Overcrowded chicks pile up, smother and grow unevenly.
Count every day
A quick morning count tells you more than any inspection: how many chicks, how much feed gone, how the water level fell. One or two losses in the first days from weakness or travel stress is normal; losses climbing day after day is a warning - check heat, water and feed before you blame the hatchery. Our records guide shows the same daily habit carried into the laying flock.
Thirty days in, a well-run brood is feathered, active and eating grower feed - and the hard part is behind you.
A word from our farm
We are Fitnest Farm in Kochia East, Homa Bay County. We brood our own Kenbro chicks on this checklist, and we sell one-month-old chicks at Ksh 350 each for farmers who would rather start past the fragile stage. Our own prices are public: live mature Kenbro chicken at Ksh 450 per kg, slaughtered at Ksh 500 per kg, kienyeji trays at Ksh 460, one-month-old chicks at Ksh 350 each. We deliver chicken orders of 30 birds or more in Homa Bay, Kisii and Kisumu; smaller orders collect at the farm - we would rather say that plainly than promise what we cannot serve well.
Questions, or want to order directly? WhatsApp +254 791 255 964, or visit the Fitnest Farm Shop.
Sources: Kenchic chick brooding and management guidance; Ministry of Agriculture livestock extension materials; our own farm practice. Every brooder is different - watch the chicks, they will tell you what they need.