I have 25 chicks I got as Rainbow Pullet Special from MPC. I have them brooding in my spare bathroom in the tub. They are getting really energetic running back and forth trampling on each other. I've only brooder a maximum of 10 Standard in here before. At about 4 or 5 weeks they will be TOO big for the little bath tub. I have their coop finished, but will it be okay for them to go out with the heat lamp in the coop. It will be about 50 or 60 degrees at night? Just wondering if anyone had any experience with this before? Will the heat lamp be enough for 25 chickens? TIA
Should be; depends on your setup. You just need to check on them, maybe put a thermometer in there, or at least be sure they aren't piling on top of each other.
Chicks are usually pretty hardy, and they should be okay, as long as they have a lamp, and you check on them enough to make sure they're still doing well.
A few times a year I order 30 Cornish X chicks and immediately put them into a raised brooder outdoors in our coop. They do fine with just one heat lamp. The brooder box is about 48" x 53", with a solid top that I can raise or lower for more/less heat retention. At about 3 weeks they go down on the floor of the coop, which is about 8' x 8', still with just the one heat lamp. Last year I raised a batch in the same set-up during January/February, when temps were pretty chilly. They did just fine.
I always understood that if they are huddles together under the heat lamp or trying to get under one another and chipping loads then they are cold just low the heat lamp. If they are moving around eat drinking then they are fine. If you could set up a large box to hold the heat in then cut a hole in for them to venture out then they are happy chicks - I think!!
I hope no one gets mad at me for this but I'll preface it by saying it worked... I bought 10 chicks from another BYC'er who is semi-local and she had raised her chicks in an outside brooder. When I got them they were about a week or 2 old and I put them in a big rubbermaid tote/tub thing and they stayed in that for about 3 weeks when they started flying out and pooping on the carpet (don't tell DH) and then I put them outside. They were almost all feathered and we had warm enough weather then, it was late spring so similar to now. When inside I never used a heat lamp (they didn't want it I tried) but the house temp was about 68-72 and so it wasn't much of a stress to outside with no heat lamp. Just keep an eye on them, it will be obvious if it's okay or not. HTH! Good luck
