At four weeks, your chicks are entering an awkward growth stage with rapid, disproportionate development and significant feathering. You’ll notice patchy plumage as they shed soft down and sprout primary feathers. They’re establishing social hierarchies through chasing and mock-fighting, so monitor for excessive aggression. You’ll need to gradually reduce brooder temperature to 70–75°F, maintain 18–23% protein starter feed, and guarantee fresh water access. Daily health checks remain critical for detecting lethargy, diarrhea, and mobility issues. Understanding each developmental aspect will help you navigate this transformative period successfully.
Physical Development and Feathering
By week four, your chicks have tripled in size since hatching and are entering what’s commonly called their “awkward stage”—a period characterized by rapid, disproportionate growth and significant feather development. During this phase, you’ll observe your chicks shedding their soft down in favor of primary feathers, creating a noticeably patchy appearance. Their feather growth accelerates substantially, with new primary feathers sprouting around week four and “teenage” feathers replacing down by weeks four through six. It’s essential at this stage to provide a high-protein, balanced diet to support their rapid growth, as proper nutrition can maximize egg output in future layers. Additionally, ensure that your garden is protected from chickens by using physical barriers and natural deterrents to keep them from digging in your plants. Chickens can also play a role in mosquito control efforts through their use as sentinel animals in disease monitoring.
Simultaneously, muscle development progresses rapidly in their legs and body. Your chicks’ previously fragile legs strengthen considerably, enabling them to navigate finer bedding materials like shredded paper. They’ll display a characteristically lanky, disproportionate physique—taller yet not yet fully proportioned. Introduce perch and chick grit during this stage to support their healthy growth and development. By week six, they’ll resemble small adult chickens with complete feathering, marking the change from their awkward developmental phase toward maturity.
Adjusting Brooder Temperature
As your chicks develop through their fourth week, you’ll need to progressively lower the brooder temperature to match their increasing cold tolerance and reduced thermoregulatory demands. By week four, reduce the heat source to maintain 70–75°F at chick back level. Temperature management during this critical period requires careful observation of behavioral indicators alongside thermometer readings. Watch for huddling, which signals insufficient warmth, or spreading toward brooder edges, indicating excessive heat. Properly acclimated four-week-old chicks demonstrate free movement throughout the space and quiet, active behavior—markers of ideal chick comfort. During this time, providing them with homemade chicken treats can also enhance their well-being and enrich their environment. Additionally, ensuring that they are shielded from cold winds with windbreaks around the brooder will help maintain a comfortable environment as they acclimate. It’s important to note that breeds like Buff Orpingtons are known for their reliable laying habits even in cold weather, which can encourage consistent egg production as they mature. Understanding the chick stage is crucial for providing the appropriate care during their development. Ensuring that they have access to adequate ventilation and temperature control will further support their adaptation to changing conditions. In home conditions maintaining 75°F ambient temperature, you may eliminate the heat lamp entirely. Guarantee adequate space for thermal self-regulation and escape from any remaining heat source. Radiant heat plates provide superior temperature control during this shift phase. Ensure the brooder walls remain at least 12-18 inches high to maintain draft protection as temperature adjustments occur.
Nutrition and Feeding Requirements
Once you’ve established proper temperature management, you’ll direct your attention to feeding protocols that support your chicks’ rapid growth trajectory during week four. Your feed formulation should deliver 18–23% protein—20% is standard for general-purpose starters—with emphasized methionine and lysine for muscle and feather development. Incorporate vitamins A, D, E and trace minerals including zinc, iron, and manganese to support immune function and growth.
Provide crumbled feed exclusively; its fine particle size eliminates your need for supplemental grit. Implement ad libitum feeding with continuous access to fresh, clean water—water intake directly influences feed consumption and nutrient absorption. Offer multiple shallow feeders to reduce competition and waste. Monitor your chicks’ body condition rather than strict portioning, adjusting intake based on observed growth rates and activity levels. Continue feeding the same Purina complete starter-grower feed from day 1 through week 18 to ensure consistent nutrition without dietary disruptions that could compromise growth or health.
