Brooder Questions...Help

[Nicola]

what temp do u have the brooder? and and whn do u start decreasing it? how long to they have the light? what age can they go out side and be safe on a farm where there is fox problem? and how old would they be? how long are they in the brooder for?

 

[Nicola]

ANYONE???

 

[Ridgerunner]

Many of your questions can be answered in the Learning Center atthe top of the page. Check out Raising Chickens 101.

I thought you were going to keep them in a coop in your walled back yard, letting them out of the coop when you are around.

They will never be safe on a farm where there is a fox problem unless you have them completely enclosed. A fox will pick them off their perch at night or catch them when they are out eating during the day. A favorite time for this is right after daylight, shortly after the chickens are out eating.

 

[Nicola]

Quote:im hatching some for my auntie who is on the farm and they are in a huge pen but sometimes a fox gets in cause of the golden retevier creating a hole in the fence to get to the chicken eggs lol

 

[kelseygirl707]

I'm a first timer, but from what I've been told, 90 degrees to start then lower it 5 dergees a week until 70 degrees I believe? Hopefully someone more experianced will come along.

 

[melissastraka]

For day old chicks i keep my baby brooder around 90 and then yes, decrease it 5 degrees every week until they are fully feathered. I keep my day olds in a 55 gallon rubbermaid bin on wheels (for easy cleaning. Just pull it out to the compost pile) with a red 250 watt bulb. When they are 3-4 weeks, I take them out to the real brooder, which is set at 75 to 80 depending on how many chicks i have (some feather faster then others i have noticed) and then around 6-7 weeks its out to the baby coop to be introduced through chicken wire to my big girls. I do not keep a light on outside and have to shut them in their pen at night and let them out at day break. When I see there is no problems between the babies and my big girls, I sort through the roos and keep which ones i want and then move all my hens to the big coop. I then take my eating roos to the roo pen and let them live out their short days there with really good food before we cull them. So far, so good

 

[Judy]

I have seen a fox take a chicken more than once in the middle of the day. Depends how hungry they are. And probably whether they have pups.

The chicks will tell you whether temps are OK. If they pile on top of each other they are cold. If the gather away from the heat they are hot. Kelseygirl gave the usual recommendation but you may not find they need that much heat.

I feel that if you want to be sure they survive, you will have to prevent fox and dog from getting at them.

 

[Nicola]

the dog that creates the hole in the pen now is too old and cant get that low any more due to arthritis so she shouldnt be a problem now lol