Baby Chicks making me sick?

[AmericanMom]

Now Im a little concerned when I get my chicks. As of now, I have the brooder partially built in my bedroom. I cant think of a place here where theyd be safe. My front porch isnt screened and garage has been used as a storage shed by the landlord for years. The carport as well. Would it be better if I just slept on the couch until theyre outside?

Edit: or if I placed the brooder in the closet?

My porch isn't screened in either, it has a roof...

My DH built a wire cover for the brooder that has a hole to allow the lamp in... I have brooded over 100 chicks on my porch without any problems.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

I'm going to put my two cents in. If someone is sensative to them, then of course you do what you need to in order to make it better for both human and birds. If you can't handle the extra cleaning and everything that goes with brooding inside, then you shouldn't brood inside. If you are brooding large numbers, then you might definitely think twice. With that being said my 3 month old was brooded in my room. (Late hatcher only chick and becoming apparent he is going to have special needs due to development delay.) I had to move him from the bedroom at a month and a halfish. About the time our second attempts were hatching. I set them up in half of the play room. I have to put a lot of work into keeping the cages (and floor, thanks to bedding) clean and the air breathable. It's a daunting job to be sure. The first three-four weeks relatively isn't bad. Between 4-6 weeks it starts becomming a pain in the you know where, (when you have more than just a couple.)
I will probably always brood in house for the first few weeks. I love having them around. I can almost guarentee I will not be doing any early winter hatches (as long as I live in Northern New York) again. I am dreading the rest of the winter and it's just getting started. My sister will be taking the extra roos, so that will alleviate it a bit, but I will be glad to get the coop running and get them out. (With the exception of my pet roo. He's to be determined yet.)
I guess my overall thought is: brooding for a few weeks isn't bad inside if you aren't sensative, but housing more than just a couple inside for any length of time is a nightmare. If it becomes too bad I can send them all with my sis and get my hens and the two roos back come March/April, but I am going to try my darndest to keep up with everything so I don't loose the personal contact with them. We will see.

 

[sdm111]

Brooders must be in a vented area. Y'all that have brooders inside need to check\change y'all's ac filters too. If you don't have a proper area for them you're not ready for chicks. It's bad for the chicks too not to mention the humans to be in the stagnant air.

 

[StephensonC]

Brooders must be in a vented area. Y'all that have brooders inside need to check\change y'all's ac filters too. If you don't have a proper area for them you're not ready for chicks. It's bad for the chicks too not to mention the humans to be in the stagnant air.

I have plenty of places for the chicks. I live on a farm with 55 acres. I have 2 houses, a goat barn and shelter, 3 separate chicken coops and runs, a fish house, a work shed and 4 barns. I was keeping them inside to insure their warmth, as is why I'm asking questions here on BYC about putting them in one of the barns. I was unaware of possibly being allergic to their dust/dander. I didn't think it would pose a problem keeping them inside until they were a few weeks old. Now that it has become a problem, I must decide the best and safest place to put them. It's not that I don't have a proper area for them, it's just deciding the best place for them.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

I have plenty of places for the chicks. I live on a farm with 55 acres. I have 2 houses, a goat barn and shelter, 3 separate chicken coops and runs, a fish house, a work shed and 4 barns. I was keeping them inside to insure their warmth, as is why I'm asking questions here on BYC about putting them in one of the barns. I was unaware of possibly being allergic to their dust/dander. I didn't think it would pose a problem keeping them inside until they were a few weeks old. Now that it has become a problem, I must decide the best and safest place to put them. It's not that I don't have a proper area for them, it's just deciding the best place for them.

Take everything with a grain of salt. People do things differently, doesn't make it wrong. Once I have everything up and running I'd have the availabilty to brood in a coop, but I'll brood in home. My sister has been raising chicks for years and has multiple coops-she still broods inside the first few weeks. I don't know about you, but most of the homes I have lived in the air circulates doesn't remain stagnant and my windows aren't nailed shut.
BTW, I'm coming to occupy one of your houses and use one of your barns!! lol

 

[3riverschick]

I have plenty of places for the chicks. I live on a farm with 55 acres. I have 2 houses, a goat barn and shelter, 3 separate chicken coops and runs, a fish house, a work shed and 4 barns. I was keeping them inside to insure their warmth, as is why I'm asking questions here on BYC about putting them in one of the barns. I was unaware of possibly being allergic to their dust/dander. I didn't think it would pose a problem keeping them inside until they were a few weeks old. Now that it has become a problem, I must decide the best and safest place to put them. It's not that I don't have a proper area for them, it's just deciding the best place for them.

