New in northern Michigan

[CedarAcres]

Hello & Welcome to BYC!

That is so exciting that your chicks are coming so soon! They should be fine in the garage with their heat lamp. You should place a thermometer in there to monitor the temperature, and as long as it is the right temp, you're good to go! Lots of people have their brooders in the garages or barns, so you should be fine. You can set up the brooder ahead of time and turn on the heat lamp to check and make sure everything is the way it should be and is warm enough. We have our brooder in our basement with no heat, and it is much colder down there than the rest of the house and chicks have been doing fine down their for over thirty years. Good luck!

 

[AK Baha]

 

[pollitos2013]

Thank you Golden Feather - I have a thermometer too so I will check it out as I set it up.

 

[1muttsfan]

I brood almost all my chicks in the garage summer and winter, I use a big appliance-sized cardboard box on it's side with pine shavings and pelleted pine bedding, with a heat lamp at one end. Never had any trouble keeping the temp comfortable for the chicks. You will probably not need the straw bales or any insulation, as cardboard is very insulating.

DO double-tie up your heat lamp, using metal hangers (not plastic or rope), attached to 2 different places on the lamp, to help reduce fire danger.

You can check the temp with a thermometer if you like. The chicks will tell you if they are at the right temp - if they huddle under the lamp it is too cold, if they spread out far away from it it is too warm.

 

[pollitos2013]

Thank you Muttsfan, I posted a photo of the cardboard brooder we made somewhere on BYC. I will go out there and find another place to secure the light and we did get a thermometer. Thanks all for the support.

 

[tessandtherest]

Hello, i live in grawn but was raised in suttons bay! I am also new to chickens but have learned so much in the past year of having them.

 

[pollitos2013]

Hi tessandtherest, suttons bay is beautiful now in the fall - we are just down the road toward Empire! My first chicks ever come next week.

 

[All Henned Up]

One thing I didn't see anybody tell you is to use pine chips under them instead of paper, they can get splay leg from a slick surface like paper. also don't use cedar they are toxic.
Welcome and enjoy!
Steve

 

[pollitos2013]

Ok pine shavings it is! Thank you one and all.i just marked the whole pasture fence for the horses. Chicks next week and horses by Christmas!

 

[kkenney]

I just found this thread so I'm a little late, but welcome! I'm not Leelanau but I am located in Roscommon. Like you, this is my first year with chickens! How are your little ones doing?