Hi all!
I have a question about brooding chicks in the fall. I have only ever, before now, brooded chicks in the late winter/ early spring. In that scenario the weather is warming up as the chicks age, so they hit a pretty steady pace at about 4 or 5 weeks (I am in southern Oklahoma) and by 8 weeks I don't have to worry about temperature, they don't need any kind of alternate heat source even at night and they go right in their coop.
This is my first time to brood in the fall. I have 29 chicks that are 7 weeks and 2 days old and I still have them in a brooder type pin with a heat lamp going at night, I do turn it off in the day, but I've left it on recently and even in the mid 60s they still are setting right under it, enjoying the warmth.
Here is our forecast for the next several days/ weeks:
Today 11/13 High 68 F / Low 42 F
Sat 11/14 64/ 48
Sun 11/15 58/49
Mon 11/16 68/61
Tue 11/17 65/41
Wed 11/18 61/41 **Chicks are 8 weeks old here**
Thur 11/19 67/ 44
Fri 11/20 68 / 41
Sat 11/21 57/37
Sun 11/22 52/ 39
Mon 11/23 55/40
Tue 11/24 57/43
Wed 11/25 57/38 **Chicks are 9 weeks old here**
Thu 11/26 56/37
Fri 11/27 55/36
About a week or week and a half ago we woke up at about 4 am, looked out the window, and realized the lamp was off, the light bulb had burnt up. When we went out to replace it, they were all huddled really close together trying their hardest to get warm, and they low was mid to upper 50's that night.
I guess my question is at 8 and 9 weeks old, is it ok for them to be outside in 35-45 degree weather with out an alternate heat source?
Also, I know, that the cold itself probably won't kill them at this point and that their bodies create more heat than I realize. What I am most concerned about is with 29 chicks huddling trying to keep warm would they smother each other at this age?
I have a question about brooding chicks in the fall. I have only ever, before now, brooded chicks in the late winter/ early spring. In that scenario the weather is warming up as the chicks age, so they hit a pretty steady pace at about 4 or 5 weeks (I am in southern Oklahoma) and by 8 weeks I don't have to worry about temperature, they don't need any kind of alternate heat source even at night and they go right in their coop.
This is my first time to brood in the fall. I have 29 chicks that are 7 weeks and 2 days old and I still have them in a brooder type pin with a heat lamp going at night, I do turn it off in the day, but I've left it on recently and even in the mid 60s they still are setting right under it, enjoying the warmth.
Here is our forecast for the next several days/ weeks:
Today 11/13 High 68 F / Low 42 F
Sat 11/14 64/ 48
Sun 11/15 58/49
Mon 11/16 68/61
Tue 11/17 65/41
Wed 11/18 61/41 **Chicks are 8 weeks old here**
Thur 11/19 67/ 44
Fri 11/20 68 / 41
Sat 11/21 57/37
Sun 11/22 52/ 39
Mon 11/23 55/40
Tue 11/24 57/43
Wed 11/25 57/38 **Chicks are 9 weeks old here**
Thu 11/26 56/37
Fri 11/27 55/36
About a week or week and a half ago we woke up at about 4 am, looked out the window, and realized the lamp was off, the light bulb had burnt up. When we went out to replace it, they were all huddled really close together trying their hardest to get warm, and they low was mid to upper 50's that night.
I guess my question is at 8 and 9 weeks old, is it ok for them to be outside in 35-45 degree weather with out an alternate heat source?
Also, I know, that the cold itself probably won't kill them at this point and that their bodies create more heat than I realize. What I am most concerned about is with 29 chicks huddling trying to keep warm would they smother each other at this age?