Guilty: Chicks stuck at post office till afternoon

[ranchhand]

Whew, glad you got them home! I guess you spent the morning on the edge of your seat!

They may not have added the packing peanuts since the weather is warmer now, but defininately ask them- if you want a bunch of roosters!

Great brooder setup, luxury class, but I see 2 heat lamps and no thermometer at chick level? Is it me, with my bad eyes, or hopefully, just outside the pic?

 

[below_gravity]

Quote:
Thats what they said...the weather is warmer so your bummin'. I just checked on em again. Half are sleeping and the other half still eating away. I guess I should have mentioned (if its not obvious) that 8 are BO and 8 are RIR. They look very happy now

I have to head out to get two thermometers now.

BTW, the brooder is an old silage bin that we built two years ago. They are actually in half of it and I'll take the divider out if i need to to give them some leg room after a few weeks.

so happy my ladies are happy now. We'll see what the weeks ahead hold

 

[trilyn]

Good luck with your chicks, they're adorable!

 

[below_gravity]

Quote:
nope no thermometer...im going now. I know its not good. but, well, it was last on the list.

I'll update later. Thanks all for your wonderful replies.

 

[countrybum]

I do not use a thermometer in my brooder box either. I just go by the distance the chicks are from the lamp and raise when necessary.

 

[ranchhand]

Quote:
I like thermometers, but the chicks always knock them over and sit on them anyway!

And countrybum is right- they'll tell you if they're too hot or cold!

 

[GAchick]

No thermometer here either. I have enough room (as do you) for them to get under the light if they are cold, move out from under when they are too warm, and they usually form a ring of chickens around the perimeter of where the light is on their floor....

 

[JenEric Farms]

No thermometer in my brooder. I let the chicks tell me if they are warm or cold by their position under the light...

All huddled up under the light = too cold

Going no where near the light = too hot

Roaming around, "sun" bathing, sweet chirping = JUST RIGHT

I used a thermometer in the brooder with my first batch, but they knocked it around, pecked at it, buried it under bedding, pooped on it...

 

[redstars]

Looks like a very nice setup. Good luck with your new chicks.

 

[below_gravity]

Finally...

...sorry the pic is sideways

I wanted the thermometers especially because its getting down to the 30s tonight and I want to be sure the ladies are ok. The look GREAT! Very happy and doing the chicken thing. Sprinting, eating, pooping, drinking, sleeping. Ya know the drill. I put some covers over the top of the brooder just, so im going out there to check that its to too hot in 30 min. I just want to be sure that they are warm enough through the night. What do you guys think? am I overkilling with two heatlamps for 16 chicks in a well insulated box in the garage on a 30 degree night? Will it harm the chicks if they aren't able to access temps above (lest arbitrarily pick) 75 for a 2 or 3 hours over night? I really doubt it will get below 90 under the lights even with out a cover but im a first time chick-mother. ALso, is it worse for then to be too warm or too cold (within reason)?