Hello chicken peeps, I have a few day-old chicks arriving at the end of next week and my hope/plan is to encourage my broody Buff Orpington to adopt them. If it works and she takes to them as their new mom, do I need to worry about temps with the babies, or will my hen take care of it? I'm in Massachusetts and in late April, daytime temps will be in the 50s-upper 60s and nighttime temps in the 40s and 50s. I am prepared to raise them inside if the "adoption" isn't successful. But now I'm wondering about the whole 95 degree thing... I do know chicks need to be warm, but I also know that chickens have been raising babies in the spring without the help of humans and heat lamps for a looooong time. Any thoughts and ideas or experience with this is much appreciated. Thank you!!!!
If the hen does adopt them you have no need to worry about warmth as that is what the hen is for -- the only reason we have to use artificial heat in artificial brooding is that there is no hen there to do it for us. Forget the whole "95 degree" thing -- it is something too many folks get all too hung up on and is actually not at all accurate in the needs of chicks.
Depending on the structure of your coop you can brood them in the coop even if the hen does not adopt them, provided you have access to electricity to be used to provide the warmth the hen would have been providing. I would suggest reading this thread: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/956958/mama-heating-pad-in-the-brooder-picture-heavy-update and this one: https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/...rooder-and-start-raising-your-chicks-outdoors
