First chick just hatched!

[Shamo Hybrid]

I've got a question..... how many watt in a heat bulb will I need to warm up my chicks? It's starting to get a bit cold now, I think in the high 50's at night and will probably get colder in the coming few weeks. You guys think a 40 watt will be enough since I have one laying around? Or do I need something like a 50 maybe 75 or 100?

 

[Cynthia12]

It's according to how large your brooder is. I use a 100 W. at first..I use the largest bin that you can find at Walmart. You will know if your babies are comfy when they lay down to sleep right under it. If they aren't warm enough, they will all stand upright under the lamp and peep away. If they are too warm..they will all be outside the light. Which is ok for a while. A week later you can down size the W. And yes, photos!

 

[aart]

Here's my notes on chick heat, hope something in there might help:

They need to be pretty warm(~85-90F on the brooder floor right under the lamp and 10-20 degrees cooler at the other end of brooder) for the first day or two, especially if they have been shipped, until they get to eating, drinking and moving around well. But after that it's best to keep them as cool as possible for optimal feather growth and quicker acclimation to outside temps. A lot of chick illnesses are attributed to too warm of a brooder. I do think it's a good idea to use a thermometer on the floor of the brooder to check the temps, especially when new at brooding, later I still use it but more out of curiosity than need.

The best indicator of heat levels is to watch their behavior:
-If they are huddled/piled up right under the lamp and cheeping very loudly, they are too cold.
-If they are spread out on the absolute edges of the brooder as far from the lamp as possible, panting and/or cheeping very loudly, they are too hot.
-If they sleep around the edge of the lamp calmly just next to each other and spend time running all around the brooder they are juuuust right!

The lamp is best at one end of the brooder with food/water at the other cooler end of the brooder, so they can get away from the heat or be under it as needed. Wattage of 'heat' bulb depends on size of brooder and ambient temperature of room brooder is in. Regular incandescent bulbs can be used, you might not need a 'heat bulb'. You can get red colored incandescent bulbs at a reptile supply source. A dimmer extension cord is an excellent way to adjust the output of the bulb to change the heat without changing the height of the lamp.

Or you could go with a heat plate, commercially made or DIY: http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/pseudo-brooder-heater-plate

 

[Shamo Hybrid]

My chicks doesn't seem to grasp the idea of eating and drinking. I've put their beaks into the water and they've had a couple of sips that way but doesn't seem to drink anymore after that. Also with the food, I dipped their beaks into it and they aren't eating it...... will they eventually discover themselves that it's food and water? Should I wet the food with water?

 

[Shamo Hybrid]

Should I get medicated or non-medicated for my chicks? And can adult eat medicated feed too because I plan to just buy a big bag and feed it to the adults as well.

And Purina or Nutrena?

 

[Kylo_Hen!]

So..... when do I start introducing my chick to feed and water after they hatch?

nooooooooooooooooooooooooo!the curled feet could be curled toes!https://www.google.com/search?q=how...=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-b-ab#kpvalbx=1 to help you fix them if they are

 

[MissChick@dee]

Shamo darling you sound like a father in the waiting room at the hospital. Get your self a thermometer. Some chick feed if your buying 50lb. At a time that’s a lot (unless you hatched like 200 chicks) get the non medicated if you thinking about feeding your adults the left overs. There’s a ton of great videos on YouTube about chicks first days after hatching. Take LOTS of NOTES (or just pay attention real good). Your making us a nervous wreck with this panic stuff. LOL you got me screaming at my iPhone!!!!