thoughts on heat and chicks

[ozarkmomma]

We got 14 chicks the first week of July. It has been 100+ degrees for most of this time. I have my brooder box in the garage, there is a small fan that kind of blows over the top of the box for air circulation and we have the windows open as well as the side door. We have made sure they have plenty of fresh water at all times. The only thing "special" we have done for them is to put a frozen water jug in the brooder in the middle of the afternoon. My chicks are all thriving and doing well.

My question (and thought process) is: Does it make sense to take chicks in the house, get them used to air conditioning and then turn them out in the heat later? My hens and one roo all free range, they have a nice shady corner of the field where they spend the hottest part of the day, and I have not lost any birds to the heat. It seems to me that they are better off if they are used to the heat from the beginning.

 

[al6517]

I am a firm believer in acclimation early on, if you put them inside in the A/C your doing more harm than good. As long as they are feathered and at the right age to go outside normaly 4-5 wks they should be outside. If left to inside conditions there are many things that will make them less apt to adapt to their new enviroments. If you sit in on the couch all day in the A/c then go out side in the 100+ degree heat it's so much harder to become accustomed, same goes for animals.

 

[NCchicken]

I put my chicks (age 4.5 wks) in the coop oustide during the day and bring them in at night - I'm a worry wart But when it's really hot outside, I bring them out in the AM only and bring them in the brooder in our house (soon to be nursery

) so they can just sorta chill out and take a breather in the afternoons. But at around 6 wks, they will be outside for good. Now I don't know if this is right or wrong to the "experts" but this feels right to me and has worked out great with all my other hatches. I put frozen water bottles in their waterer twice a day and have a mister that is hooked up to our irrigation system.