First time mama

[grammyII]

Hi There,
I recently became the mother of 8 chicks. I have been very nervous thus far for fear of doing something wrong and something happens to my girls.

• Are they too hot when they are panting
• What is the best place in the home for the brooders
• when do I move them to a larger space
• How do I know I am doing the right things

I look forward to AND WILL NEED advice from you experts. I am happy to be here.

 

[drumstick diva]

How old are your chicks? If they are panting, yes they are too hot. If you are using a brooder light you either need to raise it, or maybe use a smaller watt bulb. The light should hit about half of your brooder, so if the chicks are too hot, hey can go over to the cool side. If chicks pile up and lay close to each other, they are usually cold. If they lay spread out but, not panting, they are comfortable. Go to the Raising chickens forum - then to thread onRaising baby chicks.

Any place in your home that has a stable temperature should be fine for the brooder - but it should also be safe from cats and dogs in the home as well.

 

[redsoxs]

Greetings from Kansas, GrammyII, and

! Happy you joined us! I'll take a shot at your questions:

-I think yes, if they are panting they are too warm - might need to move the heat lamp up a couple inches. You should start at about 90 degrees and decrease the temp about 5 degrees a week as they develop feathers. Also, make sure their brooder is large enough for them to move into and out of warm and cool areas.
-I keep my brooder in the basement - it has the most stable temp - plus I don't chickens in my living area.
-When you say a larger space, do you mean a coop? When my chicks are getting bigger but not yet fully feathered and ready to move outside to the coop and run, I take half of the chicks and put them in a 2nd brooder for space.
-If you are giving them the proper food, fresh water, warmth, and fresh bedding, you are doing everything right for now.

A great place to visit is the Baby Chicks forum linked below. Read the old threads for great info or ask questions.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/11/raising-baby-chicks

Another great place is the Learning Center - you will get chick as well as adult chicken info there. Good luck!!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/

 

[sumi]

Hello and welcome to BYC

Glad you joined us!

 

[Kevin565]

 

[Mr MKK FARMS]

Welcome to BYC!!

Glad you joined us!!