Keeping chicks warm with no power

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Why would you not put the lamp inside of the box? It seems with the flue and vent there would be a very low risk of CO/CO2 and it sounds like the chicks would appreciate the light from the lamp.

thanks
 
I once brooded some chicks while we were camping in cold spring mountain weather...no kidding...the background is too long a story to post here.
But it was very successful, I kept the chicks comfortable for several weeks until they were old enough to be on their own in the coop when summer came.
I used a black plastic horse tub (about 18 inches high and 18" diameter). I filled the bottom with wood shavings (couple inches). For the first few days, I added paper towels on top of the shavings so they could walk around easier.
A down sleeping bag was wrapped around the entire thing. Down "breathes" and there seemed to be good air circulation, despite the container being totally "cocooned" with down.
I kept this in our tent.
I wrapped a hot rocks or two (about the size of shoes) that I'd gotten warm by placing near the outside fire ring (when the skies weren't drizzling on us!) and when we were having rain, I heated water on my little backpacking stove and filled a hot water bottle, wrapped in a towel, for them.

Necessity is the mother of invention! Good luck!

Maria
 
Quote:
Why would you not put the lamp inside of the box? It seems with the flue and vent there would be a very low risk of CO/CO2 and it sounds like the chicks would appreciate the light from the lamp.

thanks

You could be right, it might vent just fine. There's always the possibility something could go wrong and you also have to fill the lamp and light it. Lamp oil or kerosene in themselves give off some fumes. Any spilled on the outside of the lamp is going to stink it up and smoke and soot from lighting and adjusting it just adds to the fumes until the flue warms up enough to pull a draft.
 
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I have a kerosene incubator here. I've never fired it up though. It's an old redwood one made by Buckeye. The lamp's chimney is a steel water jacket with a damper on top. The water jacket is plumbed to a loop in the top of the box that heats the interior. There is a long bi-metal thermostat inside that expands and contracts with the heat, this operates a rod that controls the damper on top of chimney / water jacket, thus controlling the temperature.

It's similar to this one, but with a different burner / flue / water jacket assembly:

woodenhen.jpg
 
i've used that bubblewrap/tinfoil insulation from Farmtec you can get it at some farm suppliy stores, with this stuff the chicks body heat keeps them warm so it needs to on the small side ,you don't want them cramped ,but you don't want to much extra space. looks like a box open side down with smaller pices an flapes so the chicks can walk in and out. the box sites about 1/2 inch or so off the ground, you can hang it or have legs \\. yes the chicks do pick the foil but all that happens is small holes
 
My 93 yo mother says that her family used to incubate eggs in their old coal stove, in a compartment in the bottom. She remembers as a child opening the little door up every morning (she was allowed one look at the eggs to check each day!) and then how thrilling it was finally to peek in and find the chicks cheeping and skittering around.

All the trouble we go to to have a perfect incubation environment...
 

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