Cost effective heating

[PluckyJen]

Hi everyone. I have a breeder with some silkie chicks. They are now 10 days old. I would need to keep them warm for up to 6 weeks I have been told. 24 hrs a day.
Is this true? I haven't had such little babies before. Now electricity is expensive here and I'm trying to think of a more cost effective way of keeping the little ones warm. Should I decide to get them. I could always put them outside in the warm sunshine during the day too surely then back to warmth inside again or is it best to stay in the same temp?

 

[Floofer]

Well for me, after about a week or 2, I would just use natural sunlight and things to keep them warm during the warm days, but I put the heater back on as soon as it starts getting cool again. I wouldn't leave them outside without watching them in case of predators and things. I don't know if this is bad or anything, because I've used this method, and all of my chickens that I've used this method with are totally fine.

 

[PluckyJen]

Well for me, after about a week or 2, I would just use natural sunlight and things to keep them warm during the warm days, but I put the heater back on as soon as it starts getting cool again. I wouldn't leave them outside without watching them in case of predators and things. I don't know if this is bad or anything, because I've used this method, and all of my chickens that I've used this method with are totally fine.

We are in autumn now so it's quite chilly but once it's warmed up in the day it's lovely. They will always be inside a cage. So much to think of. Like you said, it is do~able. Thanks for your input.

 

[Cecisflock]

Hi everyone. I have a breeder with some silkie chicks. They are now 10 days old. I would need to keep them warm for up to 6 weeks I have been told. 24 hrs a day.
Is this true? I haven't had such little babies before. Now electricity is expensive here and I'm trying to think of a more cost effective way of keeping the little ones warm. Should I decide to get them. I could always put them outside in the warm sunshine during the day too surely then back to warmth inside again or is it best to stay in the same temp?

its best for them to stay at the same temp all the time. They need to be inside under a source of heat 24/7

 

[saysfaa]

Hi everyone. I have a breeder with some silkie chicks. They are now 10 days old. I would need to keep them warm for up to 6 weeks I have been told. 24 hrs a day.
Is this true? I haven't had such little babies before. Now electricity is expensive here and I'm trying to think of a more cost effective way of keeping the little ones warm. Should I decide to get them. I could always put them outside in the warm sunshine during the day too surely then back to warmth inside again or is it best to stay in the same temp?

You might check out the wool hen method. It is working well for me so far. I wanted to see if just the wool would work even outside in below freezing temperatures but my plans changed drastically while I was working out how to make a wool hen I had confidence in at thise temperatures. So, my chicks are at inside-the-house room temperatures with a small, barely insulated wool hen and sometimes I put a half liter of hot-from-the-tap water on each side of their warm up box... reheating the water less and less often as their movement and voices show they are comfortable. They are six days old today. No distress calls or pasty butt or other signs of distress or illness.

They did need to be taught to go into the wool hen to warm up because it is only warm after they have been in it a while. That took about a day.

Chicks raised by a hen (a real hen as opposed to a wool or heating pad hen) don't stay under her at a constant temperature 24 hours a day. The sunshine can help but they still need to be able to warm up as needed and to cool down as needed. Bringing them back inside to warm up could work but then you would need to spend a lot of time watching for them to bunch up so you would know when to bring them in. It isn't just a matter of a given temp is right for a given age of chick.

 

[rosemarythyme]

It really depends on your temperatures how long they'll need supplemental heat. But yes as a general rule chicks need access to heat around the clock until they're big enough and feathered enough to regulate their own temperatures. Silkies and other bantams, due to their unusual feathers and size, may need heat longer than other breeds.