Need Opinion SOON if there is anyone that can contribute

[bevis]

Ok, i have looked all over the web and can't find answers to this specific question.
I just bought 3 1 week old buff orps today. I put them in the henhouse in a 2'x4'x2' wood box
covered on the sides and top with 1/2" hardware cloth. They have food and water and 2 red heat lamps over
the center of the so called brooder. There are 20 layers in the hen house also but can in no way get to the chicks.
The house is 8' X 10' X 8' . i closed all the windows in the hen house. i put mover blankets on the sides and ends of
the brooder just a few mins ago because its going down into the 40's here tonight in florida. The temp is in the mid 80's
according to the wireless thermometer.

Every thread and link i have read has stated that the chicks need to be in your house for 4 to 6 weeks.
Can someone tell me why i might be making a mistake buy putting them out there so soon. They are local feed store
buff oops with no mother. When i noticed the temp go to 85, i went out and put mover blankets on the ends and sides.
They are not clumped up under the lights so i think they are ok.

Any opinions on this subject. Im still new and always learning.
I don't want to jeopardize the chicks.

 

[nj2wv]

Baby chicks need to be warm until they are fully feathered. Also keep any drafts away from them. Watch the chicks and see how they behave with the heat lamp. If they huddle under it then they are cold so increase temperature. If the are away from the lamp then they are warm. Also use extreme care with a lamp in your coop to prevent a fire.

 

[bevis]

Yes thats my only fear, lamps in the hen house. It scare the SH&% out of me.
I need to get ceramic heat lamps to reduce that chance of fire hazard but I'm unsure if
the ceramic bulbs will not provide the heat requirements needed. The ceramic socket reflector lights are at 26"
above their floor of pine shavings. Do you know if the ceramic heater lamps will do the job or not ?

 

[Spangled]

Every thread and link i have read has stated that the chicks need to be in your house for 4 to 6 weeks.
Can someone tell me why i might be making a mistake buy putting them out there so soon.

People say that chicks need to be in the house (your human home) because many people don't have barns or large enough coops for brooding chicks.

People for years and years have been brooding chicks in the barn or sheds with superb results. I have done it here with a hover in a coop without insulation, putting the chicks under a brooder, putting up draft guards, at temps below freezing in the early spring. It shocks me that the chicks do well, but they do. I usually keep thim in the human house for a couple of nights to make sure they recognize the feeder and waterer first. Best part? No chick dust in the house!

The same rules apply, though. There should be a portion of the brooder area that allows them to be in at least 90F temp (that's the suggested one week old temperature last time I checked). There should be no drafts which sounds like you've accomplished. You've got a back-up light in case one goes out. I buy a really cheap outdoor thermometer and put it in a ziploc bag and put it in the brooding area. Sometimes it gets lost in the shavings. I change the baggie when it gets too soiled to read through.

The two-week-old temperature is a little less. If you don't have all the brooding rules/suggestions, you can probably find them somewhere here at BackyardChickens.com. During the day, when it's warmer, you may want to raise the lights a little. I tie a few slip knots in the twine during the day and then let the lights back down in the evening, watching that I'm getting the right temperatures.

Lots of fires, though, as nj2wv mentions above, from brooder lights make headlines in the newspapers every spring. Even the brooder lights in my house I use a twist tie to secure the light to the clamp support thingee or use two pieces of twine if I'm hanging from the ceiling just in case one fails. And I still cross my fingers. People lose their homes to brooder light fires too often that it just scares me.

Link to some pics. I looked for a good article here, but couldn't find one.

eta: changed fine to find (type)

 

[bevis]

I just went out and checked on them. Since i put the moving blankets areoun the sides and ends, the temp is up to 87.
I know it should be 90 in the second week, but i think they will be ok, they were not huddled directly under the light.

 

[bevis]

i ran heavy string to an eye bolt in the ceiling and tied the light hanging loop to the string.
i then ran the lights electric cord next to the string and tywraped it to the eye bolt / both lamps.
the lamps also have the 4 leg spyder cover on them. my concern is if one of the bulbs break,
hot tungsten hits the shavings and we now have a chicken roast. Scares the hell out of me.
maybe the ceramic bulbs would be a safer option if they can provide the heat needed.

 

[donrae]

I think two big heat lamps in that small a brooder is too much. They need a warm area, but they also need to be able to get out from under the heat. Baby chicks raised by momma are close to 100 degrees when they're underneath her, but when they're out, they're at whatever the temp is outside. So, one warm area and the rest at ambient temp. No drafts, and dry, and they'll be fine. I never, ever brood chicks in the house. No way I'm breathing all that nastiness

 

[aart]

I just went out and checked on them. Since i put the moving blankets areoun the sides and ends, the temp is up to 87.
I know it should be 90 in the second week, but i think they will be ok, they were not huddled directly under the light.

That's the ticket...

 

[bevis]

I had to pull them out and bring them in the house this morning. I did some testing on the lighting and have shocking results.
I ordered a Sweeter Heater because of test results.

See this thread https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...-from-tsc-producers-pride-brand#post_14694935

 

[bevis]

I think two big heat lamps in that small a brooder is too much. They need a warm area, but they also need to be able to get out from under the heat. Baby chicks raised by momma are close to 100 degrees when they're underneath her, but when they're out, they're at whatever the temp is outside. So, one warm area and the rest at ambient temp. No drafts, and dry, and they'll be fine. I never, ever brood chicks in the house. No way I'm breathing all that nastiness

see the thread that i created concerning 2- 250 watt heat lamps. I think the results will surprise you.