Okay, buy a sweeter heater http://www.sweeterheater.com/ and set them up in a rodent proof brooder in the barn. They should be fine.
Gail Damerow has a great one on YouTube which utilizes the sweeter heater. No fire worry with that heater.
Custom Brooders: Gail Damerow's Hatching & Brooding Your Own Chicks

Merry Christmas,
Karen

 

[William1hens]

The dust from the bedding is probably making you sick.I'd say you don't like chickens any more because your relating you being sick to them.Like if you eat 10 pancakes and get sick you never want to see another pancake again.This should pass after a while when you get better.If I was in your situation and I didn't get my passion back after a while I would get rid of the chickens as it's not fair on them or you if you just don't like them anymore.
I hope you get better soon.

 

[StephensonC]

The dust from the bedding is probably making you sick.I'd say you don't like chickens any more because your relating you being sick to them.Like if you eat 10 pancakes and get sick you never want to see another pancake again.This should pass after a while when you get better.If I was in your situation and I didn't get my passion back after a while I would get rid of the chickens as it's not fair on them or you if you just don't like them anymore.
I hope you get better soon.

I'm hoping it will pass! I think it was the dust/dander that they create, versus the bedding. I only used paper towels the first 3 days, and I actually started getting sick as soon as I started putting them in the brooder. The room was very still. The door stayed closed all the time and I didn't even turn on my ceiling fan. The room gets very warm with the door closed, so I even closed off one of the vents. Then of course, the heat lamp stayed on continuously. I don't think it was healthy at all, to be breathing in all that stuff all night long. I would wake up during the night and feel like I had the flu or something. I'm starting to feel better now. The doctor has me on antibiotics. As for my passion.....I WANT IT BACK!!! I'm not getting the nausea anymore and I did go out yesterday and give treats to the flocks. My DH has been feeding and watering them for me. It's just so odd that my chickens were such a joy for me and then all of a sudden, at the drop of a hat, I didn't even want them anymore. Much less the 13 eggs I was obligated to put in the incubator. Lol But, it is getting better, as I am too. Thanks for all your comments. It's good to have you all here at BYC.

 

[Blooie]

I had horrible dust/dander issues when I brooded my chicks in the house. They were only 5.5 weeks old when I knew I couldn't do it one more day. So they moved out to the coop, even though it wasn't totally finished and it was in the 20s during the day. In fact, it snowed a day or so after they went out. I put a heat lamp out there - they didn't even use it so after the second day it came out.

After that I found a video on brooding chicks naturally outdoors right here on BYC's forum. It relies on a large Sunbeam heating pad - one that you can turn OFF the automatic shut-off feature. I planned to do that with my next batch of chicks, but circumstances intervened - I ended up with one chick hatched under a broody. He managed to get his feet wet and got severe frostbite. So he came in the house to live while I treated him, and I utilized the heating pad method earlier than I planned. He loved it, he thrived, and he's now living outside in the coop with the big girls, still using his heating pad. Our temps are cold....snow on the ground and nasty winds. He's doing great. He pops under it when he's cold, but most of the time he's out being a chicken and I don't have chicken dust in the house! If you click on Scout's adventure in my signature you can see his story, and at the bottom are pictures of him using Mama Heating Pad, both in the house and outside. I'll find that link for you about brooding chicks outdoors.

Edited to add: Here's that link. I know it doesn't help you now, but I'll bet trying chicks this way will renew your excitement!

 

[StephensonC]

I've got it back!!! I feel so much better. It's crazy how all that dust/dander made me feel. It was as if I had the flu. The babies are doing fine and growing like crazy. I'm having so much fun with them!! I still have 13 eggs in the bator. They are all blue and green, so it's very hard to see inside them when candling. However, they were shipped, and most of them have saddle shaped air cells. I'm doing it totally dry this time. My DH has been taking care of our flocks, and it seems my RIR rooster has gotten much more aggressive, while I haven't been out there much. Lol I'm gonna have to have a talk with him!! Thank you all for your comments and well wishes!! I'm sure I'll be seeing you around again on BYC!