Chick brooder - would love some feedback

[StuBri]

Hi Everyone! So my wife and I have had chickens in the past, but we have never raised chicks. We got six gold comet chicks yesterday and we are using a homemade brooder made out of large boxes. We have a heat lamp, a chick feeder for water, and a small bowl for food. I have a picture of it below. Any feedback or suggestions to make this better? We are very excited, and we want to do a good job raising these chicks.

One thing I am struggling with is temperature. It seems to fluctuate a lot, and find myself constantly raising and lowering the heat lamp. I had a terrarium thermometer from Petco that read 85 degrees. I then put a more accurate digital meat thermometer in the brooder, and it read 110! Needless to say I raised the lamp significantly, and it now read 95. Suggestions on lamp placement of thermometers to use?

 

[Chick-N-Fun]

Congratulations on your first chicks! My suggestion would be to move the heat lamp to only one side of the brooder, to give the chicks relief from the heat if they need it. Put your food and water together on the opposite side of the lamp.
Best wishes and Be well!!!! ❤

 

[21hens-incharge]

I also suggest moving the food and water to the unheated side.

They will grow very fast. Be ready to add a wire lid to the brooder in a couple weeks.

Keep a watch for pasty butt. Their little bottoms can get blocked by it and it can kill them.

Congrats on the tiny cuties!

 

[StuBri]

I also suggest moving the food and water to the unheated side.

They will grow very fast. Be ready to add a wire lid to the brooder in a couple weeks.

Keep a watch for pasty butt. Their little bottoms can get blocked by it and it can kill them.

Congrats on the tiny cuties!

Thank you for the suggestion! I will move the food and water to the cooler side. Should I be concerned with the temp? I was hoping that since the brooder is large enough, they will naturally move to a “sweet spot” for heat. A couple of them had pasty butt last night, but it was easy to fix with some warm water. They look good today but I will keep checking.

 

[DanEP]

Your best thermometer are the chicks. I agree with chick-fun heat on one end and food and water on the other. The whole brooder doesn't need to be 95 they just need an area that is 95 if they need it. As long as their not huddled up together under the light their fine. if their to warm they'll form a circle around the light. It's probably been close to ten years since I even bothered with a thermometer. Just watch your girls they'll tell you what they need.
Also if you set your food and water up on boards it will help keep them a little cleaner ( I use 2x8 blocks).

 

[Dooney]

My girls are 2 weeks, I have three. They seem very content at 86 degrees. I was obsessed about the temp for the first day but now I am starting to relax. They are sleeping, eating, drinking, and growing well! So happy

 

[StuBri]

My girls are 2 weeks, I have three. They seem very content at 86 degrees. I was obsessed about the temp for the first day but now I am starting to relax. They are sleeping, eating, drinking, and growing well! So happy

Thanks Dooney! They seem pretty content. I’m probably being a bit paranoid since they are so little and I want them to thrive. Temp is reading about 90 degrees but I’m sure there some warmer/cooler spots throughout the brooder. They are all pretty sleepy now!

 

[21hens-incharge]

Thank you for the suggestion! I will move the food and water to the cooler side. Should I be concerned with the temp? I was hoping that since the brooder is large enough, they will naturally move to a “sweet spot” for heat. A couple of them had pasty butt last night, but it was easy to fix with some warm water. They look good today but I will keep checking.

You are getting great help already.

I think they look content.

Yes yes yes to watch their behavior.

 

[StuBri]

Thanks to everyone for all the help! This is great. I’ll be on the lookout for their behavior. So far so good! Feel free to chime in with more suggestions if they are out there. We are very excited about this - much appreciated.