2 days old

[Sarjeanp]

I did use our digital ear thermometer in there last night, and it was reading at 96 and 94 degrees. I like the heating pad idea.. when we brought them home yesterday, before I put them in the brooder, I made a faux Momma. I used one of my extra long, knee high socks, put rice in it and nuked it to heat it. I put that in the box with them, they enjoyed it. I am going to get a different set up for today. But overnight, I have them in a Rubbermaid tote. I didn't want to keep them in a box material with that lamp. I can see this tote is too small, I will be getting a bigger one today. 11 girls are A LOT.

 

[Mybackyardpeepers]

I am using a ceramic 60 watt black bulb from my lizards I had. My chicks box is also by my heat source (boiler heat). I only heat one corner and I'm on my second batch this way. Good luck.

 

[aart]

I can see this tote is too small, I will be getting a bigger one today.

Yes, it is.


Here's my notes on chick heat, hope something in there might help:

They need to be pretty warm(~85-90F on the brooder floor right under the lamp and 10-20 degrees cooler at the other end of brooder) for the first day or two, especially if they have been shipped, until they get to eating, drinking and moving around well. But after that it's best to keep them as cool as possible for optimal feather growth and quicker acclimation to outside temps. A lot of chick illnesses are attributed to too warm of a brooder. I do think it's a good idea to use a thermometer on the floor of the brooder to check the temps, especially when new at brooding, later I still use it but more out of curiosity than need.

The best indicator of heat levels is to watch their behavior:
-If they are huddled/piled up right under the lamp and cheeping very loudly, they are too cold.
-If they are spread out on the absolute edges of the brooder as far from the lamp as possible, panting and/or cheeping very loudly, they are too hot.
-If they sleep around the edge of the lamp calmly just next to each other and spend time running all around the brooder they are juuuust right!

The lamp is best at one end of the brooder with food/water at the other cooler end of the brooder, so they can get away from the heat or be under it as needed. Wattage of 'heat' bulb depends on size of brooder and ambient temperature of room brooder is in. Regular incandescent bulbs can be used, you might not need a 'heat bulb'. If you do use a heat bulb make sure it's specifically for poultry, some heat bulbs for food have teflon coatings that can kill birds. You can get red colored incandescent bulbs at a reptile supply source. A dimmer extension cord is an excellent way to adjust the output of the bulb to change the heat without changing the height of the lamp.


Or you could go with a heat plate, commercially made or DIY: http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/pseudo-brooder-heater-plate

 

[Sarjeanp]

Thank you so much! So today, I bought a HUGE tub, some vitamins/electrolytes and a 75 watt heating bulb, that the sales person at the feed store recommended. It's meant for reptiles, but she says it's the same thing. That poor girl, the one who is breathing fast.. I jacked up a little spot on her last night. I realized soon after that it must have been a little wetness from water or something on her neck/shoulder area, but I thought it was a wound ( I saw pink=skin) so I put some Neosporin on it. She started pecking at it, and I didn't want her to have a coated mouth/lungs, so I tried to rub it off gently. It looks like a bald spot. She is acting more tired than the others, so she has me a bit concerned. I really appreciate everyone here. SO very helpful!