brooding chicks in coop with 50 degree temps at night?

[andread]

The question is for you all that brood in the coop.
I really wanted to do coop brooding from day one and skip the miserable introduction when they are full grown.
I love the idea that the hens will watch them grow and not hate them quite so much making integration easier when they are a bit bigger. I have a dog crate that is all ready to go with cardboard sides.
I used the mama heating pad method last year and loved it so I plan to do that again.
However May weather is not cooperating and it is cold! the 10 day has highs in the mid 60s and lows in the 50s but the next couple of days are getting to 48 at night, this is unusual for us.
should i wait a couple of weeks or will the mama heat pad be ok?
i also could brood in the garage for a week but the garage is only 51 right now. so would mama heat pad work or should I go full heat lamp?
this is assuming I can even get chicks as they sell out as soon as they get to TSC, lol!

 

[Cindy in PA]

You should be fine. I have 7-week-olds that have been in the coop since day 1 under a brooder plate. I am in SE PA & in early April I had temps in the mid 20s at night with highs only in the mid 30s. This is as cold as I have had yet since brooding in the coop. They have been fully feathered for at least 2 weeks & never missed a beat when the cold kept coming back. Nights in the 40s or 50s should be no problem.

 

[andread]

You should be fine. I have 7-week-olds that have been in the coop since day 1 under a brooder plate. I am in SE PA & in early April I had temps in the mid 20s at night with highs only in the mid 30s. This is as cold as I have had yet since brooding in the coop. They have been fully feathered for at least 2 weeks & never missed a beat when the cold kept coming back. Nights in the 40s or 50s should be no problem.

thank you!

 

[rosemarythyme]

I routinely brood outdoors between 50s-60s though my last batch had nights down around 38-42F. It made no difference, they were fine outside.

Do keep in mind that if the dog crate is completely covered with cardboard, the hens can't see them and the chicks can't see the hens so you're not really doing see but no touch. Have at least 1 side open (and covered in a smaller mesh like hardware cloth) or part of 2 sides (like below) so they can actually see one another.

 

[WingItRanch]

I agree with the others! I used the Mama Heating Pad method and brooded outdoors for the first time this year and it was a game changer! This was back in February in East Texas so there were a few times it got below freezing. They did great! If they were cold, they'd go in their heat cave but I was surprised how often they didn't use it. One morning I went outside to check on them and it was in the low 30s. They were about 3 weeks old and dust bathing and chasing each other! Outdoor brooding with MHP is the way to go!

 

[rural mouse]

I've gone the mama hen pad with babies in the coop. Temps down to freezing at night. They'll be fine.