No heatlamp?

[River campbell]

Hello all, this is my first time raising chicks, i really don't want a heatlamp, too dangerous, can I use a hotwaterbottle or, do the chicks like NEED a heatlamp??

 

[swamphiker]

Hi there, how old are your chicks and how many do you have? If they are a few weeks old or younger, they will definitely need heat. Some alternatives to heat lamps include heating plates and mats, which don't carry as much of a fire risk. I have used a hot water bottle during power outages, but you need to re-heat and change out the water very frequently in order for it to stay hot enough.

 

[River campbell]

they are new borns 7 of them, just dont wanna use a heat lamp

 

[Ridgerunner]

do the chicks like NEED a heatlamp??

They don't need a heat lamp. What they need is a spot warm enough to go to if they get cold. You can create that warm spot with a heat lamp. A broody hen can warm them up. Some people use heating pads or heat plates. You can use emitters or other types of heating devices. The ancient Egyptians used furnaces to incubate eggs and keep the chicks warm enough long before heat lamps, heat plates, heating pads, or emitters were even thought of. The chicks don't care how that warm spot is created as long as they have a warm spot when they need it.

To me the best brooder has a spot that is warm enough in the coolest conditions and a spot that is cool enough in the warmest conditions. If you are brooding indoors in a climate controlled location that usually isn't hard to manage. If you are brooding outside where you can have big temperature swings that may be a bit more challenging. My brooder is in the coop. I've had the temperatures go from below freezing to around 20 C (70 F) in a day. Or from 20 C to below freezing. I keep one end of the brooder toasty but the far end may have ice in it some mornings.

There can be a lot of debate on what those temperatures should be and how long they need heat. In winter I typically provide heat for about 5 weeks. Usually longer than that isn't necessary. In summer it depends on what the temperatures are. In a heat wave I turned daytime heat off at 2 days and nighttime heat off at 5 days. The chick's body language told ne they didn't need it. I don't use a thermometer, I watch the chicks and let them tell me what they want.

 

[3KillerBs]

New chicks absolutely require constant access to heat equivalent to what a broody hen would provide. A hot water bottle would require constant, 24/7 attention to keep enough space warm enough for the 4-8 weeks the chicks would be on heat (depending on the temperatures you're experiencing and the rate at which the chicks feather), and would provide only very limited space.

@Ridgerunner has given excellent advice that has helped me raise 3 batches of chicks in the past 18 months with outstanding success.