Ohio weather & chicks

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chicknmania

chicknmania

Free Ranging
17 Years
Jan 26, 2007
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central Ohio
This sounds kind of dumb, but I've never ever bought chicks this early in the year before, I almost always wait til May or even June, when weather is much warmer, or, most of the time our chicks are with their mom and I don't have to worry about them.

We have 8 four week old chicks. They are still in the house. Normally they would go into a pen in the barn by now, or certainly by five or six weeks, but the long range forecast for April through the beginning of May at least, calls for day time temps in the mid sixties, with an occasional 70 & degree day, and night time temps in the forties. I think they would probably be fine in mid sixty temperatures, but I am thinking I should still bring them in at night? Or will they be ok if they huddle together?? They are rare breed chicks so I am a little more anxious about them. They are also growing like mad and we are running out of room, so all the more reason why I'm anxious to get them into a bigger pen out there. Thoughts?
 
I would run a heat lamp at night for them out in the barn, or on colder days too, until they are fully feathered and acclimated to your temperatures.

I generally brood until 6-8 weeks depending on the temperatures. This time of year you need to brood longer, but it's also important to get them out and keep them busy.
 
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When we got our chicks 3 years ago I had the same question, our chicks were quickly out growing their brooder. We put them out in the big coop when temps were 60s/day 30s/night. We did close the windows but the high ventilation opening was open. The coop was draft-free and dry. The chicks were 3+weeks old. They did fine.

With that said, mine are cold-hardy breeds and not rare birds. That may make a difference.
 
If you take the time to acclimatize your chicks to cooler temps, they will be able to handle those temps just fine without heat after they've completely feathered out. Chicks are usually feathered out between four to six weeks.

Exposing them to gradually cooler temps actually encourages feathering while hardening the chicks. My chicks handle 30s at night and 50s during the day without showing any discomfort. That's at one week old with a heating pad to warm under. By age five weeks, they are done with heat and living in the coop.
 
It's been really cold here in Australia too and I've raised mine inside too and was thinking the same thing. for the psat few weeks I've let them free range out side all day even when raining and just bring them in at night. but that being said I've only got two and I've handle them a lot they actually come to the back door when it's time for bed
lau.gif
 
Haha I wish I could get mine that used to being handled that they come to be let inside at night! We just have a policy that we don't use a heatlight at night out in the barn...ever. During the day, when we can keep an eye on things..yes. I have been accelerating reducing their temperature now..turning the heat light off all day, and will probably start turning it off at night here in a few more days. They are pretty much fully feathered out as far as I can tell..all are flying already. Thank you for all the info, I will keep them inside til five weeks, and then go from there. We once had a hen hatch a bunch of chicks...as I remember she had eight or nine..and it was in winter. The temperatures fell to sub zero, but she kept them under her at night, and they had heat light during the day, and they were fine! Heating pad is a thought I might consider, but I'll just play it by ear, I think chicks can be a lot more hardy than people think!

Thanks again, everyone.
 
mine are really tame but i have handle them a lot for day one. they even sit on my lap like a cat.
lau.gif
But you must really love them as chickens poop a lot. And your right they are super hardy the chicken belong to my landlords ( i live in a granny flat) they had a broody hen and we put 3 under her and two stayed inside with me. (one had sprayed led) and then i didn't want to let them go.
love.gif
they are 7-8weeks old now and the other 3 are find being out side. the girls are in the back yard they don't have a coop. they sleep in a tree and there are nesting boxes under the veranda. and this is their 3rd lot of chicks. Have you tried a ceramic heat emitter? My stepdad is an electrician and said the old style globes are dangerous fire hazard. if you ever do it again it's worth the look. and he gave me a saftey switch. Here in Australia all house have to have one in the main switch bored of the house. but you can get small ones in a plug! your light gos in to that then plug then the safety switch in to the wall if the light falls and brakes it shuts the power off.
 
pink lady said:
mine are really tame but i have handle them a lot for day one. they even sit on my lap like a cat.
lau.gif
But you must really love them as chickens poop a lot. And your right they are super hardy the chicken belong to my landlords ( i live in a granny flat) they had a broody hen and we put 3 under her and two stayed inside with me. (one had sprayed led) and then i didn't want to let them go.
love.gif
they are 7-8weeks old now and the other 3 are find being out side. the girls are in the back yard they don't have a coop. they sleep in a tree and there are nesting boxes under the veranda. and this is their 3rd lot of chicks. Have you tried a ceramic heat emitter? My stepdad is an electrician and said the old style globes are dangerous fire hazard. if you ever do it again it's worth the look. and he gave me a saftey switch. Here in Australia all house have to have one in the main switch bored of the house. but you can get small ones in a plug! your light gos in to that then plug then the safety switch in to the wall if the light falls and brakes it shuts the power off.
Click to expand...

That sounds safer. I have just read about some horrible accidents involving other people and heat lamps, one family not too far from us lost ALL their animals in a barn fire resulting from a heat lamp, it was horrible. So stories like that are not easy to forget. I need to handle our chicks more. They are pretty flighty.
 
Wow that sounds horrible! when I was looking up brooders and how to look after chicks they all say heat lamps and talk about the temp but not much about the danger (if at all) these is add on here about brinsea eco thing a me bob but that's over $100 dollars and if your not breeding a lot it kind of seem's like a wast. globes over here are about $9-10 dollars and my ceramic one was $36 but like my step dad said it's a safe heat! there's no light so better for the chicks and running it all day and night 24/7 for 8weeks they work out cheaper in the long run when the electric bill comes in. I have my guy's in a rabbit hatch and have drilled the light fitting in the top ( so it wont move) I have it turned to one corner to the wall and straw in a circle if their cold they will lay right underneath and if their to hot the move to the side. I know they need heat but to much Ephesus is on the lamps they really don't need a lot. just watching the one's out with mum they can barely get under mum at night now she gone back in the tree and their doing just fine
idunno.gif
 
I use my heat lamp too for brooding all my chicks. I like the control it gives me over my chicks temperatures. Plates and heating pads are fine for some situations but I brood larger groups and I brood out in a shed.

It's important to secure heat lamps correctly and to have them where birds can't jump on them or knock them down. I refuse to use a heat lamp for grown chickens, that is dangerous in my opinion. For chicks make sure your heat lamp has a ceramic socket, plastic can melt, and I only use a 125 watt bulb, I find the 250 to be too hot and frankly dangerous.
 

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