3 week old chick question

[CowgirlPenny]

Next Monday my chicks will be three weeks old. That's also when we are leaving on our two day trip.

Which is a better plan, put them outside with their brooder light on our covered porch, have the neighbor check on them the morning of the second day or leave them in the house, no brooder light?

My husband says if I wanted to leave them indoors in their brooder, no light because of the risk of fire. I really am leaning more towards leaving them in their brooder inside, even if its without a light. The house will still stay fairly warm and they are mostly feathered down their back, but not bellies or head yet. I'm still so unsure on what to do! I have to go, its a once every three years type of family get together and we are only an hour away IF I truly needed to come back to check.

Do you think they would stay warm enough? I could use heating pads under their straw or something, but no heat lamps! Any ideas?

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

At three weeks they need temps of 80 degrees or so available.

I don't know what to tell you!

 

[doxies1]

No heat inside is a bad idea. Willl your hubby go for a regular hundred watt bulb in a reflector. That's all I use inside anymore red paint on light bulbs in a reflector, reducing wattage as chicks get older.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Quote:
Excellent point. I use 100 watt bulbs (one or two or three based on age of chicks) in reflectors myself- not heat lamps.

 

[CowgirlPenny]

Quote:
Excellent point. I use 100 watt bulbs (one or two or three based on age of chicks) in reflectors myself- not heat lamps.

How would I go about doing that? Would they still stay warm from a 100 watt? We are only using a 125 heat bulb now.

 

[4kids*2dogs]

Can't you ask a friend to take them for a couple of days? Or pay a teenager? I don't think I would leave them alone! I also think the EcoGlow would be best for longer durations since it has very little risk of fire. But I would have someone check on them!! I am new at this..haven't even got my first chicks yet...but just thinkin' about what I would do.

 

[CowgirlPenny]

4kids*2dogs :

Can't you ask a friend to take them for a couple of days? Or pay a teenager? I don't think I would leave them alone! I also think the EcoGlow would be best for longer durations since it has very little risk of fire. But I would have someone check on them!! I am new at this..haven't even got my first chicks yet...but just thinkin' about what I would do.

I don't have anyone that would even offer. Not many friends or family share our chicken love I guess. I would never let someone come in my house without us here anyway. So having someone come in to tend to them is out of the question.

The only way they can be checked on, is on the covered porch. My neighbor is an older fella but he said he would come up and take a peek, make sure the light is still on if we put them outside. I'm just remembering that rain storm we had last night it was blowing everywhere, I don't think rain is good for the brooder light. I don't really worry about a predator or anything, it would be more like their light going out in the middle of the night. Ahh! What to do....

I wish I could take them. But the cabin policy says absolutely no pets.​

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Quote:
Excellent point. I use 100 watt bulbs (one or two or three based on age of chicks) in reflectors myself- not heat lamps.

How would I go about doing that? Would they still stay warm from a 100 watt? We are only using a 125 heat bulb now.

You can put a 100 watt bulb in the brooder light socket. Check temps under the light with a thermometer to make sure it is ok.

 

[tinychicky]

is the porch predetor proof?

 

[CowgirlPenny]

Quote:
Well, we have a German Shepherd that patrols the yard, and the porch has a gate on it since we have a baby. Something like an opossum could get over the railing but we have NEVER seen one. I think between the Beagle and the GSD, they do a pretty good job of keeping anything like that away. My main concern with the porch would be rain. Didn't someone say that moisture made their bulb explode or something? I wouldn't care to leave the brooder light on outside because if there was (knock on wood) fire, the neighbors would see. They were outside in the brooder the other night and did great. Like I said, rain or high winds are my main concern with them outside.