New baby chicks

[piggykids4]

I just had a new chick hatch. I am in northern utah. We are in the low 50's during the day, for now, and the 30's at night. Do I need to bring the mommy and baby in the house? And if so, for how long?

 

[fried green eggs]

Hi &

Baby chicks need to be kept at near 95 degs for the first week and then temperature can drop 5 degs for each week after. I'm sure they will be warm enough under mom but, she will need to leave them for food, water etc and they will get too cold outside. Until they are fully feathered - they can't regulate their body temp. A brooder setup would be better for them. Congrats & Good Luck.

 

[donrae]

Hi &

Baby chicks need to be kept at near 95 degs for the first week and then temperature can drop 5 degs for each week after. I'm sure they will be warm enough under mom but, she will need to leave them for food, water etc and they will get too cold outside. Until they are fully feathered - they can't regulate their body temp. A brooder setup would be better for them. Congrats & Good Luck.

Sorry but I horribly disagree with this.

Chicks do NOT need to be kept at 95 degrees. They need ACCESS to a spot this warm. If you try to keep the chick that warm all the time, you'll have a cooked nugget. In this case, the momma hen is that warm spot. Yes, the chick(s) will come out from under her to eat, drink and scratch around. That's normal. Then, when they start getting cool, they'll head back under momma and she'll fluff out and keep them warm. They'll spend most of the first week under momma, then as the weeks pass they'll be out and about for hours at a time, even with just their down and growing feathers. This is normal. When they get cool, they go under momma.

The temps Piggy is describing are quite common in the spring, when most broody hens hatch babies. IMO, hen raised babies feather out faster and are much hardier birds than brooder babies, because they have access to a wider range of temperatures.

Stick your hand under a broody bird, or one that's just roosting sometime. Right up near the skin, it's almost a hundred degrees. They stay nice and cozy warm under all those feathers!

Piggy--it's also normal for the chicks not to eat/drink for the first 2ish days. They absorb that whole egg yolk just before they hatch so they don't need to eat/drink right away, giving momma time to stay on the nest and give all the eggs a chance to hatch.

congrats on your baby! Nothing cooler than watching a momma hen raise chicks!