Hi I don't know if anyone does this but I thought I would share my experience with it. After incubation when the chicks hatch I don't put them under a light anymore. I literally give them a Mother Bottle. What that is is actually a jar usually at least half a gallon to a gallon jar of you guessed it hot water. I fill the jar with very hot water either tap or fresh boiled and then set a sock or old t-shirt tied over the top and pulled down in a box with the chicks and covered with a towel. This gives them the security and darkness of a mother while keeping them warm. During the day depending on the number of chicks and the size of the box I pull the towel back about half way so they get natural light and still the heat from "mother". I have done this a few times and had very good success. After a while I just fill the bottle at night and then in the morning the rest of the time the sock/t-shirt keeps most of the heat in the bottle if the chicks are kept in an enclosed box and a relatively warm room. (So about a 65 F room give or take.) Warmer is better of course but the mother bottle takes care of most of the heat. I find this exceptionally useful if you are off grid and/or have a black out. Because it also mimics mother they are more likely to develop feathers faster like regular barn chicks. They sleep better and are easier to have on a feeding schedule. It means getting up at least once a night for the first week to change the bottle but after that they keep each other warm and the bottle keeps enough warmth to keep them happy all night long.
I just thought I'd put that out there.
I just thought I'd put that out there.
