1 week old chicks heating

[Hopeful homesteader]

I live in the desert with very high temperatures, with the water cooler running round the clock it never gets below 80° at night and 90° during the day. My husband bought them home spur of the moment and I am not prepared for chicks this young. I've put them in a plastic bin with an old snake warming lamp. It doesn't have temperature adjustments but a 60 watt lightbulb has kept it at 90° the last few hrs and I've left a thermometer in there to be able to monitor temp. Now tomorrow when the temp raises to 90° in here will it be ok to turn the light off so I don't overheat them? I plan to check them every half hr or so tomorrow just to get an idea of the temp but im a bit out of my element here. Then each week im supposed to reduce the temp 5 degrees, im not sure how to do that with this lamp, any tips? Lastly with my constant temperatures in the house, would I be ok to stop using the lamp in 2 weeks with a low of 80°? Thanks for the help, I've got 12 chicks and don't want to lose any.

 

[JustAChickenLoverOverHere]

I was a tad bit confused reading this, so I have one question; How old will the chicks be when you leave them at the 80 degree low?

You’re usually supposed to raise the lamp a bit to get the right temperature every week. I don’t think this is possible in your case.
@aart

 

[Hopeful homesteader]

I was a tad bit confused reading this, so I have one question; How old will the chicks be when you leave them at the 80 degree low?

You’re usually supposed to raise the lamp a bit to get the right temperature every week. I don’t think this is possible in your case.
@aart

3 weeks

 

[JustAChickenLoverOverHere]

3 weeks

I think they’ll be fine. If you started brooding them at 95F, that would be a perfect temperature. At 90F, that would be a little hot, but they would be fine.

 

[Carson213]

just put heat in the middle with space for them to spread. you don't need a thermometer. if they spread out too far...too hot...if they huddle underneath...too cold. don't read to much on the web

 

[aart]

I've put them in a plastic bin with an old snake warming lamp. It doesn't have temperature adjustments but a 60 watt lightbulb has kept it at 90° the last few hrs and I've left a thermometer in there to be able to monitor temp.

That should work fine.
I use a reptile bulb when I used a heat lamp, with a dimmer extension cord to adjust output.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/aarts-chick-heat-blurb.75619/

you don't need a thermometer.

No, but it's a good tool to have in use, especially for newbies.

 

[Ridgerunner]

To me the perfect brooder is one that has a warm enough spot in the coolest of temperatures and a cool enough spot in the warmest temperatures. Even straight out of the incubator mine can manage that themselves if they have the option, even if the coldest spot is below freezing. They stay on the warm area. At 3 weeks, yours will have no trouble managing finding the right spot. For 12 chicks, is your brooder big enough that they can get away from the heat? Where you are heat is the big risk.

Having raised chicks in brooders in all kinds of temperatures and watching broody hens raise chicks I'm not a believer that 90 to 95 the first week and drop it 5 degrees a week as a requirement. If you keep your warmest spot that temperature you will always be safe as far as a warm enough spot, but the area away from that could be down to freezing or below and they will be OK. They'll go back to that warm spot to warm up when they need to. I've seen chicks survive and thrive when the warmest spot was not nearly that warm. I understand people need guidelines and ranges when first starting out but those guidelines are ultra safe. To me the best thing to do is watch your chicks. Their body language will tell you if they are too warm or too cold.

I've seen broody hens raise chicks when the temperatures were above those guidelines. It's not that you have to lower the warmest temperatures to meet the guidelines. As long as you don't cook them they can handle a range of temperatures.

The closest I've come to your situation was when we had a ridiculous for us heat wave and chicks hatched in an incubator. The daytime temps were well above 100 F, often above 110 F. If we were lucky it might drop into the upper 80's at night. I turned daytime heat off at 2 days and nighttime heat off at 5 days. I should have done it earlier, they were too warm.

On the other end I saw a chick about 5 days old being raised by a broody hen go through the full day by itself when the warmest it got all day was the low 80's F. It's a long story but some broody hens believe in tough love. I trust my broody hens and that chick did learn a lesson.

Hopefully you can get something from this, but at 3 weeks in those temperatures I would not provide any heat at all. Your challenge may be keeping them cool enough during the day. I think they are 1 week old right now. You probably don't need any heat now, even at night, but as long as they can get away from it they should be OK. My concern might be with the size of that plastic bin, can they get away from the heat? If they can it will not hurt them to have heat at night.

