3 day old chicks. help pls?

[Danyander]

We got our chicks Feb 13. This is our set up. My husband thinks we need to make a plywood top so they keep warm at night, they are in the garage. I think we will be fine with just the chicken wire top. Advice?

Also one of the chicks (gold sex link) seems to be having problems. The other chicks are running around but she seems to stay in one spot constantly trying to poo. Any ideas?

 

[patti17340]

Check your sick peeps bottom. wipe it off with a baby wipe or warm cloth. It may have pasty butt. I covered the top of the box with a piece of cloth but you need to be sure your heat lamp does not get near it and start a fire. I think if you use plywood it may get too hot for the peeps,

 

[Danyander]

Yeah I wiped her bum with a baby wipe. Hopefully it helps.

I think they would get too hot as well. He was going to make the top half plywood then by the lamp chicken wire. We just don't want them to get cold being in the garage.

 

[Urban Flock]

No top, just the chicken wire. Reason for this is because you want there to be oxygen exchange and you don't want it to overheat. Make sure your light is secure too. Along with the electrical cord we attach a chain and anchor it to a wood cross beam so there is no way it could fall. Our chicks were raised in an outdoor brooder with just hardware cloth for a top. Some of our nights dipped down in the 20's and they did just fine. We did have an extra bulb on hand if needed and one night at 8pm the light went out so we were lucky to have another one.
Not sure what is going on with your sick one. Have you checked it for pasty butt?
Two books I would recommend are: Raising Chickens for Dummies and Chicken Health for Dummies. Great books for the beginner.
Good Luck with your new chicks.

 

[Danyander]

She ended up dying last night

but the top seemed to work very well for them last night.
I'll be going to the library today to see if they have those books.

 

[aart]

A thermometer is a good tool for beginners to check the temp on the brooder floor right under the light and on the other end also....but watching their behavior is the best way to determine if the heat is right for them.

Here's my notes on chick heat, hope something in there might help:
They need to be pretty warm(~85F on the brooder floor right under the lamp) for the first day or two, especially if they have been shipped, until they get to eating, drinking and moving around well. But after that it's best to keep them as cool as possible for optimal feather growth and quicker integration to outside temps. A lot of chick illnesses are attributed to too warm of a brooder. I do think it's a good idea to use a thermometer on the floor of the brooder to check the temps, especially when new at brooding, later i still use it but more out of curiosity than need.

The best indicator of heat levels is to watch their behavior:
If they are huddled/piled up right under the lamp and cheeping very loudly, they are too cold.
If they are spread out on the absolute edges of the brooder as far from the lamp as possible, panting and/or cheeping very loudly, they are too hot.
If they sleep around the edge of the lamp calmly just next to each other and spend time running all around the brooder they are juuuust right!

The lamp is best at one end of the brooder with food/water at the other cooler end of the brooder, so they can get away from the heat or be under it as needed. Wattage of 'heat' bulb depends on size of brooder and ambient temperature of room brooder is in. Regular incandescent bulbs can be used, you might not need a 'heat bulb'. You can get red colored incandescent bulbs at a reptile supply source. A dimmer extension cord is an excellent way to adjust the output of the bulb to change the heat without changing the height of the lamp.

 

[Danyander]

Awesome! Looks like we are on the just right. They hang out just outside the lamp and are pretty quiet. They sleep on the end of the brooder just outside of the light. I will move their food to be further from the light. It isn't close to it but it isn't on the other end like the water.

 

[Wxguru]

Wire is perfectly fine...I had mine in the garage too...they all are 16 weeks old now....