Advice to not freeze baby chicks tomorrow when they go to the coop! Heat lamp height???

[aart]

We have a 100w heated waterer so not to freeze. We have two light cause what if one burns out at 11pm and we don't find out till 10am and it's in the teens..... scary thought....

 

[Hokum Coco]

In the pictures below, how high off the floor should 2 125w heat lamps be???
Two to three feet should be fine as long as they can come closer or back away from the heat source as needed. I would also suggest a safety chain or having the lamp being able to hang from the power cord if for some reason the main hanging bracket or chain should fail. Ground fault outlets also go a long way in preventing coop fires especially when extension cords and rodents maybe involved.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1148225/most-important-rules-in-coops-and-lofts

 

[thomasboyle]

If you find the bulbs are not enough to keep up with the winter temps, you may want to consider bringing them back inside the house. We always raised our chicks inside the house until they were feathered and better equipped to handle colder temps. We use a large clear Rubbermaid storage bin as the brooder. Each bin is 36x15x12 inches high. Walmart sells them for $10 or so. I cut a 12x12 square hole in the lid near one end and zip tie hardware wire to cover the hole. Place the heat lamp on the hardware wire so it heats the bin. We use a 100 watt ceramic heat emitter bulb (normally used for reptiles), so we get heat but no light.The plastic bin keeps the heat inside, and you don't lose most of the heat as you would in a larger area like a coop. We put their food and water on the non-heated end. We used paper towels on bottom and wood shavings on top for bedding which gets changed daily to keep the smell under control. As they get older, we add a second bin to thin the numbers per bin to give them more room and switch to 50 watt heat bulbs as they need less and less heat as they grow.

 

[speedy2020]

If you find the bulbs are not enough to keep up with the winter temps, you may want to consider bringing them back inside the house. We always raised our chicks inside the house until they were feathered and better equipped to handle colder temps. We use a large clear Rubbermaid storage bin as the brooder. Each bin is 36x15x12 inches high. Walmart sells them for $10 or so. I cut a 12x12 square hole in the lid near one end and zip tie hardware wire to cover the hole. Place the heat lamp on the hardware wire so it heats the bin. We use a 100 watt ceramic heat emitter bulb (normally used for reptiles), so we get heat but no light.The plastic bin keeps the heat inside, and you don't lose most of the heat as you would in a larger area like a coop. We put their food and water on the non-heated end. We used paper towels on bottom and wood shavings on top for bedding which gets changed daily to keep the smell under control. As they get older, we add a second bin to thin the numbers per bin to give them more room and switch to 50 watt heat bulbs as they need less and less heat as they grow.

I think Home Depot have 66qrt clear plastic bin for around $6.99. It is big enough for 4-6 chicks. I just use the card board box and throw it away when done. The dog carrier also work well for both indoor and outdoor.

 

[ChickNanny13]

Have you considered MHP? Check out the thread on it by Blooie, less chance of fire & guessing. I tried it once & now that's the way I raise the young ones.

 

[Blooie]

I have a bad case of coop/setup envy now......that looks wonderful! If heat lamps are the way you want to go, then I advise that you secure them, secure them, and when you have them secured, secure them some more! Heat lamps of any kind scare the pee-wadding out of me! And keep them as free of dust as possible - you'll be amazed at how much dust a few chicks can put out, although in an area that spacious and with just a few chicks it might not be as noticeable.

I'd think that for the first week or so, I'd want to devise a way to confine them closer to the heat, sort of like a pen within a pen. They have a good amount of space in there, and space is always, always good! It gives them a place to get out of the heat if they want, and gives them a lot to explore. But too much space, especially for tiny new chicks, gives them more opportunities to find ways to kill themselves. If a couple of them get too far away from the heat, they'll sometimes huddle in a corner rather than try to find their way back and they can chill. Once you know for sure that they know where the food and water are, and show that they move comfortably between the heated area and the unheated area, then you can take away the temporary barrier.

Have a Plan B. I've read about some of the ice storms that you can get there in Ohio, with power outages that can last for a couple of days. If that happens, no matter which heat source or how many lamps you have those chicks will be in trouble, so deciding ahead of time where you would put them and how you can keep them warm ahead of time eliminates some last minute panic. You'll probably never have to resort to Plan B, but it's reassuring to have one!

I raise my chicks outdoors almost from the start, in a wire pen within the run. They have a "cave", made from a bit of wire fencing, with a heating pad. The "floor" of their brooder is straw, and there's a towel for an overhang over the frame, topped with more straw and surrounded by straw. I'm not trying to keep the entire brooder space warm - I'm just keeping the chicks warm, like a Mother Hen would do. They just duck under for a quick warmup, if they get spooked, or when the sun goes down. They feather out very quickly and since they are always within full sight of the older chickens integration is never a problem.

You'll be very happy that you've have decided to start them outdoors, I think, although a few hours of observation in the house is advisable until you know for sure that they are all eating and drinking, and in the case of the shipped chicks, that there is no obvious shipping stress. That stress is funny - it can sometimes takes a couple of days for it to show up. So even though I raise mine outdoors, they have at least 24 hours in the house before they go out. For that I just use a dog crate. Once I know they are eating, drinking, and know where the "warm" is, then out they go. I use Mama Heat Pad exclusively to brood them, whether they are inside or out. Spring is definitely chick season here in Northwestern Wyoming (we don't live too far from Yellowstone Park) but our springtime temps swing wildly - 40s for a few days then back to the teens and twenties, with late season snowfalls and high winds. <sigh> In one recent year our last snowfall was June 6th.

Good luck with your chicks, and Welcome to BYC.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/yes-you-certainly-can-brood-chicks-outdoors

 

[simple smiths]

Thanks for the input. Day 3 in the coop and they are quite happy chicks moving around as they should. We have a good generator if power fails. GLAD WE SET TRAPS! We've caught a ground mole every night on the dirt floor beside the coop! The coop has a sealed raised floor.


My concern now is mites/lice and how to prevent this.... will be researching this....


Thanks again for the input from you and others!

 

[aart]

Thanks for the input. Day 3 in the coop and they are quite happy chicks moving around as they should. We have a good generator if power fails. GLAD WE SET TRAPS! We've caught a ground mole every night on the dirt floor beside the coop! The coop has a sealed raised floor.


My concern now is mites/lice and how to prevent this.... will be researching this....


Thanks again for the input from you and others!

I'd keep a very close eye on the perimeter of that 'sealed' raised floor....and keep those traps set.
It's like rodent heaven under there. Keeping feed in metal trash can with a tight lid can really help too.

Mites and lice mostly come from wild birds....just examine birds regularly for signs of external parasites.
Best done well after dark with a strong flashlight/headlight, easier to 'catch' bird and also to check for the mites that live in structure and only come out at night to feed off roosting birds.
Wipe a white paper towel along the underside of roost to look for red smears(smashed well fed mites).
Part the feathers right down to the skin around vent, head/neck and under wings.
Google images of lice/mites and their eggs before the inspection so you'll know what you're looking for.
If you find them: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1134783/permethrin-spray