How can I keep my brooder from reeking

[FathertoFeathers]

What is the temp in the brooder right now?

85 degrees Fahrenheit

 

[BDutch]

Don't put the chicks in the garage if there are rats over there. At least not in an open box. Rats kill chicks for diner.

 

[bobbi-j]

Do you have electricity to your coop? If so, I'd suggest moving them out there with the heat if you can. I have brooded chicks in MN in late March to early April in the coop. The last time I raised chicks, I used the Mama Heating Pad method. Early April, night time temps in the low 20's, and they were the healthiest chicks I have raised. Much happier than with the heat lamp, and weaned off heat much sooner than heat lamp chicks.

Please be careful with the blanket over that lamp. Actually, I'd feel better if you would remove it. That is a fire hazard, and as someone who has been through a house fire, I'm a bit twitchy about things like that.

 

[CindyinSD]

The brooder is in my room. I would keep them in the garage but there are rats and I am worried about them being with the rats. Yes that is a blanket over the heat lamp. I have found that it works quite well at balancing the temperature.

Very dangerous.

 

[aart]

85 degrees Fahrenheit

That's way too hot for 3 week old chicks.
The blanket is a huge fire hazard.

The brooder is in my room.

Are you a minor living with your parents?

 

[Lizzy733]

How cold is the 'cool end' of your brooder and in between the two, where do they spend most of their time? Have you been raising the heat lamp gradually this entire time?
Essentially, how quickly they feather out is affected by temperature and you don't want to shock them going from 85 - 20f as it's likely to be a punch to their immune system. If your garage is cooler, I'd start taking them for monitored excursions. They will flock to you once they start to get cold or tired so you'll know when outing time is over; this will help wean them off the intense heat. The cool side of their brooder should be 'at least' the indoor ambient temp, but you want to start introducing them to colder if that's what they'll be moving into.
I'd recommend doubling your brooder size for now at the very least. I had that much space, but that was for 4 chicks. Having them indoors, it will start to get dusty pretty quickly as well. Look into what you can do to get them out into the garage - maybe make brooder out of a ring of metal corrugate sheeting with a plywood lid - or use 6mm wire mesh - rats can't stand going through metal.

 

[FathertoFeathers]

Be very careful with a blanket over a heat lamp. I would suggest taking it off. There was a thread on here the other day where a heat lamp cause the death of 55 chickens and burnt 3 coops and the side of her house. Heat lamps can be very dangerous and you don’t want anything touching them. I know you want what is best, and I would hate if anything happened especially since it is in your house.

That's way too hot for 3 week old chicks.
The blanket is a huge fire hazard.


Are you a minor living with your parents?

yes I am a minor living with my parents. I thought that for week one you kept the temperature at 95 degrees and decreased it by five degrees every week. They aren’t showing any signs of being hot and act fine.

 

[CindyinSD]

I

Its too cold for them and they aren’t fully feathered

How cold is it? I put my first batch out at 6 days old into below freezing temps with an infrared heating plate. It only got colder from then on, since it was autumn. They never suffered at all.

 

[FathertoFeathers]

I have removed the blanket.

 

[FathertoFeathers]

How cold is it? I put my first batch out at 6 days old into below freezing temps with an infrared heating plate. It only got colder from then on, since it was autumn. They never suffered at all.

Its about 55-60 at the highest