Brooder heat Idea

[Compost King]

This actually failed due to the number of chicks I had and the space I was working in. But it has worked with other chicks.

This actually worked until there wasn't enough surface space with 2 bottles for all the chicks to cling to it who wanted to cling to it. I added a heat plate over night. I will keep putting in hot water bottles during the day to encourage them to move around while also preventing crowding under the plate. (Sorry, wrong section, these may be meat birds but this belongs in the Raising Baby Chicks section. I goofed)

 

[pibb]

Interesting ideal but how long does a gallon of boiling water sit before going below 95 degrees? In the summer vs winter time?

If they never want to leave the heat plate, then it probably never gets warm enough to warm the chicks up.

 

[Compost King]

Interesting ideal but how long does a gallon of boiling water sit before going below 95 degrees?

I haven't done a study to know specific details but I would never do that in winter as the prime heat source. Its an alternative for when the power goes out provided you have a fire source to heat the water. I had power so I just used hot water from the tap it was the extension cord I did not want to run out to the brooder house. They would have survived with the hot water bottles being replaced about every 6 hours but the extension cord and heating plate ended up going in there.

Normally in summer I just let chicks go without a heat source but this year has been cool. the chicks are almost a week old and do not need the heat plate now because it warmed up. I keep water jugs in there to absorb heat during the day and disperse it at night.

 

[Parront]

I haven't done a study to know specific details but I would never do that in winter as the prime heat source. Its an alternative for when the power goes out provided you have a fire source to heat the water. I had power so I just used hot water from the tap it was the extension cord I did not want to run out to the brooder house. They would have survived with the hot water bottles being replaced about every 6 hours but the extension cord and heating plate ended up going in there.

Normally in summer I just let chicks go without a heat source but this year has been cool. the chicks are almost a week old and do not need the heat plate now because it warmed up. I keep water jugs in there to absorb heat during the day and disperse it at night.

Same principle as putting a jug of water in the garden for tomatoes. They like it! You might use that as a heat source instead of a light bulb in one of those brooder boxes.