Brinsea brooder height question - 2nd rung too high for 13 day old chicks?

[justaud]

Hello!
I wanted to know what to do about my brinsea brooder. My girls are about 13 days old and we've had a heat lamp since I got them, however, now I want to change to the Brinsea ecoglow and I'm having a little trouble. I turned off the lamp, put the brinsea on the lowest rung and nudged the girls underneath - but they won't stay under there, I check on them half an hour later and they're huddled together next to it. When I put it up a rung, they all go underneath and huddle together, but I'm afraid they aren't warm enough since they aren't touching the plate.

Any advice? They are delawares and cinnamon queens, not bantams, if that helps the size approximation.

 

[Ridgerunner]

How are the chicks acting? Are they giving that distress chirp and squeezing as close to the heat as they can get? Are they acting pretty calmly? I don’t care about air temperature or any of that other stuff. If the chicks are comfortable, they are comfortable. The way your chicks act is the best guide you can have.

If your chicks won’t go under there on the lower rung they may be too hot. If they are comfortable with the second rung, they are comfortable. By 13 days the chicks should not be spending a lot of time under there anyway. They should be out eating, drinking, and playing in the rest of the brooder a fair amount of time and just go back under to warm up when they need to. How long they spend out will of course depend on how cold the rest of the brooder is, but trust your chicks to tell you what they need.

 

[snow5164]

Hello,
I raised my brinsea each week , so no the second setting will keep them warm enough.
I laid a tea towel over it so the back is closed in , it should keep the heat in that way . I've raised a few sets of chicks with my brinsea it is a nice heat that they feel better then we do . If they won't go under it they're too warm , mine by week 3 short just by the edge of it !!

 

[snow5164]

Also mine were in a. Cardboard box , I made a hole in the side so I could see them underneath the brinsea.

 

[justaud]

How are the chicks acting? Are they giving that distress chirp and squeezing as close to the heat as they can get? Are they acting pretty calmly? I don’t care about air temperature or any of that other stuff. If the chicks are comfortable, they are comfortable. The way your chicks act is the best guide you can have.

If your chicks won’t go under there on the lower rung they may be too hot. If they are comfortable with the second rung, they are comfortable. By 13 days the chicks should not be spending a lot of time under there anyway. They should be out eating, drinking, and playing in the rest of the brooder a fair amount of time and just go back under to warm up when they need to. How long they spend out will of course depend on how cold the rest of the brooder is, but trust your chicks to tell you what they need.

They were snuggled in a pile, but they weren't complaining (and they are quick to make noise when they aren't comfortable). I was just afraid that they weren't warm enough since they weren't touching the plate. Thank you for your input!

 

[justaud]

Hello,
I raised my brinsea each week , so no the second setting will keep them warm enough.
I laid a tea towel over it so the back is closed in , it should keep the heat in that way . I've raised a few sets of chicks with my brinsea it is a nice heat that they feel better then we do . If they won't go under it they're too warm , mine by week 3 short just by the edge of it !!

Thank you! Yes, ours is technically a cage but enclosed all around with cardboard. Also, it's in a fully heated inside space, so there aren't any drafts, but I'm afraid of chilling them so I wanted to see what other people do at this age.