Brooding Chicks in Summer -- What Should I Know?

[Parront]

My first chickens were from Ideal. IIRC, I ordered 8 and got 5 packing peanuts, "The Red Boys". Vinnie and his brothers made delicious chicken and rice about the time they were getting annoying.

I think it depends on the weather.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Brooding outside in the summer with that heat has it's challenges. I once brooded chicks in Arkansas when the daytime temps were sometimes above 110 F. Nights were in the upper 80's. I turned daytime heat off at 2 days and nighttime heat off at 5 days. I should have done that earlier. They were suffering.

The basic idea of a brooder is to have one spot warm enough in the coolest temps and a spot cool enough in the warmest. My brooder is 3' x 6' and has great ventilation. The far end does cool off. I use a heat lamp. Looking at your 4' x 4' coop/brooder I'd suggest a heat plate instead. A heating pad cave would probably be OK. You want to avoid heating the whole thing as much as you can. You can use lower wattage bulbs, raise he heat lamp, and maybe use a dimmer switch to tone it down. You might be able to make it work. You might consider a partition 3/4 of the way across at floor level to try to block heat form getting to the far side.

Main thing is watch your chicks and see what they are telling you. And lots of ventilation so you can dissipate that heat. Lots of clean water too, of course.

 

[IamRainey]

My experience is limited to this single hatching but my hen hatched eggs 2 weeks ago in SoCal where we're already had some triple digit days. ...with more to come.

So far, it's been an effortless experience free from anxiety. The mama hen is taking care of everything -- including teaching them to forage in the enclosed run where all the feeders are at adult chicken height. The chicks are growing and thriving. Maybe I'm lucky but the adults are tolerating the chicks very well.

Water is a different thing, however. Make sure there are waterers at an accessible height for the chicks. I keep 2 in the run and I check on them a couple times a day because someone keeps knocking them over. However, at 2 weeks my chicks are beginning to be able to hop up to the cinderblock where the 7 gallon waterer with a trough sits so that issue is about to resolve itself too.

I think you've got the right idea providing all the shade you can. I use doubled 80% shade cloth screwed into the eaves with washers and extended out to fences and trees so shade falls into the run and over the nesting boxes. They make a tremendous difference. I leave it up all year and just blow stuff off of it in the Fall.

I also have 3 box fans that I run when we get to 90˚ temps. And when we get to the triple digits I bring in the ice blocks. But that's a month or two from now.

If you haven't switched to all-flock feed, I'd do that to eliminate excess calcium that the chicks aren't ready for and the roo's health can be compromised by. For your adult hens, however, you want to provide supplemental calcium such as oyster shell and cleaned eggshell.

Have a wonderful time! It's a magic time when they're so cute and learning everything. And it passes too fast.

 

[Parront]

Brooding outside in the summer with that heat has it's challenges. I once brooded chicks in Arkansas when the daytime temps were sometimes above 110 F. Nights were in the upper 80's. I turned daytime heat off at 2 days and nighttime heat off at 5 days. I should have done that earlier. They were suffering.

The basic idea of a brooder is to have one spot warm enough in the coolest temps and a spot cool enough in the warmest. My brooder is 3' x 6' and has great ventilation. The far end does cool off. I use a heat lamp. Looking at your 4' x 4' coop/brooder I'd suggest a heat plate instead. A heating pad cave would probably be OK. You want to avoid heating the whole thing as much as you can. You can use lower wattage bulbs, raise he heat lamp, and maybe use a dimmer switch to tone it down. You might be able to make it work. You might consider a partition 3/4 of the way across at floor level to try to block heat form getting to the far side.

Main thing is watch your chicks and see what they are telling you. And lots of ventilation so you can dissipate that heat. Lots of clean water too, of course.

I am sure this is why so many brood in a room in the house, for just a few. And to be able to keep an eye on them better. (Watch chick TV better)!

 

[3KillerBs]

I am sure this is why so many brood in a room in the house, for just a few. And to be able to keep an eye on them better. (Watch chick TV better)!

I'm camping in a 2-room cabin until the house is placed -- with husband, teenage son, and 3 cats. No room for a brooder in here.

 

[3KillerBs]

At least I don't think I could convince the 14yo to move out under a tarp-tent so I could put a brooder in place of his bed.

 

[Parront]

You can see that my avatar is a parrot. Dylan does not want to share her room with those little hellions! Dylan the African Grey is afraid of the chicks, they are fast and they make strange noises.No sharing the house with chickens around here, but I did brood them in an attached 2-car garage before, which was better for watching them than the shed. Less drafty, too. Your 1/2 doz will be fine in the little coop under a heating pad in a shady place in the yard. That looked like it has good ventilation. Problem is getting too hot. The AZ thread has a lot of beat the heat tactics. The best is a block of ice in a big water pan they can stand in, probably best for older birds, though.

 

[3KillerBs]

I bought a 100watt reptile night bulb for the borrowed heat lamp because I know the included 250watt red bulb would cook the poor, little things. Working on getting a tarp awning up over the coop for midday shade (it gets afternoon shade).

I will be off on Thursday and will get the interior set up to test the light. If necessary I can get a 60watt reptile night bulb instead.

We will pick up the chicks on Friday morning. I am both nervous that the store won't have any kind I like and excited to maybe get something I wouldn't have picked as a first choice.