Baby Chicks Acclimating Quicker

[Glimmerofhope]

Hi! I have four 2.5+ week old chicks (1 Buff Orpington, 1 Barred Plymouth Rock, and 2 Easter Eggers). I've been noticing in the past few days in the evenings and mornings when it's still in the low 50's outside they aren't under the heat plate. They just hang around the rest of the brooder box or on top of the heat plate and seem quite content. I've been raising the heat plate so it's above their backs at standing level. During the day I move the brooder box out from the garage and to our backyard patio where the the outside temps have been in the 70s. They also seem quite content without the heat plate during then as well. I've been told that they need the minimum temps to be at 85 degrees or higher. Is it possible for chicks at their age to acclimate faster?

 

[Lemon-Drop]

Well, at 2.5 weeks, I wouldn't have them under 85 degrees. That's pretty warm, in my opinion. I had my 3 day old chicks under that temp. When chicks start to grow feathers, they will be able to *start* regulating body temperature. I bet your chicks are so cute!

 

[LateBirdFarms]

If they know where the heat is, they'll be fine. If youve seen broody raised chicks, they don't stay under mom 24/7, they run around and head back under her feathers to warm up only to take back off again. The recommended temps are there as a guideline and as long as there is a spot with the proper heat to raise their body temp they'll be okay. 85 is fairly warm for 2.5w olds as far as I can remember, and I can't say I've had my chicks on heat past 3 weeks. Chicks are relatively smart when it comes to knowing when to tuck themselves back under the heat source, be it broody, lamp or heating pad. Of course, things like how feathered out they are, drafts, fragility of the breed, weather, etc all factor in, but if it makes you feel better, my chicks were out in 5c/41f trying to dust bath in frozen dirt having a blast at 3w.

ETA: on consistent heat past 3w, I do turn the heat back on for them if its going to be damp and frigid under 4-6w if they don't seem to be fairing well.

 

[Glimmerofhope]

Well, at 2.5 weeks, I wouldn't have them under 85 degrees. That's pretty warm, in my opinion. I had my 3 day old chicks under that temp. When chicks start to grow feathers, they will be able to *start* regulating body temperature. I bet your chicks are so cute!

Thanks for the insight! All of them have a good amount of feathers, so that is probably helping them adjust better. The chicks are adorable - and growing so quickly!

 

[Glimmerofhope]

If they know where the heat is, they'll be fine. If youve seen broody raised chicks, they don't stay under mom 24/7, they run around and head back under her feathers to warm up only to take back off again. The recommended temps are there as a guideline and as long as there is a spot with the proper heat to raise their body temp they'll be okay. 85 is fairly warm for 2.5w olds as far as I can remember, and I can't say I've had my chicks on heat past 3 weeks. Chicks are relatively smart when it comes to knowing when to tuck themselves back under the heat source, be it broody, lamp or heating pad. Of course, things like how feathered out they are, drafts, fragility of the breed, weather, etc all factor in, but if it makes you feel better, my chicks were out in 5c/41f trying to dust bath in frozen dirt having a blast at 3w.

ETA: on consistent heat past 3w, I do turn the heat back on for them if its going to be damp and frigid under 4-6w if they don't seem to be fairing well.

That's really good to know! Thanks for the helpful information. I live in Southern California and the next few weeks we're looking at highs in the 80s and lows in the 50s. I'm finishing up their coop this weekend. Do you think they would be able to move in to it around 3.5 - 4 weeks based on how they are adjusting to the temperatures now?

 

[LateBirdFarms]

Most likely. Depending upon how well they were weaned off the heat, you may want of offer a heat source for the first day, and then only at night for a few nights, or just at night even, just to be doubly sure they've adjusted.... but if they have somewhere that's draft free that they can huddle out of the breeze they should be okay. Keep a close watch, they'll be sure to let you know with excessive huddling, fluffing and chirping. Just also be aware that the first night, possibly the first few nights out in the coop they will cry like little children being abandoned in the woods with wolves grinning out at them from the darkness. Bringing them out during the day with no heat and tucking them back into the brooder at night a little later each time is another option to get them acclimated. Be observant, and your new babies should be okay. Good luck!

 

[Ridgerunner]

I've been told that they need the minimum temps to be at 85 degrees or higher.

How to respond. I guess first, you can be told a lot of things, that doesn't mean it is always true.

Don't consider the numbers you see on here as absolute laws of nature, they are not. Consider them as general guidelines instead. If you follow the guidelines you are generally going to be safe. For some people it may be overkill, for a few it may not be enough, but for most people in most conditions you will be OK.

That doesn't consider that different people can use different numbers. An example is how many square feet in the coop do chickens need. I've read anything from 1 square feet per chicken to 15 square feet on this forum. Who do you believe? A number commonly given is 4 square feet per chicken in the coop, often without considering how much room there is in the run, if a run is available. It usually doesn't consider the adult size of your chickens or your climate, which may cause them to spend a lot more time in that coop. There are so many variables that there is no one right number that covers all of us but 4 square feet per bird is probably a decent starting point.

There is a general guideline often seen on here of starting the temperature at 90 to 95 F and dropping it 5 degrees per week. Let's run through those numbers really quickly.

