Brooding chicks in summer, first-timer questions

[Caribear]

Hi all,

I have six day-old chicks coming the week of the 18th. This will be our first experience brooding babies. I had planned to put the brooder in a bedroom upstairs, since I have a very curious 4-year-old and would like to keep him from harassing the chicks to death. But our upstairs can get pretty hot, and I was wondering if I should be concerned about it getting too hot up there? Is too much heat an issue for chicks at some point, or am I just being overly anxious?

 

[chickgma]

Hi! I'm new to this whole chicken thing too and will be getting my 8 chicks sometime June 19-23. There is so much good information on this site! I read somewhere that the first week they are supposed to be kept at between 95-100 degrees & to decrease that by 5 degrees each week for the first 3 weeks. That's what I plan to do, anyway. I bought an outside thermometer at the $ store and am going to put it in the brooder which is a plastic tote. Bought a light and red bulb to keep them warm, cause they will be in my air conditioned sun room. Hope this is helpful. It took me awhile to figure out , but you can put any topic in the search box & all kinds of great advise will come up. Good luck with your chicks!

 

[PunkinPeep]

Hi all,

I have six day-old chicks coming the week of the 18th. This will be our first experience brooding babies. I had planned to put the brooder in a bedroom upstairs, since I have a very curious 4-year-old and would like to keep him from harassing the chicks to death. But our upstairs can get pretty hot, and I was wondering if I should be concerned about it getting too hot up there? Is too much heat an issue for chicks at some point, or am I just being overly anxious?

Hi Caribear,

How hot does it get up there? If by "pretty hot," you mean in the 80s, i wouldn't worry at all. What i would do is to make sure the space your chicks is in is spread out enough that (especially as they get a little older) they can escape from the heat of the lamp if they are getting too warm. They're pretty good about regulating themselves if given the chance.

In answer to your question, if chicks get too hot, especially if in combination with being too crowded, they are somewhat more likely to start picking at each other, and you could end up with picked-on/bloody chicks at the end of the day. But if they have plenty of space (they grow fast, so sometimes you think you had plenty, and it turns out you didn't) and a way to get away from the heat if needed, you should be fine. It's one of those things you can play by ear a little bit.

Hope you enjoy them. New chicks are a blast!

 

[Caribear]

Hi, thanks for the replies!

I have the brooder set up already; I used an old box, it measures about 4' x 5', and I have a red heat lamp bulb. But the room can get up into the 90's if we keep the door shut. There is a ceiling fan in the room for circulation too. I know they have to be kept really warm right at first, but wasn't sure if higher temperatures would cause them problems as they got bigger. I guess I will just see how it goes, and if I have to I will move them to a cooler area of the house.

I am very excited for my new babies to come! I already have a silkie and some quail and I am completely in love with birds in general right now, lol!

Thanks for your help!

 

[JML72]

Hi - just wanted to share some wisdom my grandmother shared with me (she grew up in an area and generation where everyone had a farm) that warmth is really important - no drafts is even more important. Your ceiling fan comment reminded me of that. Just think about how warm and still it would be to be nestled up under a big feathery warm hen...

And your curious 4 year old might get over his curiosity a little by the time the chicks can go to a cooler area of the house if you sit and show him the chicks early on and remind him he's allowed to see them if you're with him. Maybe it'll sink in after a while. Although, he's 4. Maybe it won't

 

[Caribear]

Thanks JML, I didn't even think about that. And so far as my 4 year old goes, no, it probably won't sink in, lol. He loves animals but gets so excited about them that he sometimes ends up hurting them, hence the brooder in the upstairs bedroom. We'll just have to see how it goes.