How to get them out of my house...quickly!

[reneemellor]

Okay, my eggs in the incubator have started hatching. I will move them to the brooder tonight. My question is how much heat do they really need? I want them to feather out quickly so I can move them outside ASAP (I really don't enjoy having such LOUD little creatures inside my house!) I know they say 95° the first week, 90° the second and so on, but I have done it that way and they take ages to get their feathers. Can anyone give me some advice?

 

[GoldDogsMom]

My latest girls were down to 70 by the 3rd week and moved out at 5 wks into 65 degree days and 55 at night. I am in western PA so I had a small window of good weather to get them moved out so that they were ready for winter weather. They are now 9 wks old and having no issue with the temps here, our highs have been 50 and down to 30 or so at night. IMO the first few days are critical in keeping them warm and by 1 wk old you can start dropping the temps. Best of Luck to you!

 

[stoopid]

You really can't make the feathers grow any quicker...Just have to let nature take its course.

 

[reneemellor]

Quote:
Thanks so much.

 

[Fred's Hens]

I brood out in the barn or in the garage, never in the house.

The location of brooder is irrelevant. The challenge is to maintain the proper warmth required in a colder ambient air environment of a garage or barn in November. You don't say where you are, but again, if you are brooding this time of year, you're not likely in the far north.

There are many brooder design that hold heat better than just a completely open topped box or tub. If you could imagine Snoopy's Doghouse with a heat lamp, up high, inside, you could imagine how warm you could make it. Study some designs. The fact is that 99.99999% of all the billions of chicks hatched in the world each year, are not brooded in someone's house.

 

[Wimberleytexaschick]

Not sure where you live, but I am in Central TX. I hatched chicks 3 weeks ago, left them in the house with heat at 90 for 5 days. I then moved them outside during the day with no heat when we were in the 75-85 range, I would put them back inside with heat at night. At 10 days they were out full time and I only turn the heat lamp on if we are under 65. Last night we hit 34 and they were just fine in the garage with heat. Today is supposed to hit 65 and they will be out, no heat. They have feathered out very fast, are hardy and have not lost a single one, despite not following the 'heat schedule' of reducing 5 degrees per week! I want them out in the barn in the next week! Make them tough now, good luck!

 

[TownhouseSeramas]

I decreased 10 degrees each week and my little one did fine, and he was the only one, so he didn't have any body heat. So I'd imagine that I group of chicks would have no problem. Some people stick them outside as soon as they are out of the brooder. But if you decrease 10 degrees each week I would continue to do so until it's the temp of the outside or close to it.

 

[TinyChickenLady]

I had mine out at 4 weeks old. Like GoldDogsMom, I too had a small window of good weather before we had to get ready for winter. I don't necessarily follow that temp rule though. I judge the temp by how the chicks are reacting to it. They had 95* for the first week but after that, I adjusted the temps almost daily and the chicks tolerated it fine. I took the temp down to about 80 by the end of the second week and kept going from there. If they weren't huddling right under the heat light, I'd bring the temp down more in order to get them a bit more tolerant of the colder temps they would be dealing with. They are about 2 months old now and living outside and doing just fine

 

[Chinchilla2]

Quote:
The chicks themselves will be your best guide. Start them out around 95 and in three days drop it to 90. If they seem okay and aren't all grouped under or near it and all cranky sounding, you may be able to drop it a little more. Find their "comfy zone" at day 3. When day 7 rolls around go through the drop and check process again. Give them a bit between each change to decide if they are actually chilled or just complaining about the changes. I've got 2 week old Marans here that have great wing and tail feather growth that have been spending the last couple of days outside and coming back in at night (got darn right chilly here last night).

You really can't rush the feather growing but you can encourage it a bit by paying attention to the chicks and working your temp that way.

 

[CarolJ]

Do you have the capability of putting a warming lamp outside? If so, you can move them out quickly. As long as they have a warm place they can return to if they get chilly, they should be okay. When a mother hen hatches them, they don't stay directly under her for weeks. They venture out and explore a little - and when they need that warmth, they come back to her.

I've got a brooder full of 5-week olds. They're in the garage, and I am moving them out tomorrow.