Moving from incubator to brooder

[Darlene415]

Question-I'm at day 21 have 5 that have already hatched starting on day 18 (had a few threds on hatching forum on this). I'm contemplating moving them to brooder box so I can find a stinky egg that im pretty sure is in bator. Plus I can't hear any new pips with the chicks peeping in the bator, and they are knocking the other eggs all over the place...lol my question in pertaining to brooder box location. We are in florida, its 90 all day 80 all nite. Our house is AC temp 72. I am leaning towards a more natural situation...as the Hen would do, and am considering not having brooder box in the house but putting it in my laundry room whic is a completely finished interior room right outside my back door in our attached carport...the room maintains 80 degrees all night i have made sure whith thermometer overnight, so I;m thinking that is way more natural than being in an air conditioned house as Mama Hen woudn't have then in AC correct? I can leave the door to the room open all day so the get fresh air and I am home all day every day so i can move brooder, take them outside, or move if i need to, i'm anal and very on top of my animals so i wouldn't be tossing them in a room to rot! Opinions? Honestly if my pen and coopp were finished and secure that's where they would be going. Also I have a bully breed house do that has prey drive like a tiger so it would be much easier and safer for the chicks if i there were not in the house, not that they would ever be left alone with my dog...as i said i am anl to a fault with the animals..cause i have no kids! The brooder box is a very large rubbermaid container with a scrren lid and I can add any additional air holes needed for venting should it get too hot. I have decided not to use a heatlamp and will be using a regular 40w incandescent buld as I have tested the set up already and it is plenty hot..as i said room itself gets 90 during the day if door is open and all night with door closed it maintained 80...i think it actually be easier to keep them as warm as they need to be in that room versus the house, and it is more natural as far as environement and temperatures of what they will deal with once outdoors...should be easier this way for acclimation I personally think...yes? no? These are my 1st chicks I have onky done ducks once 16 years ago so i am a newbie...any suggestions? opinions? thoughts?

 

[oregonkat]

Brand new chicks need to have access to a warm place that is at about 95degs for the first week or two. Ideally they need to be able to snuggle up together under something warm. I recommend a heat blanket set up, like a mama heat pad shown here:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...er-picture-heavy-update.956958/#post-14882145
This system works really really well and without the use of a heat lamp which can be dangerous.
The chicks must not get chilled. I realize that your are having to deal with your chicks immediately so I recommend using a roasting rack, like from your roasting pan with the heat blanket over it so they can snuggle with each other, moderately dark but quite warm underneath. The heat blanket should be one that does not automatically turn itself off.
Make sense?

 

[sawilliams]

Personally I like to keep them as close as possible the first week. Like right there in the kitchen with a heat lamp so I caden check then as i'm doing other chores or passing by. But it is up to you. The laundry room or even garage is fine as long as temp isn't to high for the whole room. Its not a bad thing to have a cool room though, as your heat source should really be set to one side so the chicks can move from cool to warm as they need to. Once they are about 3-4 weeks, clearly not using the heat source any more you can remove it, and temps are at least a stable 75-80 you can start turning off the heat, but you need to keep an eye on then to make sure they aren't getting chilled and turn the heat back on as needed.

 

[Darlene415]

Personally I like to keep them as close as possible the first week. Like right there in the kitchen with a heat lamp so I caden check then as i'm doing other chores or passing by. But it is up to you. The laundry room or even garage is fine as long as temp isn't to high for the whole room. Its not a bad thing to have a cool room though, as your heat source should really be set to one side so the chicks can move from cool to warm as they need to. Once they are about 3-4 weeks, clearly not using the heat source any more you can remove it, and temps are at least a stable 75-80 you can start turning off the heat, but you need to keep an eye on then to make sure they aren't getting chilled and turn the heat back on as needed.

OK thanks...i am making sure the box is dog proof now for in the house...lol its almost safer outside away from the dog...lol but they will probably be on the counter or in a bathroom where i can turn off the AC vent!

 

[Darlene415]

Brand new chicks need to have access to a warm place that is at about 95degs for the first week or two. Ideally they need to be able to snuggle up together under something warm. I recommend a heat blanket set up, like a mama heat pad shown here:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...er-picture-heavy-update.956958/#post-14882145
This system works really really well and without the use of a heat lamp which can be dangerous.
The chicks must not get chilled. I realize that your are having to deal with your chicks immediately so I recommend using a roasting rack, like from your roasting pan with the heat blanket over it so they can snuggle with each other, moderately dark but quite warm underneath. The heat blanket should be one that does not automatically turn itself off.
Make sense?

Well hopefully the set up I have works, not really in the position to go purchase more item for the brooder at this point, I spent extra money by buyinggood hardware cloth and all total my pen and coop (which i should working on instead of watching chicks) has already cost approx $600 probably more yes definetly more maybe closer to 800 as it's 10x30 plus a coop inside the pen, we have too many predators to free range all day sp i wanted to be sure they had a really big pen if they have to stay locked down some days. I figured in my laundry room was easier for them since its warmer in here and im not usinga heat lamp, i have a 100watt bulb in the brooder now trying to see what my reading is in the house, outside in laundry room is much warmer and easier to keep them warm...and keep them away from my dog that is in theh house...the brooder is secure, i have attached the screen on to and it is hinged and can be locked but you know dogs! i have been sleeping on the couch with the chicks in bator just in case due to the dog.
Below are pics are the brooder box...it's right under the table with the eggs but I will probably move it to the counter or bathroom if it doesnt stay warm enough on the floor or if i have to go out and the dog is in the house...i am over careful with the dog!

 

[aart]

The stink may just be warm, humid hatching gunk.....it can get pretty rank.

Use a thermometer on the floor of brooder to check temps...
....both right under the light and at the other end.
You can go be behavior but a therm is good tool too.

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'. 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

 

[Darlene415]

Yes @aart they were too hot i think, i raised the light, put the brooder back on the floor as they were yesterday and they seem happier there than on the counter, i think not enough air flow in the kitchen, gonna give them all some nutri drench just in case, also checking for pasty butt, which i didnt see snd i added some nutri drench to water, gonna give them fresh now. So cute they are!