Good luck.

 

[Hopeful homesteader]

To me the perfect brooder is one that has a warm enough spot in the coolest of temperatures and a cool enough spot in the warmest temperatures. Even straight out of the incubator mine can manage that themselves if they have the option, even if the coldest spot is below freezing. They stay on the warm area. At 3 weeks, yours will have no trouble managing finding the right spot. For 12 chicks, is your brooder big enough that they can get away from the heat? Where you are heat is the big risk.

Having raised chicks in brooders in all kinds of temperatures and watching broody hens raise chicks I'm not a believer that 90 to 95 the first week and drop it 5 degrees a week as a requirement. If you keep your warmest spot that temperature you will always be safe as far as a warm enough spot, but the area away from that could be down to freezing or below and they will be OK. They'll go back to that warm spot to warm up when they need to. I've seen chicks survive and thrive when the warmest spot was not nearly that warm. I understand people need guidelines and ranges when first starting out but those guidelines are ultra safe. To me the best thing to do is watch your chicks. Their body language will tell you if they are too warm or too cold.

I've seen broody hens raise chicks when the temperatures were above those guidelines. It's not that you have to lower the warmest temperatures to meet the guidelines. As long as you don't cook them they can handle a range of temperatures.

The closest I've come to your situation was when we had a ridiculous for us heat wave and chicks hatched in an incubator. The daytime temps were well above 100 F, often above 110 F. If we were lucky it might drop into the upper 80's at night. I turned daytime heat off at 2 days and nighttime heat off at 5 days. I should have done it earlier, they were too warm.

On the other end I saw a chick about 5 days old being raised by a broody hen go through the full day by itself when the warmest it got all day was the low 80's F. It's a long story but some broody hens believe in tough love. I trust my broody hens and that chick did learn a lesson.

Hopefully you can get something from this, but at 3 weeks in those temperatures I would not provide any heat at all. Your challenge may be keeping them cool enough during the day. I think they are 1 week old right now. You probably don't need any heat now, even at night, but as long as they can get away from it they should be OK. My concern might be with the size of that plastic bin, can they get away from the heat? If they can it will not hurt them to have heat at night.

Good luck.

It's a large plastic tote, almost 4 ft long and 2 ft wide, the feeder is off to one side and the water in a corner my husband's bringing home a smaller water jug so it's not taking up so much space the light is in the corner furthest from the water, It stays 90° under the light. In opposite end furthest from the light the thermometer was at 85° and they seemed to move back and fourth through the night either under the light or in the middle of the box between the two. Had a thunderstorm last night that scared them so I was up most of the night checking on them. I've got a rabbit cage I may switch them into as they get bigger, it'll take up the entire space of my shower but I know in a week this tote may not be enough room for 12 or if I should split them next week into 2 totes? They seem to be acting fine, running around scratching and pecking at the floor bedding like the older chicks do, everyone chirping then sleeping and repeat. I've seen them all eating, drinking and pooping. I've been paying attention for pasty butt, is there any other behavior changes I should look for? I feel like everyone is good at the moment.

 

[Ridgerunner]

, It stays 90° under the light. In opposite end furthest from the light the thermometer was at 85°

As I mentioned above the far end of mine was sometimes below freezing, but the warmest spot was toasty. Not in summer, of course, but in winter. My brooder is obviously outside. 85° is not going to cook them or be too warm no matter how old they get but don't be afraid of having the cool spot really cool. They can handle it and, in my opinion, it's beneficial for them to have a range of temperatures. They generally feather out faster and acclimate better. I imagine your room temperature in that bathroom is in the 70's. I'd prefer a brooder big enough and ventilated enough so the far end could at least get that cool. There is a lot of personal reference in that, like I said 85 won't hurt them, but I think you aren't getting them ready for outside as much as you could be by coddling them. I don't see what the downside of the brooder taking up the whole shower is. To me that sounds like a plus but you are looking at it and cleaning it.

I know in a week this tote may not be enough room for 12 or if I should split them next week into 2 totes?........is there any other behavior changes I should look for?

