Baby Chicks cheeping like crazy??

[teresarobi]

(3 golden comets and 5 barred rock chicks all about the same size) They were just delivered to our feed store today not sure how old they are... They were bought as a surprise along with their starter feed and waterer, and I was not ready for them... We quickly made a place for them and for tonight they have to be in our bathroom with the heater on... I have had them outside in our medium to large size dog kennel and they stayed fairly quiet, but as the sun moved and the wind started blowing I worried about them getting cold... so I turned on the heater (has a auto temp setting which is on 90 degrees) in our bathroom cleaned their water and put more feed out (they are a messy bunch, and they are still being kept in the dog kennel its just big enough to give them some roaming room) I have the a/c vent blocked off so the heater isn't Fighting the cold ac... but now they are cheeping like crazy... I tried moving the heater a couple inches closer cause they were pushing towards that side thinking they may have gotten chilled (I will have a heat lamp tomorrow) but I am worried about them tonight... anybody have any suggestions????

 

[Mister B]

Are you sure the temp in the bathroom is ~95? They need a temp about that to stay warm. They have no way to regulate their own temperature. If you have a hanging lamp of some sort of a tamp you can tilt over (be careful) they could get under, that would be great. You might try putting bottles of really hot water in the kennel with them, but you would have to replace it often. maybe a heating pad under some paper towels? Someone else might have some better ideas.

 

[FaithM]

Usually, if they're cheeping a lot and are very active then they're too hot and if they're huddling and not making a lot of noise, then they're too cold. It could also be that they're just stressed from the trip and will calm down in a little while. How big is the area that they're in? It should be big enough that they could get away from the heat or go under the heat lamp as needed.

 

[teresarobi]

no I am not sure if its 95 but I did turn the heater to just keep going rather than auto figuring it just wasnt warm enough in there for them yet... they are huddling still but starting to disperse a little and getting quieter but i also turned on my hair dryer and pointed towards just one corner and after they decided to go back in their little box they went straight for that corner (they are getting friendly after only a few hours hopping on my feet when i opened the kennel door)... I put a regular outside thermometer in the bathroom with them to see if I can regulate it at 95 for tonight... my bathroom is also a sauna for tonight but Im all to happy to oblige my babies...Thank you for responding =)

Also to answer the size of where i am keeping them its a dog travel kennel the plastic kind its 3 ft long about 2 foot wide and they can get away from the heat if they need too but at first they were huddling towards the heater but pretty sure they just werent warm enough Thank you for responding as well...

my first time with chickens of any kind but have been reading about them and all the what tos and what not too's for over a year.... I may have first time mommy syndrome all over again... ( I have a 9yr old and 20 month old sons)

 

[FaithM]

Okay, sounds like they're doing fine! You are going to need to get them a bigger brooder (at least 32 square feet) at some point but for tonight, they'll probably be alright. I was really nervous when I first got my chicks as well.. I got up to check on them several times during the night! (With good reason too, because the temp. was fluctuating quite a bit!). Good luck with the chickies!

 

[GaChick34]

My chicks are 3 weeks old. I'm using a 65w spotlight bulb on them vs the red bulb. This is what the breeder recommended I use. I'm also a first time owner and have had them 5-6 days now. Good luck! It's a lot to learn and figure out. I had to run around getting meds to treat them for Coccidia today.

 

[teresarobi]

The temp has stayed right at 90 for the last couple of hours and they seem content... hopefully they stay nice and toasty... I did see earlier a difference in their behavior when they got too hot so I set the heater back down to 90 and now they are only cheeping when i come in there but its more cheerful then distressed... they apparently like to be held already lol.. now to do research to try and figure out how old they actually are... Thank you for your help... it'll be a long night for me I am sure.

 

[teresarobi]

My chicks are 3 weeks old. I'm using a 65w spotlight bulb on them vs the red bulb. This is what the breeder recommended I use. I'm also a first time owner and have had them 5-6 days now. Good luck! It's a lot to learn and figure out. I had to run around getting meds to treat them for Coccidia today.

What was your breeders reason for the 65 w spot light bulb vs the red? I am curious. because ive read so much saying the red is better to keep them calmer but I've read other stuff saying that any light that put off heat will do also.

 

[GaChick34]

She said the red would put off too much heat for their age and that it wasn't needed. I need to look into this some more. Only one of my chicks lays under it and it's because she's sick. The others don't seem to need it.

 

[donrae]

Are you putting the entire room at 90+ degrees? That's too hot and you'll cook your chicks. Chicks need a warm spot, not a warm world. Broody hens keep chicks warm underneath them, but out from under the hen they're ambient temperature. Do you have a heat lamp or similar? That's what you need. Chicks don't tolerate being kept too warm all the time, they dehydrate, get pasty butt and have high mortality rates. A heat lamp, providing a warm spot, and plenty of space to get out form under the heat is the best environment to raise chicks.