Garaging young birds

[junebuggena]

My brooder, in the garage. The concrete floor keeps it at about 50 degrees, year round. 50* is the average night time temp in the summer and the average daytime temp in the winter. Which makes the garage the perfect temp for acclimating chicks, no matter the season. The reason I stopped brooding indoors and with heat lamps is because the chicks were constantly overheating. I was adjusting the heat level almost constantly. Out in the garage, with the heating pad, it's much easier to manage their comfort level.

Newly hatched chicks snuggling under their surrogate mom, the heating pad.

3.5 week old chicks, completely off heat and ready to move outside.

 

[theoldchick]

Here's my Cardboard Corral from way back when:

 

[45pro]

As far as crates go, I have an unlimited amount. I have plenty of room to add them together as they get older and need more space. I guess as far as heat goes I am thinking wrong in trying to heat the whole crate instead of only giving them a small space to warm up when they need it. Chickens are not just chickens to us, they are our pets also so maybe I am just over thinking it.

As far as my current brooder I am going to start raising the heat lamp higher to try and quickly wean them off any heat as soon as possible. The sooner I can do that the sooner I can get them into the garage and a larger space that better suits them.

 

[IdyllwildAcres]

As far as crates go, I have an unlimited amount. I have plenty of room to add them together as they get older and need more space. I guess as far as heat goes I am thinking wrong in trying to heat the whole crate instead of only giving them a small space to warm up when they need it. Chickens are not just chickens to us, they are our pets also so maybe I am just over thinking it.

As far as my current brooder I am going to start raising the heat lamp higher to try and quickly wean them off any heat as soon as possible. The sooner I can do that the sooner I can get them into the garage and a larger space that better suits them.

Just put them in the garage with a warm spot they will not freeze. You will be surprised how much they stay out of the hot spot. Yes you are over thinking it.

Gary

 

[aart]

I guess as far as heat goes I am thinking wrong in trying to heat the whole crate instead of only giving them a small space to warm up when they need it.

Yes, you are.

Do you have a coop...other birds??
Please put your location in your profile.
Those water cups may not stay thawed.
Are there cars running in garage?
Even a start up to pull out could be toxic.

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

 

[lazy gardener]

As far as crates go, I have an unlimited amount. I have plenty of room to add them together as they get older and need more space. I guess as far as heat goes I am thinking wrong in trying to heat the whole crate instead of only giving them a small space to warm up when they need it. Chickens are not just chickens to us, they are our pets also so maybe I am just over thinking it.

I'm glad you have more room available, and are thinking ahead to giving them extra room! Once they get their flight feathers, they will be zooming all over the place, and the more room you can give them, the better it will be for their development. Imagine a baby who has just learned how to walk. How would that baby grow and develop if he had plenty of room to explore, and learn how to go up and down hills, run the length of the hall, walk across a bumpy lawn. Now, imagine the same baby. He's just learned how to walk. But, he gets to spend all day in a play pen, and all night in a crib. IMO, that's what keeping a chick in a too small brooder is like.

Consider this: the ONLY purpose of a brooder is to keep the chicks together, and keep them from killing themselves. The purpose of a brooder IS NOT to keep the chicks warm. When baby chicks have a broody hen, they spend almost all day long tumbling across the yard behind her as she searches out good yummies for them to eat. It may be 30* outside, lightly misting, or perhaps even just snowed. Yet those babies are chasing after Mama. She does not have a heat lamp for them, she does not heat up the outdoors for them. All she does is stop now and then to give them a warm place to snuggle up and warm up. A quick warm up, and then... they are off and running again. When you understand the concept of the brooder being a safe place instead of a heat place, you'll embrace the idea of a large brooder!

Next item on the agenda, if you have not already done so: give your chicks a plug of sod from an untreated lawn. This will improve their immunity, give them their first grit, first greens, perhaps some seeds, insects and worms, extra minerals, lots of healthy microbes to kick start their gut flora, first dust bath, and infinite play opportunities.

 

[jthornton]

This is my too small brooder and they would sleep at night in there but during the day time they had many things to do and places to explore and messes to make...


JT