meat chicks

[idcountrygal28]

hi im new to this , my parents brought me these meat chicks i think their cold but following what every one says im not sure
they r laying side by side under the light, there feet r warm, there bodys r warm there not fluffed there eatting,drinking,sleeping pooping and chrippung so on there in my 72f house with a light above them in a tote for now there 2 days old ,, i have egg chicks in the same kind of up and there spread out only diffeince is the meat chicks have 18 and the egg has 5 what am i doing wrong or r they ok?

 

[idcountrygal28]

 

[lazy gardener]

They look cold to me. Is the light actually shining towards the side of the box, so that's the warmest place? Can you check under the light with a thermometer? Place it at the height of where the chick's backs would be. It should read about 90-95*. Of course, a lot of folks will tell you not to bother with a thermometer, and just go by how the chicks are acting. But, if the chicks are not acting comfortable, it's a good idea to have a thermometer just to keep from second guessing yourself.

 

[slingshotandLAR]

They are cold.....

They should be scattered around not piled up on top of one another, like this:

I use a laser thermometer to check the temp under the lamp, works great and they are only $10.

 

[Ridgerunner]

It’s normal for chicks to sleep together in a group. It does not mean they are cold, just that they like to sleep in a group, same as they would under a broody hen. They normally sleep in a fairly warm place. Chicks sleep a lot at first but gradually sleep less and roam more as they get older. LG asked a good question. Is that the warmest place in the brooder or just a pretty warm place?

How warm or cold is the rest of your brooder? I don’t know how big that tote is or how you have the light set up, but certainly not cooler than 72. That’s not that bad. You say they are two days old. I assume that means you’ve had them two days; since they were hatched in a hatchery and shipped they are probably a day or two older than that. I had a chick five days old get separated from the broody for several hours. The temperatures were in the 70’s that day. The chick was OK. It wasn’t comfortable and it was calling for help, but it did not die from exposure. I certainly don’t recommend trying this but they are normally a lot tougher than man people realize. As an aside, the other hens in the flock did not kill it either, although it was separated from the broody’s protection and vulnerable for hours. That surprised me.

I have never raised meat chicks but from what I’ve read on here, they are often not all that energetic. They are pretty much bred to eat, poop, eat, poop, sleep, eat, poop, eat, sleep, eat, poop. This means everything they eat goes to growth and meat production, the energy is not burned up with them running around. People do get them to run around and forage some for themselves but they are just usually not as energetic as other chicks.

With the other chicks roaming as you say they are, it doesn’t sound like you are doing all that badly. As long as the meaties are getting up to eat and drink, they should be doing OK. Another sign that they are in trouble is when you hear a plaintive peeping. It’s not their regular peeping, this tears at your heart. You can tell something is wrong just from the way it sounds. It’s a clear call for help.

I don’t know how big that tote is but with that number I suggest you quickly prepare a place to put them. They are going to explode in size, especially the meaties. They are going to poop a whole lot too. Get ready to manage that.

I’m one of those that does not use a thermometer anymore. I’ve done it long enough that I can read the chicks. A thermometer is a great tool, especially when you are just starting out. It helps you get things set up right and gives you a lot more self-confidence. I used one when I first set my brooder up. You should too.

My 3’ x 6’ brooder is in the coop. The chicks go there straight from the incubator or the post office. I keep one end toasty but when the outside temperatures drop into the teens or single digits, I occasionally see ice on the far end. As long as the chicks have one area warm enough but have room to get to cooler areas if they need to, I find they do a great job of self-regulating.

When you put a group of people in a room at a certain temperature, some people are going to be too warm, some too cool, and some just right. Why? Different people are different. Chicks are the same way. There is no one perfect temperature for every chick. Some like it warmer, some cooler. By heating one end warm enough, letting the far end cool off some, and having it big enough they can move about, they do great.

From what you describe I don’t think you are in any serious trouble from the heat. You can try warming it up a bit if you wish, but be careful not to overheat them. Too much heat is more dangerous than them being a tad cool. With that many they can huddle together and keep each other warm if they need to. Are you going to run into space problems pretty soon? I think that’s of more concern.

Good luck!