Outdoor Housing for New Baby Chicks?

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CreativeCowgirl

CreativeCowgirl

In the Brooder
7 Years
Jul 22, 2012
74
0
39
I'm new to chickens, and just ordered 25 chicks from Murray McMurray hatchery. I was wondering if it is ok to keep them outside in the closed off portion of my chicken tractor since it has been rather hot outside lately (sometimes reaching 100F)? Also, since it is so hot, do they still need a brooder lamp? Thanks!
 
Well I'm new at this too.... I've been at it for the 3.5 weeks I've had my chicks so take this for what it's worth. I have a 4x4 coop and brooded/raised my 5 chicks in it from day one. It has worked great. Our temps have been in the 90s. I used a heat Lamp 24 hrs a day for the first week and a bit then just at night there after. The nice thing about brooding in the coop is you can set up the heat lamp to where it is 100ish directly under the lamp and the chicks are free to move as close to or as far way from the lamp that makes them comfortable....no raising and lowering the lamp tor the "correct temperature". I found this way the chicks can decide the correct temperature for themselves. My chicks are now 3.5 weeks old and as far as I can tell are healthy and well adjusted. Not sure if this is what you were asking , but it's my 2 cents.... and I stress... I'm a super newbie and made it up as I go along using what little common sense I have ; )

mo





 
definitely don't need a brooder light during the day and I would imagine that your temps at night are still quite warm too. The tractor is ok as long as it's secure and has a lot of ventilation... temps that high can kill your chicks very easily. Make sure they are in the shade and have plenty of water to keep them cool. If they are laying with their wings out and panting they're too hot... if they're huddled all together they're too cold (which doesn't sound likely). Have fun with your babies.
 
I kept my brooder on a covered screen porch against the back of my house. No problems at all. It was mid-June when my chicks hatched, and I kept the light on 24/7 for the first several days, then nights only since the daytime temps were over 90. We don't have a garage or any other place to keep babies, and I didn't want them in our living space, so this was really my only option since our coop wasn't finished at the time.

Next time, I'm thinking about building a wire box to brood chicks under the coop in the run. I'm hoping it will make it easier to add new girls to the existing flock.

Good luck!
 

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