I'm a first timer and I'm getting ready to start a small (4-6 hens) flock. My landlord doesn't want the chicks inside at all and I just don't have a good place in the garage for them. So is it OK to set up a brooding lamp in the coop and just lock them in the coop with plenty of straw until they get their feathers? Or should I just hunt down some juvenile birds so they can go outside right away? Other than the few rainy nights we've had it hasn't been below 65F at night.
Can you set up a brooder cage with a light inside the coop? That is what I did. If your coop is completely predator proof and doesn't have a single hole small enough for a chick to squeeze out or a rat or other predator to squeeze in then I think you could have them loose in the coop..... but for peace of mind I would make a safe predator proof cage to brood them in (maybe up off the ground) until they are a little bigger. My dogs follow me to my coop and if the chicks were on the ground in there I know my Jack Russell would kill them all...even though she knows better than to hurt full size chickens the little chicks and their peeping sounds seem to wake up the predator in her. You could also go with juveniles and not have to worry about lights and such. Still need your coop to be predator proof though....
It depends on your coop. Can you set up a heat source without risk to the coop? Would it be better wait until your hen is broody and let a broody hen raise the chicks? If these chicks are your flock...I kept mine in a plastic bin with a wire top and I hung the heat lamp from the shower curtain rod. Or once I had a wooden rod duck taped to the mirror. When the chicks were new I hung it lower and as they got older I raised it up. I kept a thermometer in the brooder so measure the temp. If you rent a whole house or apartment - then you may be able to keep them indoors with a similar set up until they feather out - Not a good plan for 25 chicks but 3-5 maybe. If you rent a room and your landlord will know for sure and for certain what you bring into the house and keep in your bathroom then it may be more difficult. Not that I want to suggest you do something that can get you evicted but if they say you can have chickens then how is it different that tiny new hatchlings are any different from keeping a lizard or whatever. You will have to keep the set up clean. I will post a photo of my first brooder set up. I will have to add it because a bunch of my photos are no longer on my profile. Caroline
I'm a chicken keeper and a landlord. If the landlord said outside chickens are ok but no inside chickens...don't have them inside at all. It's not worth getting evicted over, if they make a surprise visit and discover chicks in the house. You will be able to keep young chicks in an outside coop with a safe brooder heater like the Brinsea Eco20 that is soooo much safer than a heat lamp in a coop. If you don't have renters fire insurance then don't use a heat lamp, they are just too risky. As a landlord you don't know that your tenant is going to properly take care of their chickens so they don't attract flies or get neglected, etc...so your landlord is taking a chance on you and trusting that you will take care of the chickens properly. Don't let them down and you will both be happy