I have 3 chicks each a week apart what should my temperature be at?

[KiwiPomegranate]

I got chicks 2 years ago and this is my second time getting chicks. This time I have chicks each a week apart, I have a week old a 2 week old, and a 3 week old. Within the six week of having them in a brooder the temperature needs to go from 90-70 degrees, I know this. But what should my temperature be in the brooder now since their ages are so separate?

 

[Jensownzoo]

Your brooder should have a temperature gradient so each chick can pick where they are comfortable. If you have a radiant heating element (like a heat lamp), then put it on one end of the brooder and make sure there is enough room to have a 20 degree drop in temp on the "cold" side. If you are using a contact heater (like an ecoglow or heating pad cave) then make it warm enough for the youngest chick to be comfortable and keep the ambient temp on the cool side--the chicks will pop in and out to warm up as needed.

 

[KiwiPomegranate]

I do have a radiant heating element at one side, but they all seemed to huddle next to each anywhere. I just feel like since they are different ages they would choose separate spots, but they don't. The temperature has been in the low 90's and they've been acting fine not too hot or cold. Thank You.

 

[azygous]

Jen is right. Just one heat source will be adequate for all three ages, set low enough to produce a temp of around 80-85F.

Try to understand the purpose behind reducing the heat incrementally each week. It's to wean chicks off heat starting at the beginning of their second week as their feathers begin to grow in, so they won't need heat at all by the time they complete growing their feathers.

The only spot in a brooder that needs to be heated is just beneath the heat source. The rest of the brooder is for chicks to self regulate their heat needs and to shed excess heat when they need to do so. So your older chicks may avoid the heated spot all together, while the younger ones use it only occasionally, warming themselves instead by huddling next to the conserved body heat of the chicks with more feathers since they don't lose heat as fast as the younger ones. Look at the older chicks as an alternate heat source for the younger ones, because that's exactly what they're doing.

 

[KiwiPomegranate]

Thank You and also, would you know anything about pasty butt? My older chick does not seem to be doing well. I have cleaned it with a moist Q-Tip, but I believe she may getting clogged up inside. All she wants to do is lay down. Would chick probiotics work well for this?

 

[azygous]

Sounds like she has a plug inside the vent. Try taking a syringe and squirting a little mineral or coconut oil just inside the vent. Then hold a small container of oil under her beak and see if she will take a healthy sip. Sometimes that works since a chick will think it's water, but it only works one time.

If that doesn't work, try dribbling some oil into the side of her beak. If you can get it onto her tongue she will swallow it. Do not try to squirt it down her throat. There's a big danger of it going down her airway.

From her behavior, she is definitely constipated and will die if you don't get the plug dissolved.

 

[Jensownzoo]

Thank You and also, would you know anything about pasty butt? My older chick does not seem to be doing well. I have cleaned it with a moist Q-Tip, but I believe she may getting clogged up inside. All she wants to do is lay down. Would chick probiotics work well for this?

Definitely get her on probiotics as that tends to help correct the diarrhea. Something like Poultry Nutri-drench is great to add as well for ailing chicks.

Make sure that the brooder isn't too hot--it's a common cause of PB once things like hatching/transport stress are no longer an issue. If you think she's backed up, you can lubricate her inside and out to help her pass the "clog" by using coconut oil/olive oil/mineral oil on the vent and even a bit inside it if you have a dropper small enough to go into the opening just a smidge. You can give a few drops of mineral oil orally too. Make sure she is drinking plenty of fluids.

If the area around her vent seems swollen and she's straining, soaking her hind end in warm water will help hydrate the stool (by water going up the vent) to soften it. Pat her dry afterwards and put her under the heating element. If the stool is protruding but she can't get it to pass, you can gently pick it apart for her with tweezers.