Heating coop for youngins

[bear0806]

My chicks are 3 weeks old and I want to move them out of my basement into the chicken coop. It is a walk in 34 sq. feet. (New York state) How does one go about keeping it warm enough for them at night? I can hang the heat lamps but is that sufficient of should the overal temp of the coop be 80-85 ish? Also, how high can they fly/jump at this point so I don't have them hitting heating? Thank you!

 

[Ted Brown]

Usually chicks are fully feathered by 4 weeks and do not need temperatures that approach the 90 degrees needed by newly hatched.

You should move them to a well sheltered/protected outside area (garage or porch?) for the last week and then move them to the cop without any supplementary heat.

Heat lamps in a coop are a bad idea and should be avoided.

 

[Yardmom]

You don't need to make the whole coop warm. You just need one spot for them to warm up at.

 

[bear0806]

Usually chicks are fully feathered by 4 weeks and do not need temperatures that approach the 90 degrees needed by newly hatched.

You should move them to a well sheltered/protected outside area (garage or porch?) for the last week and then move them to the cop without any supplementary heat.

Heat lamps in a coop are a bad idea and should be avoided.

Well, our night temps drop to upper 30's, low 40's still and highs only in 50-60's for a bit longer. They are currently 3 weeks old and we thought we could put them in the roomier coop then the cow trough they currently reside in. I've seen people with a heat lamp at minimum so they have a place to warm up as needed. Why is that a bad idea?

 

[Yardmom]

If you use a heat lamp you need to make sure there is no fire danger and secure the lamp better than the clip they come with so it doesn't fall.

 

[bear0806]

Okay, thank you. I've been using a heat lamp with my brooder and have it secure, would never trust just that clamp they come with.

 

[SandyRiverChick]

I have 3 week olds in my coop, in their own little room with a MHP. Nightime temps 40's. They're fine. So if you don't want to use a heating pad or heating plate, you could hang a ceramic heat bulb and provide a "huddle box," for them to get in or on if they want. Mine don't get "in," the MHP anymore, they're on top.

 

[Ridgerunner]

When a broody hen raises chicks she does not warm up the universe. She provides a warm spot for them to go to when they need to warm up. Broody hens can raise chicks when there is snow on the ground using this technique. The chicks don't care if that warm spot is from a heat plate, heating pad, heat lamp, or something else. All they need is a spot to warm up when they need to warm up. Even when it is that cold people are often surprised by how long the chicks elect to stay in the colder areas.

But they also need a spot cool enough when it warms up. A challenge when raising chicks out of doors is the heat swings. I've seen it go from below freezing to in the 70's Fahrenheit pretty much overnight. My 3' x 6' brooder is in the coop. I use a heat lamp to keep one end warm enough in the coldest conditions. When it warms up they go to the far end to cool off. I put mine in the brooder straight from the incubator. Your 3-week-olds should do fine in your 34 sq ft coop.

How far can 3-week-olds fly? Mine have no problems flying up to a 5' high roost if a broody hen tells them to. I don't worry about them flying into my heat lamp but that's why you should use wire or chain to secure the heat lamp, you are correct that the clamp would be dangerous if you relied on it.

People are quite often surprised at how quickly the chicks don't really need supplemental heat, but at your temperatures and that age I'd want some heat.

I've seen people with a heat lamp at minimum so they have a place to warm up as needed. Why is that a bad idea?

Heat lamps, if used incorrectly, can cause a fire. They do ignite fires in coops, sheds, even people's houses. Other forms of heat can cause fires or electrical shocks too if used improperly. No matter what you do there is going to be a risk involved. In my opinion if you do not rely on that clamp but firmly secure the heat lamp in place with wire or chain you have eliminated the vast majority of risks associated with that heat lamp.

Another risk with the heat lamp and other methods that heat an area. If you use something small and maybe not well ventilated, it is easy to overheat the chicks. Something like a small aquarium comes to mind. If you are using something like that a heat plate or heating pad is likely the best thing for you to use to provide heat. Small incubators like a small aquarium usually don't work really well outside because of the temperature swings. Your horse trough should work OK, it should be big enough.

 

[Ted Brown]

Well, our night temps drop to upper 30's, low 40's still and highs only in 50-60's for a bit longer. They are currently 3 weeks old and we thought we could put them in the roomier coop then the cow trough they currently reside in. I've seen people with a heat lamp at minimum so they have a place to warm up as needed. Why is that a bad idea?

Acclimated 4 week old chicks have no issues with "high 30s low 40s; like a day at the beach.

I am in the great white north of you, been there done that.