diff --git a/src/check.c b/src/check.c
index 55f0793..aedbed1 100644
--- a/src/check.c
+++ b/src/check.c
@@ -1418,38 +1418,6 @@
 	return 1;
 }
 
-/* updates the server's weight during a warmup stage. Once the final weight is
- * reached, the task automatically stops. Note that any server status change
- * must have updated s->last_change accordingly.
- */
-struct task *server_warmup(struct task *t, void *context, unsigned int state)
-{
-	struct server *s = context;
-
-	/* by default, plan on stopping the task */
-	t->expire = TICK_ETERNITY;
-	if ((s->next_admin & SRV_ADMF_MAINT) ||
-	    (s->next_state != SRV_ST_STARTING))
-		return t;
-
-	HA_SPIN_LOCK(SERVER_LOCK, &s->lock);
-
-	/* recalculate the weights and update the state */
-	server_recalc_eweight(s, 1);
-
-	/* probably that we can refill this server with a bit more connections */
-	pendconn_grab_from_px(s);
-
-	HA_SPIN_UNLOCK(SERVER_LOCK, &s->lock);
-
-	/* get back there in 1 second or 1/20th of the slowstart interval,
-	 * whichever is greater, resulting in small 5% steps.
-	 */
-	if (s->next_state == SRV_ST_STARTING)
-		t->expire = tick_add(now_ms, MS_TO_TICKS(MAX(1000, s->slowstart / 20)));
-	return t;
-}
-
 /*
  * Start health-check.
  * Returns 0 if OK, ERR_FATAL on error, and prints the error in this case.
@@ -1459,7 +1427,6 @@
 
 	struct proxy *px;
 	struct server *s;
-	struct task *t;
 	int nbcheck=0, mininter=0, srvpos=0;
 
 	/* 0- init the dummy frontend used to create all checks sessions */
@@ -1481,22 +1448,6 @@
 	 */
 	for (px = proxies_list; px; px = px->next) {
 		for (s = px->srv; s; s = s->next) {
-			if (s->slowstart) {
-				if ((t = task_new(MAX_THREADS_MASK)) == NULL) {
-					ha_alert("Starting [%s:%s] check: out of memory.\n", px->id, s->id);
-					return ERR_ALERT | ERR_FATAL;
-				}
-				/* We need a warmup task that will be called when the server
-				 * state switches from down to up.
-				 */
-				s->warmup = t;
-				t->process = server_warmup;
-				t->context = s;
-				/* server can be in this state only because of */
-				if (s->next_state == SRV_ST_STARTING)
-					task_schedule(s->warmup, tick_add(now_ms, MS_TO_TICKS(MAX(1000, (now.tv_sec - s->last_change)) / 20)));
-			}
-
 			if (s->check.state & CHK_ST_CONFIGURED) {
 				nbcheck++;
 				if ((srv_getinter(&s->check) >= SRV_CHK_INTER_THRES) &&
diff --git a/src/server.c b/src/server.c
index 8558540..d770bdd 100644
--- a/src/server.c
+++ b/src/server.c
@@ -4438,6 +4438,72 @@
 	return 1;
 }
 
+/* updates the server's weight during a warmup stage. Once the final weight is
+ * reached, the task automatically stops. Note that any server status change
+ * must have updated s->last_change accordingly.
+ */
+static struct task *server_warmup(struct task *t, void *context, unsigned int state)
+{
+	struct server *s = context;
+
+	/* by default, plan on stopping the task */
+	t->expire = TICK_ETERNITY;
+	if ((s->next_admin & SRV_ADMF_MAINT) ||
+	    (s->next_state != SRV_ST_STARTING))
+		return t;
+
+	HA_SPIN_LOCK(SERVER_LOCK, &s->lock);
+
+	/* recalculate the weights and update the state */
+	server_recalc_eweight(s, 1);
+
+	/* probably that we can refill this server with a bit more connections */
+	pendconn_grab_from_px(s);
+
+	HA_SPIN_UNLOCK(SERVER_LOCK, &s->lock);
+
+	/* get back there in 1 second or 1/20th of the slowstart interval,
+	 * whichever is greater, resulting in small 5% steps.
+	 */
+	if (s->next_state == SRV_ST_STARTING)
+		t->expire = tick_add(now_ms, MS_TO_TICKS(MAX(1000, s->slowstart / 20)));
+	return t;
+}
+
+/* Allocate the slowstart task if the server is configured with a slowstart
+ * timer. If server next_state is SRV_ST_STARTING, the task is scheduled.
+ *
+ * Returns 0 on success else non-zero.
+ */
+static int init_srv_slowstart(struct server *srv)
+{
+	struct task *t;
+
+	if (srv->slowstart) {
+		if ((t = task_new(MAX_THREADS_MASK)) == NULL) {
+			ha_alert("Cannot activate slowstart for server %s/%s: out of memory.\n", srv->proxy->id, srv->id);
+			return ERR_ALERT | ERR_FATAL;
+		}
+
+		/* We need a warmup task that will be called when the server
+		 * state switches from down to up.
+		 */
+		srv->warmup = t;
+		t->process = server_warmup;
+		t->context = srv;
+
+		/* server can be in this state only because of */
+		if (srv->next_state == SRV_ST_STARTING) {
+			task_schedule(srv->warmup,
+			              tick_add(now_ms,
+			                       MS_TO_TICKS(MAX(1000, (now.tv_sec - srv->last_change)) / 20)));
+		}
+	}
+
+	return ERR_NONE;
+}
+REGISTER_POST_SERVER_CHECK(init_srv_slowstart);
+
 /* Memory allocation and initialization of the per_thr field.
  * Returns 0 if the field has been successfully initialized, -1 on failure.
  */