0 to 6 days - 0 weeks - 90 to 95
7 to 13 days - 1 week - 85 to 90
14 to 20 days - 2 weeks - 80 to 85
21 to 27 days - 3 weeks - 75 to 80
28 to 34 days - 4 weeks - 70 to 75

This does not mean they have to have these temperatures. Many of us that raise them with broody hens know they don't have to be this warm. They can often do quite well at much lower temperatures. Acclimation is one variable. How good the breeze protection is has an effect. If they are in a breeze they need warmer temperatures. How well they are fed might have an effect, within reason the better they are fed as chicks the faster they feather out.

To me the best brooder is one that has a warm enough spot in the coolest of conditions and a cool enough spot in the warmest of conditions. I brood outside and can have a temperature swing of 40 degrees F almost overnight. My brooder has to be able to handle that. If you brood in your climate controlled house it's much easier to manage.

The way I'd look at that temperature chart is that if you have one spot in the brooder that warm in the coolest of conditions they can always go there to warm up. Mine sometimes go play in the far end of my brooder when it is below freezing and just go back to the warmer area when they need to warm up. Even if you have a pretty crappy brooder, those temperatures should keep you out of the trouble as far as temperatures go. We have different quality brooders too, that can have an effect.

 

[Glimmerofhope]

Most likely. Depending upon how well they were weaned off the heat, you may want of offer a heat source for the first day, and then only at night for a few nights, or just at night even, just to be doubly sure they've adjusted.... but if they have somewhere that's draft free that they can huddle out of the breeze they should be okay. Keep a close watch, they'll be sure to let you know with excessive huddling, fluffing and chirping. Just also be aware that the first night, possibly the first few nights out in the coop they will cry like little children being abandoned in the woods with wolves grinning out at them from the darkness. Bringing them out during the day with no heat and tucking them back into the brooder at night a little later each time is another option to get them acclimated. Be observant, and your new babies should be okay. Good luck!

Ever since I've brought them home when they were only a couple days old, I've been placing their brooder box out on my backyard patio without the heat plate on (the first two weeks have been in the high 80s outside). In the evening, I move the brooder box back into our garage and turn on the heat plate. Hopefully me doing this since the beginning will help them wean off easier. Thanks again for all your helpful tips!

 

[Glimmerofhope]

How to respond. I guess first, you can be told a lot of things, that doesn't mean it is always true.

Don't consider the numbers you see on here as absolute laws of nature, they are not. Consider them as general guidelines instead. If you follow the guidelines you are generally going to be safe. For some people it may be overkill, for a few it may not be enough, but for most people in most conditions you will be OK.

That doesn't consider that different people can use different numbers. An example is how many square feet in the coop do chickens need. I've read anything from 1 square feet per chicken to 15 square feet on this forum. Who do you believe? A number commonly given is 4 square feet per chicken in the coop, often without considering how much room there is in the run, if a run is available. It usually doesn't consider the adult size of your chickens or your climate, which may cause them to spend a lot more time in that coop. There are so many variables that there is no one right number that covers all of us but 4 square feet per bird is probably a decent starting point.

There is a general guideline often seen on here of starting the temperature at 90 to 95 F and dropping it 5 degrees per week. Let's run through those numbers really quickly.

0 to 6 days - 0 weeks - 90 to 95
7 to 13 days - 1 week - 85 to 90
14 to 20 days - 2 weeks - 80 to 85
21 to 27 days - 3 weeks - 75 to 80
28 to 34 days - 4 weeks - 70 to 75

This does not mean they have to have these temperatures. Many of us that raise them with broody hens know they don't have to be this warm. They can often do quite well at much lower temperatures. Acclimation is one variable. How good the breeze protection is has an effect. If they are in a breeze they need warmer temperatures. How well they are fed might have an effect, within reason the better they are fed as chicks the faster they feather out.

To me the best brooder is one that has a warm enough spot in the coolest of conditions and a cool enough spot in the warmest of conditions. I brood outside and can have a temperature swing of 40 degrees F almost overnight. My brooder has to be able to handle that. If you brood in your climate controlled house it's much easier to manage.

The way I'd look at that temperature chart is that if you have one spot in the brooder that warm in the coolest of conditions they can always go there to warm up. Mine sometimes go play in the far end of my brooder when it is below freezing and just go back to the warmer area when they need to warm up. Even if you have a pretty crappy brooder, those temperatures should keep you out of the trouble as far as temperatures go. We have different quality brooders too, that can have an effect.

Thank you so much! Really appreciate your insight and for taking the time to respond.

 

[rosemarythyme]

That's really good to know! Thanks for the helpful information. I live in Southern California and the next few weeks we're looking at highs in the 80s and lows in the 50s. I'm finishing up their coop this weekend. Do you think they would be able to move in to it around 3.5 - 4 weeks based on how they are adjusting to the temperatures now?

Yes you should be able to move them out at around that time due to the fact that they're already starting to wean off of heat, and because you have very warm temperatures. Don't get hung up on the numbers on the thermometer, go with their behavior. My temps are lower than yours when I take away the heat at around 4 weeks old.