just ordered chicks. I've never raised chicks. Suggestions.

[Cryss]

The closet rod is at normal height, about 4' up, and the tub lid is on top of the tub to keep the wee birdies from flying out. If the closet rod were any lower the birds would get too hot. It's just about right for them now but as they get older I will start pulling the tub out of the closet, more into the room, away from the lamp so they won't be so warm.

Yeah I think we need photos. You don’t want the lid on, they’ll suffocate. They have to be at a precise temperature at one end of the brooder and cooler at the other end where their food is. 6 chicks will outgrow that tub in a couple of weeks. And you will need a full sized coop ready in about 6 weeks. Check out the link pibb gave for the mama heating pad.
And don’t panic. You have a lot to learn but we will all talk you through it. It’s gonna be worth it and so much fun!

 

[BigBlueHen53]

My lid has the wjole center cut out and replaced with one-inch plastic netting. No overheating. Pics tomorrow. I promise!

 

[pspatbyc]

There are other alternatives to brooding indoors with a heat lamp. And much safer. https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...and-start-raising-your-chicks-outdoors.71995/

I used the Brooder lamp about 4ft over brooder and placed a Titan Incubators Chick Heating Plate in the brooder. You should set up the lamp and brooder a couple of a days ahead and use a thermometer to adjust your set up to 95 deg. Put the bedding in the brooder so it is also at 95 deg when they arrive. You can turn on the Chick plate on the day you expect to recieve the chicks. After a couple of weeks you can get rid of the lamp and just use the Titan. There are other brands available. So by the time you have to do your trip you could leave the lamp off but the chick plate on. Also you could turn up the house heat that day a couple of degrees. Good luck with your new adventure.

PS - I hope you have their Coop built or ready because by 5- 6 weeks (my guess) they will be ready for more space. They grow quick.

from the web - Start the brooder temperature at approximately 95°F (35°C) and reduce it approximately 5°F (3°C) each week until the brooder temperature is the same as ambient temperature.

 

[pspatbyc]

I used the Brooder lamp about 4ft over brooder and placed a Titan Incubators Chick Heating Plate in the brooder. You should set up the lamp and brooder a couple of a days ahead and use a thermometer to adjust your set up to 95 deg. Put the bedding in the brooder so it is also at 95 deg when they arrive. You can turn on the Chick plate on the day you expect to recieve the chicks. After a couple of weeks you can get rid of the lamp and just use the Titan. There are other brands available. So by the time you have to do your trip you could leave the lamp off but the chick plate on. Also you could turn up the house heat that day a couple of degrees. Good luck with your new adventure.

PS - I hope you have their Coop built or ready because by 5- 6 weeks (my guess) they will be ready for more space. They grow quick.

from the web - Start the brooder temperature at approximately 95°F (35°C) and reduce it approximately 5°F (3°C) each week until the brooder temperature is the same as ambient temperature.

1. I set the feeder and water fountain on a patio paver to keep them from fouling the water and feeder with poop and bedding. not chick proof but it helps alot.
2. As they got bigger I hung them on a rod so they couldn't dump it over. I found a small mini version of the full size feeder and water that had a hanging handle.
3. use a "chick" version of both till they get a couple of weeks old. they are designed to keep them from drowning in the water.

 

[aart]

@aart who do you recommend for advice here?

My advice is...first, build the coop, then get chicks.
But....
Here's my notes on chick heat, hope something in there might help:
They need to be pretty warm(~85-90F on the brooder floor right under the lamp and 10-20 degrees cooler at the other end of brooder) for the first day or two, especially if they have been shipped, until they get to eating, drinking and moving around well. But after that it's best to keep them as cool as possible for optimal feather growth and quicker acclimation to outside temps. A lot of chick illnesses are attributed to too warm of a brooder. I do think it's a good idea to use a thermometer on the floor of the brooder to check the temps, especially when new at brooding, later I still use it but more out of curiosity than need.

The best indicator of heat levels is to watch their behavior:
-If they are huddled/piled up right under the lamp and cheeping very loudly, they are too cold.
-If they are spread out on the absolute edges of the brooder as far from the lamp as possible, panting and/or cheeping very loudly, they are too hot.
-If they sleep around the edge of the lamp calmly just next to each other and spend time running all around the brooder they are juuuust right!

The lamp is best at one end of the brooder with food/water at the other cooler end of the brooder, so they can get away from the heat or be under it as needed. Wattage of 'heat' bulb depends on size of brooder and ambient temperature of room brooder is in. Regular incandescent bulbs can be used, you might not need a 'heat bulb'. If you do use a heat bulb make sure it's specifically for poultry, some heat bulbs for food have teflon coatings that can kill birds. You can get red colored incandescent bulbs at a reptile supply source. A dimmer extension cord is an excellent way to adjust the output of the bulb to change the heat without changing the height of the lamp.

Or you could go with a heat plate, commercially made or DIY: http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/pseudo-brooder-heater-plate

 

[Chickassan]

Iv'e always wanted to ask this im glad it crossed my mind again lol!
What in the world made you jump buck naked into chickens?
How did you end up here?
Alot of people do it , a whole lot.
What happens to you guys?

 

[Cryss]

Iv'e always wanted to ask this im glad it crossed my mind again lol!
What in the world made you jump buck naked into chickens?
How did you end up here?
Alot of people do it , a whole lot.
What happens to you guys?

Oh yes I hope everyone that jumped buck naked into chickens answers you!
I can only tell you my experience in stripping down and plunging in.

I had wanted chickens for years but put it off. I started learning gardening and knew I needed a way to get fertilizer. Chickens seemed the answer so I decided it was time. And here’s the thing. I have dogs, so I know how to take care of animals. (Uh oh...) My dogs need food and shelter. Chickens need food and shelter too but I’m smart. I know chickens can’t live in the house with me. They need their own. Ok. Tractor supply supplied both. I’m good. (Oh no...) (hey! I DID get the coop before the chickens arrived - but only because they weren’t going to be little chicks. )

Listen. Especially if you have never experienced chickens and have come to this site. Chickens are not dogs. They Have chicken needs. I believe you want them healthy. Learn here how they eat, sleep, poop, breathe, socialize. Take particular notice of their need for protection. Dogs aren’t generally thought of as food. Every living thing thinks of chickens as food.

 

[aart]

Iv'e always wanted to ask this im glad it crossed my mind again lol!
What in the world made you jump buck naked into chickens?
How did you end up here?
Alot of people do it , a whole lot.
What happens to you guys?

Theres another thread for that
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...-long-have-you-been-raising-chickens.1346252/

 

[nuthatched]

What is that?

you make a tunnel out of an analog heating pad, plastic wrap and chicken wire, very effective and chicks like them since they can hide

 

[Cryss]

you make a tunnel out of an analog heating pad, plastic wrap and chicken wire, very effective and chicks like them since they can hide

Just remember to keep both ends of the tunnel open so no chicks get trapped without a way out.