Fall chicks preparations.

[Dona Worry]

I have some chicks arriving in about 3 weeks, and am ready to start preparing my brooder! They are arriving from Meyer hatchery, probably October 16-18.
My original plan was to set up my small coop as a brooder, with a lamp and paper towels over the shavings, however, now I am wondering if the temperature extremes within the coop will be too much for tender babies? I did this exact same thing for the chicks I got this spring but a) ONE DIED (I don't know why, but it was traumatic) and b) they were not shipped directly to me, but to a feed store where I picked them up. So, they had a day under a lamp in a real brooder to relax.
I could set up the lamp in a plastic bin in the house, HOWEVER I have 3 cats and a dog, and at least one cat knows how to open latches, which is why I didn't keep the chicks in the house this spring. It is IMPOSSIBLE to keep him out of any of the rooms, and he is great at prying lids off of containers.
I am planning to have chick starter and electrolytes ready to go.

So, my options are:
Set up brooder in a coop, and risk babies getting too far away from the light and chilled or
Set up brooder in the house and risk death by cat.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Since you have electricity to your coop, consider using a Mama heating pad system (MHP). The chicks will go under it if they need heat.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...er-picture-heavy-update.956958/#post-14882145

Unless the baby is already sick or weak from something else (failure to thrive) they will get under the heat source if they need it, whether you use a lamp or some other way of brooding.

I feel it better to brood them outdoors if at all possible. Especially if you feel the cats and dog will bother them.
Your coop needs to be secure against predators and provide wind protection. They only need one spot of warmth, let the rest be cool. I have brooded chicks outdoors using the MHP when nighttime temps were in the 20s with no problems.

I'm sorry that you lost one in the spring, youngsters die from a number of things from shipping stress to genetic problems. The best you can do is to provide them with heat, fresh water and food. Electrolytes or Poultry Nutri-Drench for a couple of days would be good since you are having them shipped. I've ordered from Meyer a few times and all mine arrived happy and healthy, I hope yours do too

 

[Ridgerunner]

How many chicks, what size coop, what does it look like inside? Photos could help.

I'll include a photo so you can see what I'm talking about. I keep chicks in this 3' x 6' brooder in my coop year around. This was in Arkansas before I moved down here. I'd put chicks in here straight from the incubator or post office, sometimes when the outside temperatures were below freezing. When it is really cold I wrap it in clear plastic. I use heat lamps to keep one end toasty but the far end may cool off enough to have ice in it. I don't worry about them leaving the warm end when it is that cold, they don't. But if the warm end gets too warm, they leave. In winter I use 250 watt bulbs, in summer maybe 75 or 125 watt.

The biggest challenge in brooding out of doors is the temperature swings. I have gone from below freezing at night to in the 70's Fahrenheit 36 hours alter. Your ideal brooder has a spot warm enough for them to go to when it is cold but a cool place to go to when it gets hot. That's one reason you need excess space in the brooder when you brood out of doors.

There are a lot of different ways to provide that warm spot. I use heat lamps to provide that warm spot but many people use heat plates, heating pads, emitters, or some other method to provide that warm spot. There are advantages and disadvantages to each one but if set up properly they can all work. I don't advocate one over another. What you re considering is certainly doable.

Good luck!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Your ideal brooder has a spot warm enough for them to go to when it is cold but a cool place to go to when it gets hot. That's one reason you need excess space in the brooder when you brood out of doors.

Totally agree! Even though they are tiny, they need room to move around and regulate their body temperature.

 

[Shorty22366]

I use the Mama heating pad and they work great. They go u der it when they are cold and lay out beside it when they are too warm. I use it in all temps. Good luck with your babies

 

[Dona Worry]

How many chicks, what size coop, what does it look like inside? Photos could help.

I'll include a photo so you can see what I'm talking about. I keep chicks in this 3' x 6' brooder in my coop year around. This was in Arkansas before I moved down here. I'd put chicks in here straight from the incubator or post office, sometimes when the outside temperatures were below freezing. When it is really cold I wrap it in clear plastic. I use heat lamps to keep one end toasty but the far end may cool off enough to have ice in it. I don't worry about them leaving the warm end when it is that cold, they don't. But if the warm end gets too warm, they leave. In winter I use 250 watt bulbs, in summer maybe 75 or 125 watt.

View attachment 1543475

The biggest challenge in brooding out of doors is the temperature swings. I have gone from below freezing at night to in the 70's Fahrenheit 36 hours alter. Your ideal brooder has a spot warm enough for them to go to when it is cold but a cool place to go to when it gets hot. That's one reason you need excess space in the brooder when you brood out of doors.

There are a lot of different ways to provide that warm spot. I use heat lamps to provide that warm spot but many people use heat plates, heating pads, emitters, or some other method to provide that warm spot. There are advantages and disadvantages to each one but if set up properly they can all work. I don't advocate one over another. What you re considering is certainly doable.

Good luck!

5 chicks, 4 polish crested and 1 cream legbar. 4x4 coop, up off the ground and probably 3 feet of head space?
It is well ventilated, not insulated. It has an attached run that is 10x4.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

5 chicks, 4 polish crested and 1 cream legbar. 4x4 coop, up off the ground and probably 3 feet of head space?
It is well ventilated, not insulated. It has an attached run that is 10x4.

Sounds like you have a nice brooding space to me

If it worked well for spring chicks, it should work well for the chicks that are on the way

 

[Dona Worry]

Sounds like you have a nice brooding space to me

If it worked well for spring chicks, it should work well for the chicks that are on the way

Well, I feel better knowing it isn't horrible to have an outdoor brooder!
The small coop has been housing other chickens all summer, but it is empty now, and I am going to clean it, sweep it, and spray it down with bleach this week!

 

[Ridgerunner]

Sounds great to me.