moving my brooder to an outdoor shed

[lilblessings5]

I have always ordered my chickens in the spring (usually may) when the weather is fairly warm outside. This year - i got them 2 weeks ago and set the brooder up in the basement. Its been below freezing during the night and up around 32-34 degrees during the day.
Is it safe enough to move the entire brooder - heat lamp and all to the outdoor shed? or how warm does it need to be outside before I move them? They are getting stinky!!!!

They seem to be feather out quicker then normal.

Thanks!
Kathy

 

[Elite Silkies]

I would say as long as their brooder is the correct temp inside it wouldn't matter if they were in the shed or the basement.

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
I agree. I start mine out in a shed. Won't have chicks in the house.

 

[lilblessings5]

okay- thanks! wasn't sure if the outside tempature being as cold as it is would effect the temperature inside the brooder.

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
For the first week that mine were in the shed I used an oil-filled electric heater as back up in case my two brooder lights failed. After that they did just fine with just their brooder lights.

 

[MissAnnieFrannie]

Mine are out in the shed. Whenever I am worried about it being a bit too cold, I section off their little corner with a tarp. It really help with insulating, and keeps the temps a bit more steady.

 

[Ridgerunner]

If you can keep the temperature in part of the brooder in the recommended range (If the temperature in the rest of the brooder is just a bit cooler, that's OK, just as long is it is not a lot cooler, say no more than 10 degrees F) and you keep the drafts away, you will do OK. They will let you know by their peeping and huddling under the light if they are too cool. I started mine in the coop when the lows were in the upper 40's to lower 50's. They all did fine.

I had a draft guard all around the brooder and pointed the heat lamp to one corner. They pretty much slept under the heat lamp but with no distress peeping and when they were awake, they wondered all over the 3' x 5' brooder.

 

[mstricer]

I clean mine alot. I like having they inside with me. I have 5, 17 week olds in an attached garage now and I dont think they stink to bad. I use food grade DE in with bedding. Some will think I'm a bit crazy but last year I had 17 orps in basement for 15 weeks. Cleaned them out everyother day. They didnt get stinkie untill I was busy finishing up coop and couldnt clean them for a few days.
But the DE does work to keep order down.

 

[lilblessings5]

what is food grade DE? not sure I"ve heard of that. I have been cleaning them more often. I have 37 birds so they do get stinky fast! Thanks for the input.

 

[gritsar]

Here's where I get my DE from:

http://www.earthworkshealth.com/products.php?gclid=CMWq84ywhqACFRGfnAoduHG9uA

And here is what DE is:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diatomaceous_earth

It can really help with the smell and it dries up the poo. I use it in my coop, as part of the deep litter method.