Brooder in winter

[NH Friend]

Since you're a first timer, I'll state something fairly basic about chicks and brooders:
healthy chicks can self regulate their temperature by moving to a warmer or cooler place.

The warm area can be heated by a heat lamp, in which case it tends to be several feet across, with the hottest spot in the middle and cooler areas further out. Or the warm area can be a heat plate, or a heating pad cave, or a broody hen, and all the rest of the space is cool. Once the chicks are warm & healthy after being shipped, any of those can work just fine.

Specific notes about heat lamps:
Because of how much space gets warm with a heat lamp, it is a very poor choice for a small brooder in hot weather or inside a human house. But with a large brooder (so there is still plenty of cool space), it can be a very good way to provide heat for chicks, especially when the brooder is outdoors in cold weather. There is also a very real risk of fire with a heat lamp, if it gets knocked down or if something flammable gets too close to it, so do be careful if you use one.

Good morning! I just wanted to pop back in to thank you for the support! I've got my brooder plate set up with the "front" higher than the back. Bluetooth thermometer is reading at a steady 96 underneath. I've set up the brooder plate/heater next to it to make sure there's enough ambient heat for the plate to run. Wall thermometer reads between 61-67 degrees over 24 hours. I think I'm ready! I think my chicks are going to have a good start. Thanks again for all the good info!

 

[Yfd417]

I attached some pics of what I did. I started with a large storage container as shown in the picture. I ordered 6 ladies and received 9! All 9 have survived and thus far have been healthy and growing fast. I just made the 4’x4’x2’ enclosure tonight as I planned for 6 and hoped my container may last longer. At 2.5 weeks old they seemed a little tight when testing their wings and often jumping all over each other.
I have them in my unfinished basement. Ambient indoor temp is around 60°F give or take. I have been using a heat plate and 150w ceramic bulb. I use the basement lights for the light exposure. I would like to remove one of heat sources in a week or so. I will judge by how they collect under each source. I’m hoping at 6 weeks temps outside are acceptable. I’m in Hudson Valley NY and we are in 20s most nights and upper 30s-40s during the day.

 

[3KillerBs]

I have them in my unfinished basement. Ambient indoor temp is around 60°F give or take. I have been using a heat plate and 150w ceramic bulb.

With 60F ambient they shouldn't need the heat lamp at all when they have a heat plate.

I only use dual heat with a bulb in addition to the plate when the temperatures are dropping into the 40's or lower at night.