Brooding chicks outdoors in summer"

[Lpsouth1978]

Hello all. We are currently awaiting delivery (end of May) of 25 new chicks. Our plan has been to brood the chicks outside in the enclosed coop and run. This would be much easier than trying to make space inside to brood that number of chicks. My concern is with the timing and temps. We are in the Phoenix area and temps are already nearing the 100 degree mark regularly. By the time the chicks are delivered, temps will be 100+ almost daily.

Will the chicks be ok in these temps or should we really reconsider this plan? if we should brood them inside, what suggestions do you all have for something capable of raising 25 chicks in? All thoughts and recommendations are welcome and appreciated.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Sounds hot to me!

Photos of your coop/run may be helpful.

Yes, I would brood them outside. You may find that you need to provide deep shade and some ventilation (fan) for chicks at those temperatures.

Let's see who lives in AZ that are active members, they may be able to give you some pointers on how to handle chicks and those temps.
Chicks can suffer from heat stress more quickly than they can from cold, so it will be important to make sure they don't get too hot.

@BlueBaby @ChicksnMore @CaroleW do you have any tips for @Lpsouth1978

 

[BlueBaby]

They say that chick's can't regulate their heat until they are 2 week's old. I have known someone before that bought new chick's and brooded them outside right away so that they could get used to it. They had a heat lamp on them at night to help with the temperature drop. The brooder was inside of a secure run so that they could go inside of it at night, but had room to play, eat and drink during the day. Make sure that the mice can't get in there to nibble on their feet or eat the food, and that snakes can't get in there to eat the chick's.

 

[Lpsouth1978]

Thank you both. It is an open air coop (completely open on the front) that is attached to an enclosed run, which is covered with a shade cloth. We will have dual hanging Rent-a-Coop waterers, and there is a misting system around the perimeter of the run (on the outside).

The coop is actually part of a larger system. There is a second coop attached, but there is a door between the two, so we can keep them completely separate from the current flock (but can still see each other) until we are ready to integrate them all. The chicks will be inside the smaller coop (in the run) to the left.

This is what the coop looked like before adding the new, larger coop to it.

 

[CaroleW]

My standard rundown of how I handled heat and chicks in Phx metro area.

The younger they are the more stressed they can get by heat. Just like children and elderly or frail humans don't have same heat tolerance as a strong teen or adult human.

Here is one of my strategies -- I have gradually introduced chicks outside at night when temps are staying at over 80 or 85 (even a little lower if I set up a heat plate outside). Then each day I bring them inside during the hottest part of the day (NOT in AC but at least a cooler area than outside) and gradually they get older and more used to the outdoors over a period of weeks & they can stay longer each day - as long as they have DEEP shade (not just shade cloth, a tree is much better) and LOTS of cool water and even a mister system and a cotton sheet/towel/tablecloth/burlap hung up to catch some of the mist & extend the evaporative cooling effect. Big chunks of ice (cool whip tub sized ice cubes or bigger) in their water are a must at hottest parts of summer.

Pay attention to the direction of the sun - shade shifts throughout the day and in the hottest part of the summer the sun can be coming from the NORTH (not the south) in many areas of Arizona.

 

[mcdze]

yes, lots of water .. chickens cool off by wading in water also, so a big pan deep enough to fit their size theyll love ..

 

[CaroleW]

Hello all. We are currently awaiting delivery (end of May) of 25 new chicks. Our plan has been to brood the chicks outside in the enclosed coop and run. This would be much easier than trying to make space inside to brood that number of chicks. My concern is with the timing and temps. We are in the Phoenix area and temps are already nearing the 100 degree mark regularly. By the time the chicks are delivered, temps will be 100+ almost daily.

Will the chicks be ok in these temps or should we really reconsider this plan? if we should brood them inside, what suggestions do you all have for something capable of raising 25 chicks in? All thoughts and recommendations are welcome and appreciated.

A couple or 3 of the largest clear storage bins you can buy - around 4 feet by 18"W by about 18" tall (I don't have mine inside to measure exact dimensions right now). Cut the lid or make a secure lid with a large wire portion in it (my DH made a wood frame lid and covered it in hardware cloth since we have dogs - more secure than plastic lid cut out with wire insert).

ONE of those fits in my 1950's oversized shower stall in my 2nd bathroom. I tape the AC vents closed so dust stays in bathroom and I'm not cooling the space since I want them to get used to the outdoors as soon as possible. ONE of these bins will do for maybe 12-16 chicks for the first week, then you need to split them up by week 2 or 3 depending on activity level especially if you have any males. The entire room will need to be dusted/washed down after you have chicks in there for any length of time.

Do NOT use any air freshener/fabreeze/chemical cleaners/etc in here while raising chicks as it might affect them very negatively. Open the window or take them and the bin outside if there are odors. Use a fly strip away from chicks but in the room to take care of any gnats and clean out the bin often - take trash outside immediately.

See also my previous post on my night time outdoor intro for chicks in summer in Phx.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

My standard rundown of how I handled heat and chicks in Phx metro area.

The younger they are the more stressed they can get by heat. Just like children and elderly or frail humans don't have same heat tolerance as a strong teen or adult human.

Here is one of my strategies -- I have gradually introduced chicks outside at night when temps are staying at over 80 or 85 (even a little lower if I set up a heat plate outside). Then each day I bring them inside during the hottest part of the day (NOT in AC but at least a cooler area than outside) and gradually they get older and more used to the outdoors over a period of weeks & they can stay longer each day - as long as they have DEEP shade (not just shade cloth, a tree is much better) and LOTS of cool water and even a mister system and a cotton sheet/towel/tablecloth/burlap hung up to catch some of the mist & extend the evaporative cooling effect. Big chunks of ice (cool whip tub sized ice cubes or bigger) in their water are a must at hottest parts of summer.

Pay attention to the direction of the sun - shade shifts throughout the day and in the hottest part of the summer the sun can be coming from the NORTH (not the south) in many areas of Arizona.

Great information @CaroleW

 

[Ragfrey]

@Lpsouth1978

How did this work out for you?

I am in deep south Louisiana and it is 100+ degrees outside. I am getting 6 chicks this Friday.

Any suggestions?

 

[Lpsouth1978]

@Lpsouth1978

How did this work out for you?

I am in deep south Louisiana and it is 100+ degrees outside. I am getting 6 chicks this Friday.

Any suggestions?

I ended up purchasing 2 of these:

I attached them together to make 1 LARGE brooder. I had 4 trough feeders and a couple of waterers in there with them along with the large Rent-A-Coop brooder plate. It worked quite well for about 1 month before moving them outside.

We only lost 1 chick after going outside and that was to a dog that got a hold of her. The remaining chicks are all doing rather well with the heat so far, and we are dealing with 13 consecutive days @ 110+ so far. The heat wave is expected to continue for at least the next week, but we will not spend much time below 100 until ~ Sept. Even our lows at night are in the mid 90's right now.

Here is a pic of them getting ready for bed the other day. Only a few more weeks and they will be integrated into the flock with the big girls.