I don't like to split them up once they are integrated. You don't want to make that any harder than it has to be. Why create a problem that doesn't currently exist?

I don't know when your 12 chicks will outgrow that brooder. It's not a square foot per chick thing, each brood is different. They grow very fast. Overcrowding can lead to aggression and violence, that's the behaviors you want to look out for and avoid if you can. That can be feather-picking, pecking each other, or fighting. At some point there will be some fighting anyway, even if they are all girls, but that's just playing and practicing, usually nothing serious to worry about.

The bigger they get the more they poop. If that is in a small space you may wind up managing poop a lot. If they have more room it doesn't build up quite so fast.

I don't know what your situation is outside, temperatures or what your facilities look like. It sounds like you may already have older chickens out there. "running around scratching and pecking at the floor bedding like the older chicks do" Some people like to keep chicks inside. They may want to watch then grow up, especially fi they have kids. It is easier to tame them and turn them into lap chickens if you raise them inside. Lots of people prefer that.

My personal preference is to get them outside as soon as I can, which means when I take them out of the incubator or pick them up at the post office. That way I avoid any potential smell, noise, and dust which goes a long way to keep my wife from divorcing me. I believe it helps strengthen their immune system by exposing then to the environment they will be living in as early as I can and still closely monitor them in the brooder. I think raising them across wire from the flock makes integration easier. I don't know what your goals are or what you have to work with but moving them outside might be an easy way t get them more room.

 

[Hopeful homesteader]

As I mentioned above the far end of mine was sometimes below freezing, but the warmest spot was toasty. Not in summer, of course, but in winter. My brooder is obviously outside. 85° is not going to cook them or be too warm no matter how old they get but don't be afraid of having the cool spot really cool. They can handle it and, in my opinion, it's beneficial for them to have a range of temperatures. They generally feather out faster and acclimate better. I imagine your room temperature in that bathroom is in the 70's. I'd prefer a brooder big enough and ventilated enough so the far end could at least get that cool. There is a lot of personal reference in that, like I said 85 won't hurt them, but I think you aren't getting them ready for outside as much as you could be by coddling them. I don't see what the downside of the brooder taking up the whole shower is. To me that sounds like a plus but you are looking at it and cleaning it.


I don't like to split them up once they are integrated. You don't want to make that any harder than it has to be. Why create a problem that doesn't currently exist?

I don't know when your 12 chicks will outgrow that brooder. It's not a square foot per chick thing, each brood is different. They grow very fast. Overcrowding can lead to aggression and violence, that's the behaviors you want to look out for and avoid if you can. That can be feather-picking, pecking each other, or fighting. At some point there will be some fighting anyway, even if they are all girls, but that's just playing and practicing, usually nothing serious to worry about.

The bigger they get the more they poop. If that is in a small space you may wind up managing poop a lot. If they have more room it doesn't build up quite so fast.

I don't know what your situation is outside, temperatures or what your facilities look like. It sounds like you may already have older chickens out there. "running around scratching and pecking at the floor bedding like the older chicks do" Some people like to keep chicks inside. They may want to watch then grow up, especially fi they have kids. It is easier to tame them and turn them into lap chickens if you raise them inside. Lots of people prefer that.

My personal preference is to get them outside as soon as I can, which means when I take them out of the incubator or pick them up at the post office. That way I avoid any potential smell, noise, and dust which goes a long way to keep my wife from divorcing me. I believe it helps strengthen their immune system by exposing then to the environment they will be living in as early as I can and still closely monitor them in the brooder. I think raising them across wire from the flock makes integration easier. I don't know what your goals are or what you have to work with but moving them outside might be an easy way t get them more room.

I have 6 chicks outside that are 6 weeks old, those are my first ever chickens so I'm just figuring everything out. My husband's finishing the coop/run for them so until then I don't have anywhere to put them outside. I'm in AZ so we don't have cold here. The older chicks were 3 or 4 weeks when we got them and they went straight in the coop. My husband keeps reminding me that we want them to be resilient and yet the mother in me wants to take care of them. I tell him it's his fault, I've just weaned my youngest and she's not wanting to be coddled then he brings home these babies my mothering instincts took over lol. I'm learning as I go, in the future I don't want to be raising the chicks and prefer to have a hen to do this.