Keeping chicks warm.

[Earthchick]

I'm on day 3 with our 2 babies and we are using the heating plate in the brooder. How can you know if you are keeping it warm enough. They seem happy and very active. I put my hand under and does not seem overly warm. Just worried that its not enough heat..Any thoughts?

 

[lena_]

If the chicks seem fine that's usually a pretty good indicator that heat plate is doing it's job If you're worried (raising the little ones can be stressful!) you may want to put a thermometer on the heat plate and see what it reads. During the first week of life, your chicks need 100 degrees fahrenheit.
Hopefully this helped.

 

[GoldpartridgeHen]

If the chicks are spread out evenly and cheeping happily that is a sign they are contented
And if they are all huddled together they may be too cool
hope this is relevant

 

[L1sa]

X2 @Feather Hearts.

Chicks don't need to have major heat like a boiler! They just need a temp of around body heat, as they can't regulate their own body heat to begin with (no feathers) So when you put your hand on the heat plate it shouldn't feel 'hot' it should only be slightly warmer than your own core temp. Just think, a broody hen wouldn't be able to create a heat over and above her own body temp.

 

[Earthchick]

If the chicks seem fine that's usually a pretty good indicator that heat plate is doing it's job If you're worried (raising the little ones can be stressful!) you may want to put a thermometer on the heat plate and see what it reads. During the first week of life, your chicks need 100 degrees fahrenheit.
Hopefully this helped.

Thanks I was not sure putting a thermometer just inside the brooder would give me a accurate reading. Never thought of putting it on top. Very helpful. Thanks

 

[aart]

you may want to put a thermometer on the heat plate and see what it reads. During the first week of life, your chicks need 100 degrees fahrenheit.

This is a bit confusing.
But the surfaces of heat plates and pads are generally 110-120°F.

I'm on day 3 with our 2 babies and we are using the heating plate in the brooder. How can you know if you are keeping it warm enough. They seem happy and very active. I put my hand under and does not seem overly warm. Just worried that its not enough heat..Any thoughts?

Can their backs touch the plate while sitting?
If they are in and out from under the plate, eating, drinking, pooping OK....then they are fine.
Can't really measure the air temp under the plate, must go by chicks behaviors.
If you touch the plate itself it should be pretty warm...maybe too warm to touch for long with bare skin.

 

[123RedBeard]

Cheeping chicks generally are too cold ... panting chicks are too hot ...

If they are huddled together under the heat plate, they are too cold, if they are away from the heat plate, they are fine, or too hot, they can get away from the heat plate to eat and drink right?

 

[lena_]

This is a bit confusing.
But the surfaces of heat plates and pads are generally 110-120°F.


Can their backs touch the plate while sitting?
If they are in and out from under the plate, eating, drinking, pooping OK....then they are fine.
Can't really measure the air temp under the plate, must go by chicks behaviors.
If you touch the plate itself it should be pretty warm...maybe too warm to touch for long with bare skin.

Sorry if I was unclear. Once when I was raising ducklings, I cellotaped the thermometer to the underside of the heat plate(the place where the duckling were touching) and it read 102°F, I was using a Brinsea Ecoglow. Maybe it (or the thermometer) was faulty?

 

[aart]

Sorry if I was unclear. Once when I was raising ducklings, I cellotaped the thermometer to the underside of the heat plate(the place where the duckling were touching) and it read 102°F, I was using a Brinsea Ecoglow. Maybe it (or the thermometer) was faulty?

Ah, I see, pretty hard to measure with a 'regular' thermometer, but that's probably pretty accurate.
I've used an infrared temp gauge to check the surface of my pad, and have read others who used same on plates.

 

[Earthchick]

This is a bit confusing.
But the surfaces of heat plates and pads are generally 110-120°F.


Can their backs touch the plate while sitting?
If they are in and out from under the plate, eating, drinking, pooping OK....then they are fine.
Can't really measure the air temp under the plate, must go by chicks behaviors.
If you touch the plate itself it should be pretty warm...maybe too warm to touch for long with bare skin.

They seem quite happy. I was worried because everyone says it needs to be like 98 first weeks..I can put my hand under and its warm but not hot. My chicks even like to sit on top some. But I made sure it does not touch their back because I read on here some where that her chicks suffered burns. They seem really happy and run all over the brooder. So I guess they are fine then!