Just for anyone worrying about temperature.

[Jules713]

I'll give my experience with chick temp. First batch I got was August last year. I hovered over them like a hawk. I checked the temp three times a day and made sure It was lowered 5 degrees each week. That was my parent stock. I didn't make it to fully feathered due to death in my family and they went into my pen I rushed to build so I could bury my grandfather. The next hatch, their babies, I didn't do as much. They dropped quicker in temp than their parents. I made sure clean bedding,and clean water, with ACV, I use plastic 100 gallon planters for first week brooder. Well I put them out in a chick coop I built out of old pallets, I still need to great stuff the cracks, and put some shingles on the roof, but I stapled plastic window covers to keep the wind out. They went out week 3, then brought them back in because it did get to low 40s for about a week. This last easter batch I decided to put out at a week with the first batch to see how they would do. I did feel bad because it was low 50s a couple nights , thAt mixed with being put in with 5 larger chick. Other than a few pecks from the 1 1/2 month ones they were in with they did fine. One of my splash , who did at first pick on them, adopted the chicks it seems, and sleeps with the babies under him/her. The rest roost up on the pallet ledges. I'm not saying this is anywhere near the best method, because ITS NOT. I did this really out of neccessity, and due to my impusiveness. I'm just trying to let new breeders/ chick owners know you don't have to worry too much. These little Huckabee's ---> chickadees, have to love autocorrect, we have are pretty hardy. I'm in Northeast Texas by the way.

 

[azygous]

I'm glad you posted your experiences with heating chicks. People are far too paranoid about chicks and the heat guidelines, taking them as dogmatic mandates.

First off, the common misconception is that you have to heat the entire brooder to a specified temp, and reduce it by exactly 5 degrees each week, when 95 to 100 is usually way too hot, and chicks actually do far better in cooler brooders.

Another misconception is that chicks are required to be under a heat lamp all of the time for an entire month or longer. In reality, chicks can begin taking breaks from their heated brooder for short periods around age two weeks. It doesn't hurt them to cool down for a half hour romp outdoors.

And usually by age three weeks, if the day time temps are in the 70s chicks often need no heat at all except after it cools down at night.

 

[Jules713]

I could never find anything other than they need to be with heat until they are fully feathered. I hatched the last batch the 3rd, they were put out with the 1 1/2 month on the 9th. Temps dropped to 49 and heavy wind a few nights, but I do have a draft free chick coop I built. First experiment night I was worried, but next morning, they were all still alive and out running around in mid 50s. I let them out when I let the large chickens out. They still are not fully feathered but they have multiple draft free areas they can sleep if they need to. I just make sure the coop has draft free areas and is rainproof . No worries any more.