Housing and Environmental Setup
Your brooding enclosure must be draft-free, well-ventilated, and escape-proof with walls reaching at least 2 feet high to safely contain your four-week-old chicks. Brooder design should incorporate a long, narrow configuration that establishes distinct warm and cool zones, enabling natural thermoregulation as chicks mature. Use rounded or octagonal shapes to prevent corner entrapment.
At four weeks, you’ll require ¾ square foot per chick minimum. Maintain 3-4 inches of pine shavings or aspen bedding, avoiding cedar due to respiratory risks. Temperature regulation remains critical; position your heat lamp 24-30 inches above bedding. Consider shifting to a heat plate while maintaining supplemental heat at night. To enhance their health and reduce disease, you might also consider integrating beneficial herbs like oregano into their environment. Install a low roosting perch at 1-inch diameter, allocating 4 inches per chick. Guarantee constant access to room-temperature water. As chicks approach six weeks of age, they will be ready to transition outdoors to a chicken coop once they can maintain their body temperature independently.
Behavioral Changes and Socialization
Beyond the physical infrastructure that keeps your chicks safe and comfortable, their social environment now shapes behavioral development in measurable ways. You’ll observe pronounced changes as your four-week-old chicks establish social hierarchy through increased chasing, chest-bumping, and mock-fighting. Simultaneously, play behavior intensifies—your chicks run, flutter, spar, and investigate novel objects, refining motor skills and coordination. Individual personalities emerge distinctly; some chicks display bold, outgoing traits while others remain subordinate. You’ll notice preferred affiliations forming within your cohort. Chickens communicate through a complex range of vocalizations that can influence the dynamics in your flock. It’s important to recognize that adult chickens may peck or show dominance toward younger chicks to help establish the social hierarchy. Sexual differentiation becomes increasingly apparent through comb and wattle development alongside more assertive displays in likely males. During this period, your chicks will also enjoy dust bathing as a natural behavior that helps control parasites while reinforcing social bonding within the flock. Consistent handling during this critical period enhances human-tolerance and temperament. Monitor these behavioral patterns closely to inform decisions regarding flock composition and potential rehoming of surplus roosters.
Monitoring Flock Dynamics
As your four-week-old chicks mature, observing flock dynamics becomes critical to preventing injuries and ensuring stable social integration. You’ll notice establishment of the pecking order as older birds assert dominance through posturing, chest puffing, and selective pecking. Normal behaviors include mild chasing and quick pecks without causing wounds. Chickens also tend to sleep with one eye open during the night, engaging in uni-hemispheric sleep to remain alert to potential threats.
Monitor closely for integration challenges such as ganging up, blood, or trapped chicks—signs of excessive aggression requiring immediate separation. Watch for roosters displaying heightened dominance compared to hens through exaggerated posturing and more aggressive interactions. If attacks escalate beyond typical hierarchy sorting, separate chicks and retry integration the following day. At this stage, gender identification remains uncertain, so behavioral traits like comb size and feather types may provide hints but are not definitive indicators.
Document behavioral patterns daily. A cohesive flock unit typically stabilizes within days as members recognize their social positions and establish feeding, drinking, and roosting routines without conflict.
Health Considerations and Daily Care
Once your chicks reach four weeks of age, maintaining ideal nutrition, hydration, and environmental conditions becomes essential to supporting their continued growth and preventing disease. Conduct daily checks for lethargy, fluffed feathers, decreased appetite, and diarrhea—early indicators of illness requiring immediate intervention. Monitor vents closely for pasting, gently removing dried droppings to prevent blockage. Provide fresh, clean water at appropriate temperatures using chick-safe waterers to minimize contamination and gastrointestinal disease risk. Feed a starter-grower ration containing 18–20% protein with balanced vitamins and minerals; treat supplements minimally. Ensure your chicks have constant access to organic chicken starter feed in crumble form to support their developmental needs. Watch for common illnesses including coccidiosis, particularly with bloody diarrhea or sudden mortality. Maintain dry bedding, adequate ventilation, and proper temperature gradients. Assess mobility and limb function regularly, addressing lameness immediately.
