A lot of chicks, what to do.

[Yukonchick]

I think I may run into a bit of a problem. I've got 46 chicks, 12 layers and the rest are meat birds. They're nice and warm in a big cardboard box in the house but i know how fast they grow. I don't think i can handle so many in the house after 2 weeks but being up here in the Yukon, I'm worried about the temperture in the chicken house. How warm should the birds be at about 3 weeks old??

I'm thinking I better put the heat lamp in there and keep them in a big wooden box.

 

[leadwolf1]

80 - 85 degrees

 

[mmktdox]

At three weeks the layers should still need 80 - 85 degress, but I find I can get away with quite a bit less heat on the meat birds. They are little furnaces! If you're chicken coop is somewhat draft free and you can throw a heat lamp in there for them they'll probably be fine. Can you heat the coop at all?

 

[Apyl]

I'm in Wisconsin and moved my 30 chicks out to the coop at 2 1/2 weeks old. I did give them the heat lamp outside since it was still freezing at night at times.

 

[Yukonchick]

We do have a couple of heaters and the brooder lamp. Its been a miserable spring up here this year. Its only 12 celsius today.

 

[Yukonchick]

Might as well stay inside today and play with my camera. Heres a pic of one of my layers and a meat bird. Can you guess what breeds they are?

 

[Yukonchick]

Well if yours are surviving with just the heat lamp then mine should be ok too. Its not freezing at night but it is unpredictable up here in the land of the midnight sun.