How Much Longer for Heat Light & Other Questions

[lmdengler]

Hi Everyone -

I am hoping you all can tell me when I can move my chicks out from under the heat lamp and to where I can move them. Here are my 3 sets of chicks.

• I have 8 chicks that were born the week of 2/16-ish. They are good sized and right now living in my cellar under a heat lamp.
  
• I have a second set that are from the week of 3/16-ish. They are living in my kitchen in a rubbermaid tub under a neat lamp
• And finally I have 3 chicks 2 that were born this past weekend and one super small chick that was part of the second set - but she is so small everyone picks on her. She is happy with these newborns.

The first set is outgrowing the TSC brooder thing I set up. I put a screen over it because they were flying out. Can these guys be moved to the garage? We are still having temps in the 20's at night and 40's/low 50's during the day (upstate NY). Do I need to put something on the floor under the board and wood chips they are on so they don't get chilled? My husband is making them a new coop (he's fixing up a TSC) coop - but I think it's too cold to be outside isn't it?

Can I mix the second set with the first set at all? Or will they get picked on?

Thanks everyone!
Lisa

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Move the older ones out. The one thing you should probably have done with them is to remove the heat lamp earlier since they were inside and didn't need it. The cooler temps sans heat lamp would have helped acclimate them. 8 chicks likely don't need any heat in a heated cellar after 4 or 5 weeks.
The optimal way to raise chicks is to replicate what a broody hen does. Provide a hot space to warm up and lots of cool space. A heat lamp, ceramic heat emitter or brooder plate and plenty of space to cool down. A hen doesn't heat all ambient air, just one place to warm up.
Otherwise acclimation to cold will take much longer.

How many chickens does your TSC coop claim it will house? What are the interior dimensions (floor space)?

 

[lmdengler]

The coop claims it will hold 15. It's this one: https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/p...n6d3yZr0fC9MWnnEMOa6qCyxxBjUwhSUaAqZsEALw_wcB
I do have the heat light up higher and off to one side. I kept raising it Should I turn it off a little at a time?

 

[lmdengler]

Move the older ones out. The one thing you should probably have done with them is to remove the heat lamp earlier since they were inside and didn't need it. The cooler temps sans heat lamp would have helped acclimate them. 8 chicks likely don't need any heat in a heated cellar after 4 or 5 weeks.
The optimal way to raise chicks is to replicate what a broody hen does. Provide a hot space to warm up and lots of cool space. A heat lamp, ceramic heat emitter or brooder plate and plenty of space to cool down. A hen doesn't heat all ambient air, just one place to warm up.
Otherwise acclimation to cold will take much longer.

How many chickens does your TSC coop claim it will house? What are the interior dimensions (floor space)?

Should I move them t o the garage without the light?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Turn it off for the older birds.
Yes, move them to a cooler space.
The ad only specifies the external dimensions of the pen, not the internal dimensions of the coop.
What are the internal floor dimensions of the coop?
Never believe what a coop manufacturer says about how many birds their buildings will hold. They grossly exaggerate capacity. They also waste money on more nest boxes than the chickens that will fit in that small space will ever need.
Not to mention that the coops are overpriced for what they are.
They are built by carpenters with no knowledge of poultry needs.
I can only surmise the dimensions they base their assumptions on are those used for cage layers.
The building looks like it may hold 4 birds, at best.
You're going to need a much bigger building.

Never believe what a feed store employee tells you about nutrition, health care or about specific breeds of birds. THEY DON'T KNOW!!! They're not breed experts, they haven't gone to vet school, nor are they poultry nutritionists.
I was at a feed store last week with chick days when a woman asked the employee how big chicks in a bin of bantams would get. He said, "about 6 pounds".
No bantams get over 2 pounds. She will be thinking something is wrong with her birds based on that advice.
Nutrena has changed their packaging and gone from 40# bags to 50# bags. The employee told me the feed was exactly the same, just the packaging changed.
Well, the old flock raiser feed was 18% crude protein. The new feed is 20% protein.
NEVER trust what they tell you.

 

[lazy gardener]

I was at the feed store today, and was cringing when a guy was buying chicks, and being sold a 250W heat lamp to heat them, in a rubbermaid tote, in his home.

 

[lmdengler]

Thanks for the advice! I have really been struggling in year one of raising chickens - and honest to goodness - I turn to BYC for most all of my support/advice.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Good on you for seeking better advice than at the feed store.
A 250watt heat lamp in a Rubbermaid tub will bake the chicks in short order.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Good on you for seeking better advice than at the feed store.
A 250watt heat lamp in a Rubbermaid tub will bake the chicks in short order.