I need to vent

[BigBird 2025]

That is definitely too hot for them. They need an area to cool down and keeping them at those temperatures will kill them. How hot is the garage? Ideally you want to have around 70-75 on the cool side and 95 on the warm side of the brooder for the first week and then every week after lower the hot side temp by 5° until 4 weeks old when they don’t need heat anymore.

This is a great help and takes a load off my mind, Looks like the chicks will be moving indoors and we will raise the A/C a bit and still use a heat lamp plus following your directions.
Thank you for this information

Now to break the news to my wife.

 

[BigBird 2025]

You should try getting them out within the first couple weeks of September. Keeping them in a brooder past then is really not needed and can become a huge pain. I moved mine out when it was still getting to just above freezing during the night at 5 weeks old.

Wow great info Being so new to all this is tough, glad we have all this wonderful experience in the BYC community.

 

[OnlySympathy]

Wow great info Being so new to all this is tough, glad we have all this wonderful experience in the BYC community.

I’m happy that we can help! A lot of info online can be all over the place and most of the time is just copied from another site which leads to a lot of misinformation. If you look around a lot of places say you shouldn’t put chicks outside before 6 weeks old and fully feathered but the truth is that it is dependent on the climate and other factors. If someone is planning on putting chicks outside in the middle of a New York winter then yes waiting until 6,7 or even 8 weeks is not a bad idea but if you are in a warmer climate like yours in late summer-early fall you can get them outside at 4-5 weeks old with no issues whatsoever. And remember that at some point everyone was new so don’t be afraid to ask questions even if they seem “stupid”

 

[OnlySympathy]

Now to break the news to my wife.

i can almost guarantee she will love them after you get them, they are so unbelievably cute. And having chicks inside is really fun I spent hours watching them run around and holding them. If you keep up with daily cleaning (I would pick out any poop I saw and mix up the bedding daily and every 3rd day I would complete change it out) it shouldn’t smell either.

 

[BigBird 2025]

i can almost guarantee she will love them after you get them, they are so unbelievably cute. And having chicks inside is really fun I spent hours watching them run around and holding them. If you keep up with daily cleaning (I would pick out any poop I saw and mix up the bedding daily and every 3rd day I would complete change it out) it shouldn’t smell either.

Thank you again this will help during the discussion,

 

[FlufferChick]

Clucky Monday FlufferChick.

So I got a question that I know you can help me with I hope.

This is probably going to sound ridiculous I am finding myself hesitant to picking up my baby chicks and bringing them home.

My question is: Being that you are also in Florida and dealing with this heat, where are you keeping your brooder and how are your babies doing with this insane heat. I have two places to keep my brooder My shop or the garage. I know the C.O.E (Chief Of Everything) of our house would prefer the shop over the garage but the shop is in the high 90's pushing 100F at times I can open the windows but it wont help much. Being a first time chicken dad I don't want to stress them out or worse.

I know first few day old chicks need Hi heat in the brooder but the selection at the store are now older and I am not sure how to proceed. Do I still need the heat lamp and let them self regulate or is the current temps in the shop/garage enough.

I would like to get my girls this week as they will be fully feathered by October and the coop will be done ready for them to move in since October stays fairly warm here in the south.

Any thoughts- suggestions- ideas- hand holding would greatly be appreciated

The C.O.E. says "Hand holding in this instance is acceptable"
To other readers your input would also be welcome. Thank you in advance.
Stay clucky everyone.
BB.

How exciting! I think everyone has already given you great advice- and I’m just a newbie too- but here’s what I’ve done so far. I hope it helps!

Mine are in my attached garage for now. But it doesn’t get too hot despite no AC (insulation and lots of trees) so I don’t know how it would compare to your garage. I have a brooder plate for warmth instead of a heat light. I figure it is already warm in there so don’t need to heat a lot of space in the brooder, plus the plates are safer. They used it the first few days a lot, not nearly as much now into the second week, but they do sleep under it. I like that moving it up is easy.
In an opposite corner I placed a wrapped ice pack that I rotate out. I’ve yet to see anyone hang out on it but I feel better that they have the option to cool down. Also have the garage window cracked and a low fan running for air circulation during the day. They might be a little spoiled here.
I kept just electrolyte water for the first week, now regular water as well. I’m using a large pb jar lid (with flat marbles in the bottom for weight) for the electrolytes because I only have the one waterer.
I plan on putting them in the coop at around four weeks- they’ve already had a couple trips out in the run with me for an hour or so and loved it.