Ok I bought my chicks now what?

[Jerry from Bago]

Bought some chicks and feed. How warm should I keep them at night?

 

[Pyxis]

No they don't:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/956958/mama-heating-pad-in-the-brooder-picture-heavy-update

You can make a mama heating pad brooder in under an hour once you have the proper type pad and a proper size piece of fencing. 

They might need ACCESS to 95F (don't know what the exact temp is when contacting the pad but it is the same pad you stick on your sore back. Remember this is CONTACT heat, not heat provided by ambient air temp. Hens work the same way) but they don't need it even close to 24x7.

Early June last year, chicks 4 days old being brooded in the coop in the barn by a hen (they had a MHP the first 2 days after I got them). Daytime temps in the 70s. Notice how these chicks are NOT in 95F temp! The chicks go under the hen when they need to warm up, they'll do the same with a MHP brooder.

My point was that they need to be able to get to it at all times if they need it. Hence I said access, not that they need to be kept that warm constantly. I know about mama heating pad. I myself use a real contact brooder so I'm very aware of the concept. What I said was correct, they need to be able to access a source of warmth that will get them up to at least 95 degrees at all times when they are less than a week old. Most people use heat lamps, so I included the information for that as far as lowering the temps goes as that is likely what a brand new chicken owner who has just bought his first chicks has to keep them warm.

I've had plenty of broodies. I've had broodies in the dead of winter. I know the chicks do fine out with her, but the point is, whenever they get cold, they have 24/7 access to run underneath her and warm back up, which is exactly what I said in my post.

I'm not even sure what the argument is here. The post that you quoted, and then the section that you underlined and colored even says access right in it. Nowhere did I say a constant temp for the entire brooder of 95 degrees. Nor did I say it had to be a heat lamp, so I'm not sure why the heating pad method was brought up to 'refute' my argument.

 

[bruceha2000]

If they are less than a week old they need access to a 95 degree heat source at all times. You may lower the temperature five degrees each week.

Are you brooding them in that box or was that just for travel? Because they need some sort of bedding like paper towels or pine shavings to keep them from developing splayed leg.

No they don't:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/956958/mama-heating-pad-in-the-brooder-picture-heavy-update

You can make a mama heating pad brooder in under an hour once you have the proper type pad and a proper size piece of fencing.

They might need ACCESS to 95F (don't know what the exact temp is when contacting the pad but it is the same pad you stick on your sore back. Remember this is CONTACT heat, not heat provided by ambient air temp. Hens work the same way) but they don't need it even close to 24x7.

Early June last year, chicks 4 days old being brooded in the coop in the barn by a hen (they had a MHP the first 2 days after I got them). Daytime temps in the 70s. Notice how these chicks are NOT in 95F temp! The chicks go under the hen when they need to warm up, they'll do the same with a MHP brooder.

 

[Blooie]

:Later comes sooner than you think....

 

[Pyxis]

If they are less than a week old they need access to a 95 degree heat source at all times. You may lower the temperature five degrees each week.

Are you brooding them in that box or was that just for travel? Because they need some sort of bedding like paper towels or pine shavings to keep them from developing splayed leg.

 

[Pork Pie]

This link may help:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/raising-your-baby-chicks

You'll find additional info in the Learning Centre - https://www.backyardchickens.com/newsearch?search=learning+centre

 

[azygous]

Do you have a chicken coop and run built? Your chicks will double in size each week, and will need a coop in just four to six weeks from now. If you do have the coop ready, you can move the chicks right in and brood them there. As long as they have heat, they can be outdoors.

Yes, your chicks need heat for the first four weeks since they cannot regulate body temperature until they grow real feathers. I recommend you use a simple heating pad as your heat source since it's safer all around than a heat lamp, which is primarily designed for cooking food. Read how to rig it up by going to Blooie's thread on the subject "Mama Heating Pad for the Brooder" here on this forum.

 

[FridayYet]

Yup access to a heat source is critically important those first weeks, as is space for them to get away and cool off. I also use a brooder plate, but even in cool weather the chicks run around and then dive back underneath it when they want to warm up.

If you do use a heat lamp, make sure it is at one end so the chicks can get away from it and not get overheated.

Good luck with your new chicks!

 

[Ravynscroft]

A hens temperature is higher than 95°, so chicks with a broody hen have access to at least 95° at all times... no, it doesn't mean they live under her skirts 24/7, but that they have that access whenever they need it...

 

[Jerry from Bago]

Ok sorry it's taken so long to reply. I lost my phone for a few days, well my son put it in the trash. I found it outside in the big bin two days later.

Yes I kept them in the box with paper shreddings in the garage for about 15 days till they got a little bigger and I got the pen made and a small house where I could hang the heat lamp. They have been outside three days now and seem to be doing great. Later I'll be building a chicken coop with nesting boxes.

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