Brooding in middle of summer

[nuthatched]

Hi there, I have a batch of chicks due Tuesday, the day time temperatures hit about 93-94 at midday, which is warm enough, I think to go without supplement heating during the day but how can I make sure they don't get too hot during the day? I was planning on Brooding in the coop with the older chicks but I can keep them inside, in the basement, where it's usually much cooler.
if I do brood them outside, how do I keep them from over heating or should I just brood downstairs?
Thanks!

 

[sloanbychoice]

My opinion only: I’d keep them outside.
While a lot of people get their chicks in March or April, I have always waited until at least mid-May to get mine. They go straight outside and have never been in my house or had supplemental heat. Any chance to have nature do the work for me, you know?
As for keeping them cool enough, in the first week or so of life, those temps are going to be good. Just make sure they have deep shade and plenty of water, which can be a challenge in shallow dishes.

Are your chicks under a hen, or are you receiving some you ordered?

 

[imacowgirl2]

I came to BYC this morning to ask the exact same thing...mine are 4 days old and going out to the coop brooder today and it's supposed to be in mid to high 90s all week this week. I was wondering if I would need to worry about methods to cool them down? They've been in the A/C house (72*) for the past two days just so I could closely watch them while I work.

 

[3KillerBs]

I brood outdoors and I'm loving my brooder plate this year so that I don't have to keep running out to move the heat lamp up and down and swap to lower and higher watt bulbs.

I make sure that the brooder is well ventilated and shaded and the chicks acclimate naturally to the weather.

I should note, however, that my brooder is on the ground without a floor so it has the advantage of the earth contact to maintain a reasonable temperature.

 

[nuthatched]

My opinion only: I’d keep them outside.
While a lot of people get their chicks in March or April, I have always waited until at least mid-May to get mine. They go straight outside and have never been in my house or had supplemental heat. Any chance to have nature do the work for me, you know?
As for keeping them cool enough, in the first week or so of life, those temps are going to be good. Just make sure they have deep shade and plenty of water, which can be a challenge in shallow dishes.

Are your chicks under a hen, or are you receiving some you ordered?

I brood outdoors and I'm loving my brooder plate this year so that I don't have to keep running out to move the heat lamp up and down and swap to lower and higher watt bulbs.

I make sure that the brooder is well ventilated and shaded and the chicks acclimate naturally to the weather.

I should note, however, that my brooder is on the ground without a floor so it has the advantage of the earth contact to maintain a reasonable temperature.

It's an order coming in. My coop has a floor, but good ventilation, it's also shaded until around 1-2 in the afternoon. I thought about putting cement pavers in the brooder section, maybe even dampened, for a floor. The biggest problem I keep running into is that I work from about 9 am, until around 6 pm, I'd hate for them to get over heated in that time. My 6 week olds are also in the coop when I'm not around, I haven't had the time to re-enforce the run for them to be out in the day. I might brood them downstairs until I finish this job, maybe 2 weeks. ( I hope) or would the temperature difference new too much when I move them out?

 

[3KillerBs]

Can you add shade for the worst heat of the day?

Even a tarp strung up on ropes?

 

[texsuze]

Following this posting, since my run extension for the new chicks will be completed this week, chicks are coming onto to 5 weeks old (brooded indoors)--they're ready for more space, and.... we're in the midst of a heat bomb.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Hi there, I have a batch of chicks due Tuesday, the day time temperatures hit about 93-94 at midday, which is warm enough, I think to go without supplement heating during the day but how can I make sure they don't get too hot during the day?

I did that a few years back in a ridiculous (for us) heat wave of over 110 F. I lost a couple of hens in that, I think they were not in the best of health to start with, but I lost no chicks. They were brooded in the coop.

Broody hens raise chicks in the mid 90's so I don't see those temperatures as a huge issue. You read a lot on here that they don't need as much heat as they get older. That is true, but that does not mean they can't handle it.

But you don't want them in an oven. What your coop looks like makes a difference. Good ventilation would be important. I would not want sunlight coming through a window onto the brooder. My coop just has one window and that is on the north side. Great ventilation and pretty tall. It was hot in the coop but cooler than in the sun outside. I don't know if you need to try to shade your coop or not, depends on what it looks like.

I turned my daytime heat off at 2 days, my nighttime heat off at 5 days. Frankly, I should not have had it on at all but I was worried. The chicks body language told me they didn't need it, I was slow to read that language.

Those highs for the days are fine, what are your lows at night. If you are at altitude it might cool off. If you do need to provide supplemental heat at night I'd suggest a heat plate or heating pad, not a heat lamp. Even with a low wattage bulb a heat lamp can heat up the whole coop, you don't want that. A plate or pad will also add heat to the coop but maybe not as much. Lots of water of course and maybe a fairly large brooder so they can spread out.

 

[3KillerBs]

Even with a low wattage bulb a heat lamp can heat up the whole coop, you don't want that.

Last year I was using a 40w reptile night bulb and still had to turn it off in the daytime.

The brooder plate this year is great. The current batch, not quite 3-weekw, is sleeping next to it -- right at the edge where they get just a trace of warm and could scoot under if the temperature dropped at night.

 

[Punk Rock Flock]

Ok. So I live in Texas as well and just hatched our first set of chicks. We did not have a broody hen so we used an incubator. We have two coops enclosed in a chicken yard. I have closed off one of the coops and made into a brooder for my new chicks. I have gone back and forth with putting them outside as we are approaching 100 degree weather. They are currently inside and week old.

The coop outside (not the red one in the picture but the other) is well ventilated and I have the ability to prop open the laying box door to cool it down a bit. I have monitored the temp and it is usually about the same if not a degree or two above what it is outsie. They have access to plenty of water and food. The coop itself is not shaded at any point during the day, but is tall.

My biggest concern is that when I put them in, they started panting. I know that this is normal for chickens, but is it ok for chicks?