Getting started with new chicks

[twizted1]

I've posted in the New Member Introductions sub-forum a brief intro. We're still working on the coop (about 1/4-1/3 of the way complete), but have chicks on the way from Ideal this week. With that said, last week I stopped work on the coop to work on the brooder box and Ohio hover for the chicks. It's not 100% complete (still needs a top), but it's functional for the chicks arrival. We have 27 chicks (25 pullets, 2 roosters) that will be here this week (**** chicken math, definitely not the 11 we'd originally thought about).

We built a 4' x 8' plywood box with 12" solid sides and 12" 1/2" x 1/2" hardware cloth sides. The hardware cloth sides are hinged to fold down and get into the brooder (reaching the feeder/waterer/chicks/etc). For heat, after reading some, I decided to build an Ohio Hover brooder to put inside of the brooder box itself. The Ohio Hover is 2' x 3' with a 250 watt red heat bulb in it. The heat bulb is wired to a dimmer switch to adjust the heat output. It's been on since last night to start adjusting the temperature for day/night temperature swings. From yesterday afternoon until this morning, the temperature swing was a high of 95°F (adjusted the dimmer down slightly, mistake looking back) to a low of 84°F this morning (per the thermometer minimum).

A few images of the brooder (click for larger):

End shot


The Ohio Hover inside with the side folded down (you can just see the thermometer under the side of the hover)



The Ohio Hover heating up (last night)

 

[Folly's place]

Welcome! I've never used the hover setup, just the heat lamp hung above the chicks. If the temp under the brooder is 95 degrees or so, the chicks will move closer or further away from the heat to find their best spot. It's much harder to manage outdoors, if your ambient temps vary as much as they do here in Michigan! It looks good to me, as long as the temps are okay. Slightly too warm right under the light, and good a bit further away from it. Make absolutely sure that your heat lamp is double or triple secured, and that the light bulb is in tight. It's really a dangerously hot object, so be really careful. What kind of top do you have? Hardware cloth is good. Mary

 

[twizted1]

Welcome! I've never used the hover setup, just the heat lamp hung above the chicks. If the temp under the brooder is 95 degrees or so, the chicks will move closer or further away from the heat to find their best spot. It's much harder to manage outdoors, if your ambient temps vary as much as they do here in Michigan! It looks good to me, as long as the temps are okay. Slightly too warm right under the light, and good a bit further away from it. Make absolutely sure that your heat lamp is double or triple secured, and that the light bulb is in tight. It's really a dangerously hot object, so be really careful. What kind of top do you have? Hardware cloth is good. Mary

The heat lamp is screwed to a porcelain base mounted to the side of the hover. The top (being built tonight or tomorrow one) is a hinged hardware cloth top. It has a single 2x4 run end to end with hinged 2x2 framed hardware cloth lids for either side.

Our chickens came in a day or two early than expected (shipped a day early and only 2 days in transit from Ideal to here), so I had to get them started out in the brooder this morning. Thankfully I'd left the heat lamp on to get everything stabilized at temperature. I noticed this morning that the temperature was rising the brooder from the morning sun, so I put a tarp up to block the morning sun and some wind from the brooder.









15 minutes after putting them all in the brooder they were running around the feeders and waterers pecking away. Even though the thermometer doesn't say 95°F, the chickens were going in and out of the heat as they wanted before I left for work. They were running around exploring, not huddling up anywhere, looks like the chickometers say the temperature is about right for them.



<Edit to add>
For the first few days, I've blocked off the majority of the brooder box for the chicks to keep them close to the hover. They can get out of the hover approx 12" on 3 sides with the feeders & waterers about 6-8" from the hover on one side.
</edit>

 

[Folly's place]

Very cute mix of chicks! Breeds? Mary

 

[twizted1]

Very cute mix of chicks!  Breeds?  Mary

Going from memory there are:
2 Buff Orpington roos
5 Buff Orpington pullets
5 Barred Rock pullets
5 Americauna/Easter Egger pullets
4 New Hampshire Red pullets
3 Black Jersey Giant pullets
3 Black Australorp pullets