New chick care in the wintertime questions

[Solsken Farm]

How many chicks are you talking?

I hatched chicks in Maine at the end of November and a week before Christmas and we live in Maine. I moved the chicks out early this week, at 6-7 weeks old with 2 heat lamps into a makeshift low coop inside a horse stall. It was -20 last night and they are doing fine. If it had been milder I would have moved them a bit sooner, say at 4 weeks.

I think they will be fine in the garage and your rabbit hutch should work great. Keeping several week old chicks in the house until they are say, 3 weeks is not too messy, IMHO, but I am more tolerant of things like that I think.

Go for it, as long as you can get them shipped safely in the cold.

 

[grullablue]

8 chicks is what I'm planning, but would be a larger shipment (going in with other people). Otherwise I will pick them up if the other people back out.

Finally just made it through the brooder post....amazing!
Angie

 

[Cottage Rose]

If they are shipped during very cold weather I would recommend getting ALOT more than 8 for warmth.
You might want to look up my post on raising chicks in cold winter climates.
Probably page 2-4, 5? on this forum.
Might be some helpful advise in there.
Good luck!

 

[Guinea Goonie]

Well, I just lost the black tailed banty roo. He was under the heat lamp and i am guessing that he was smothered. Darn, I spent a long and aurduous time with this one. Just goes to show you that if your temps are too low and they all go under the heat lamp you will have a loss. I can not convey to you how important it is to have a decent temp even withtout heat lamps !!

 

[sewincircle]

I am thinking, if you have a thermometer to keep track of the temp you should be fine. Obviously you want draft free area. And if you see the temp dropping you can add another heat lamp like you said.
What kind are you ordering? It has nothing to do with what you are asking. I am just nosey! hehehe
I sure do wish you the best!
Jeanmarie

 

[sewincircle]

Quote:
I am very sorry for your loss! {{Hugs}}

 

[grullablue]

Hi,

My post said, I planned on getting 8, but I'm going in with other people...so it would be a much larger order than that. Minimum order of 25, so at least that. Thanks for the concern, though!

RIRs and australorps is what I plan to get!

Sorry for the loss....I thought of that when we raised the last batch of chicks, how they'd all pile on top of each other to sleep. It was cute...but kinda scared me too! It wasn't that they were too cold then, because they wouldn't be piled up under the heat lamp when they did. I had them in a large box at the time, with the light on one side of the box....so they could get away...

Angie

 

[Solsken Farm]

Gosh, my chicks don't pile on each other. They typically sleep next to one another. If that happens, the temp might not be high enough. JMHO.....I have had many many chicks and this is just my experience.

I have 2 heat lamps for the 7 weekers outside and they seem fine. No piling is occuring.

Good luck!

 

[Henrietta2]

I just got three new babies (I have three grown outside). It's warm in here and I'm using the same setup as last years. They seem ok, they are doing the trilling babies do in their sleep. My question is, where's the line between snuggling and piling? They seem at peace, though they do trade places for the space heater I put down. I keep new chicks in an old parrot cage so there's lots of airflow even if they gather in a corner. Snuggling versus piling? What does a cold chick act like? They were peeping plaintively but I turned up the heat and now they're trilling.

[/IMG]

 

[Henrietta2]

I bought some chick grit. How much do I give them each day?