I brought home 6 chicks that I believe are a little less than a week old about 3 hours ago.
I have the heat plate cranked, it says it's at 130 degrees but the thermometer is have under it says 89.9 degrees. The chicks have now been huddled under it for 3 hours with no desire to come out. I did...
No a red light isnt needed and ive never actually used one in my time chicken keeping.
I use a regular light bulb in my heat lamp holder just as they cant knock it out. Then use a Rent a Coop brooder plate. But there are many that work the same.
This is probably the millionth time someone has asked a brooder question. We have worked for months on the run/henhouse and still to haven't nailed down the brooder portion. And 12 chicks arrive next week from Alchemist Farms. I am starting to feel a little panicky here.
Okay, el numero uno...
The brooder plate should be low enough they can snuggle under it like they would a mama hen. If it was too high (height not temperature) they probably got chilled because the brooder plate has to touch them for them to feel the warmth. You can press your hand against it to get an idea of how it...
Do you use disposable or reusable puppy pads? I have reusable pads from when my dog was a puppy, but I think I would be doing laundry every day to keep up with my chicks' bowels! 😁
While chickens do enjoy sunbathing they really don't need direct light either, just ambient light. So the coop would be perfectly fine for brooding purposes.
Assuming you're not ready to move them out then personally I'd move the brooder to somewhere with a nice window and provide light that...
In the house we don't use bedding like wood chips or anything like that, it's a hassle and just too messy and dusty. We use puppy pee pads and just change them every night about bed time. What we do is remove the chicks from the brooder and put them in a box (under dim lights so they're sleepy...
The ones I used needed it to be at least 55F to begin working. They never felt as warm as a mama hen does though, but once the chicks were ambulatory, they seemed to do okay as long as they didn't get chilled from being wet or getting out and losy
Hello! I found this neat brooder box at an estate sale last weekend. I am planning to put my hatch, coming in a few days, in this box to grow out. I am wondering if anyone around here has seen this set up before, and if they could tell me the style of light I will need to use to provide warmth...
Thank you so much for the reply! And it’s great to know that it’s likely that they ate the shavings. What do folks usually use for bedding? Puppy pads or paper towels? Would offering grit have made a difference in this case? With chicks I usually wait til they’re a couple weeks old, introduce...
QUESTION: Has anyone had luck using a brooder plate for an improvised hatching station?
Cleaning out the scatters of an abandoned broody nest, I found two dead pips.
Started to open one ... and it gasped, bled and peeped! My N360 'bator's power cord suddenly decided to fail, so I now have a...
Yep, lol! A rock, It was so I could lower a cardboard roofing if it was cold - They could still come out from it into open space, but rock was to lower & insulate roof if needed overnight. I will raise the heat lightfor now & remove once 2nd brooder arrives tomo too.
Yeah a light in my bedroom would be a deal breaker. I have to have it pitch dark and quiet to sleep. We brood newborns for a few days in my sons room them boot them out to the building.
How old were they when they arrived 4 days ago? Newly hatched most likely, but I'm double checking. If they're only 5-6 days old no they won't roost. They shouldn't be getting poop stuck on them though, what are you using for bedding?
No they don't need 23 hours of light however they do need...
Oh, okay. I keep the light in their brooder on day and night, so they eat and sleep off and on 24 hours.
I was thinking the rats could climb up the hardware cloth and squeeze through the chicken wire higher up front and back, but if they don't climb that high then I don't need to worry then...
In below-freezing weather, electricity can be nice to heat the water so it doesn't freeze. You may not have to deal with that.
If you want to provide light during the winter to encourage the hens to lay more eggs (instead of stopping when the days get short), electricity is handy for that. Or...