heating a large number of chicks

[Solsken Farm]

I am thinking of getting 200 and get a variety of rainbow egg layers, along with lots of sex links. I would hope to sell them all by April/May and then just do some baby chicks for the rest of the season.

I am not sure about feeders, etc. so this is helping. I am thinking of contacting our extension service to come out and help me set this up. But I need to order soon. It is going to get cold fast and I'd like to get them feathered up as early as possible before the freeze sets in. Maine is cold.

 

[tattooedchickenlady]

I just got 200 comet cockerals for meat birds, I got them last Friday, and it was unusually cool here. I mean, I live in South Louisiana, so our cool is relatively warm, but I had my babies out with only 2 lights. And we lost 60 or so the first night , they piled on each other, it was horrible. Our brooder is made from 2 sheets of plywood ripped in half, formed into a box. We covered it with some insulation foam panels, I was so sad. We have had 3 other batches of babies, and never lost any.......
We added 2 more lights and didn't lose any more. They are doing well now, but I was afraid I would lose all my profit with them.

I have 2 one gallon waterers, and 4 trough feeders. I'll have to add more as they grow.

 

[Solsken Farm]

Oh gosh. How awful. I am so sorry that happened. Thank you for telling me this, so that I can be sure to have enough light distributed to accomodate so many.