Is George Stressed?

[ABaker787]

George is my smallest baby, one of two OEGBs in my little flock, and never wants anything to do with running after treats or me holding them. Also, he doesn’t often lay with his peers. I’ve had them for 5 days now, could s/he still be stressed from the new environment? Or perhaps s/he is at the bottom of the pecking order and that’s why it sleeps away and doesn’t interact with it’s brothers/sisters?
Any ideas?
(George is the one not laying with the other chicks.)

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

How hot is your brooder? Did all the chicks come from the same place?

 

[ABaker787]

How hot is your brooder? Did all the chicks come from the same place?

I’m actually not sure of the temp, and I’m using a heat lamp which I know isn’t ideal but that’s all the supply store had. Our house itself is around 70-72 degrees F, and it’s significantly warmer under the bulb of the lamp.
They did all come from the same place though, same bin and everything.
At most s/he hangs out with its “twin” OEGB, Fred, but not when Fred is mingling with the others.

 

[TheOddOneOut]

I’m actually not sure of the temp, and I’m using a heat lamp which I know isn’t ideal but that’s all the supply store had. Our house itself is around 70-72 degrees F, and it’s significantly warmer under the bulb of the lamp.
They did all come from the same place though, same bin and everything.
At most s/he hangs out with its “twin” OEGB, Fred, but not when Fred is mingling with the others.

You should DEFINITELY get a thermometer. You cannot raise young chicks without knowing the temp.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I’m actually not sure of the temp, and I’m using a heat lamp which I know isn’t ideal but that’s all the supply store had. Our house itself is around 70-72 degrees F, and it’s significantly warmer under the bulb of the lamp.
They did all come from the same place though, same bin and everything.
At most s/he hangs out with its “twin” OEGB, Fred, but not when Fred is mingling with the others.

Is that a 250 watt bulb? It may be too much. Chicks can get heat exhaustion. You can use their behavior as a guide, but it's best to know where your temperature is. I use a cheap outdoor one I put under the light to see where I'm at.

Could just be a loner chick as well.

 

[ABaker787]

Is that a 250 watt bulb? It may be too much. Chicks can get heat exhaustion. You can use their behavior as a guide, but it's best to know where your temperature is. I use a cheap outdoor one I put under the light to see where I'm at.

Could just be a loner chick as well.

Actually would a meat thermometer work?? I have an extra digital one, I just thought about it!
And yes it’s a 250 W. The brooder is actually rather large and there is room for him to move away, but maybe it’s like me and doesn’t have the common sense god gave a rock.

 

[ABaker787]

The digital meat therm. Said it’s only 78 degrees in the hottest part of the brooder! That can’t be right!?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Probably not. I would try to get a regular thermometer tomorrow.

 

[ABaker787]

Probably not. I would try to get a regular thermometer tomorrow.

Will do! Thanks!

 

[aart]

Here's my notes on chick heat, hope something in there might help:

They need to be pretty warm (~85°-90F/30-32C)on the brooder floor right under the lamp and 10-20 degrees cooler at the other end of brooder) 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 acclimation 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'. If you do use a heat bulb make sure it's specifically for poultry, some heat bulbs for food have teflon coatings that can kill birds. 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.