non-electric heat in brooder?

[Hopeful Peacock]

Volvo Farmer: Thank you for bringing the Brinsea brooder to my attention. It is a bit pricey, but that just may be the way to go. I agree that my system could handle that wattage. And it seems pretty foolproof, unlike the water bottles.

Mordarlar: Sand and rocks are also a good idea. Every bit helps!

ChickensareSweet: Yes, I also thought I'd probably need to do a night shift heating of water. At least for the first 2 weeks or so.

AZBootsie: Thanks for this goldmine! I like the felt strip idea - kind of like a blanket for chicks that they can't get smothered by.

Tinychicky: Certainly, a broody hen would be much easier! Maybe next batch!

Thanks again everyone!

 

[Hopeful Peacock]

Liamm_1: Our solar system produces 1 KW. We have 8 panels and 8 batteries. We are in TN. Our house is unique , husband-designed and built, and also uses some passive systems - probably a bit much to go into it here. Yes, we use propane for cooking (only). We use those little propane bottles like you can get for a grill. So far, one bottle has lasted us 3 1/2 months - we keep saying it feels like Hanukkah around here (because we didn't expect it to last nearly so long). Are you on Facebook, by any chance? If so, send me a request and you can see more pics there if you are interested. My FB name is Cara Peachick. I'm the only one, I believe.

 

[wingsofglory]

My friend used an electric heating pad under a newspaper and woodshavings for a week until she got the lights. She put a little roost in there the chicks used when they wanted to get away from the constant heat. Don't know how much wattage it'd draw.

 

[Liamm_1]

Quote:
Thanks Cara! I will send a request.

 

[Hopeful Peacock]

I just ordered a Brinsea eco-glow. I didn't give it a second thought at first because of the cost. However, it seems like it will be a lot more fool-proof than changing water bottles in the middle of the night. And since I'm getting 3 batches of chicks over the next 5 weeks,

that's a lot of interrupted nights. I'll pay a little more for extra assurance of sleep for me and dependable warmth for the chicks.

Thanks so much everyone!

 

[ChickenMountain]

Hey I know I'm pretty late on the forum but I wanted to suggest that I live in the los angeles basin in the mountains off the grid where the nights get cold and the days are far too hot and I'm beginning to build a brooder with a big metal box (it used to be a container for small showdogs) but I am going to cut out a hole in the bottom and top and establish an oil lamp or rocket stove that would be connected to a large smokestack pipe and would then heat up running through the box that is the brooder. I am taking precautions with having a cloth gaurd aroumd the pipe so that none of the chicks are scalded!

 

[melal]

Hi,
I know I'm late to this, but I was curious what methods others were using, and thought I'd share my own. I've raised chicks 3 times, all of which have been without any form of purchased heat. Each time I used a combination of the below methods, and they worked out pretty well.

1 - Timing - this has been the most successful and easiest so far. I just ordered my chicks in the summer time when ambient temperatures in the daytime were around 85-95 depending on location outside (sunny spot, shady spot, etc). I just bring them in at night when it gets cooler, and cover their box with a blanket. This means the chicks reach laying age in early to mid winter, which is when my hens start laying anyways for whatever reason...

2 - Solar heating - if ambient temperatures aren't hot enough, I put their box outside in a sunny spot, and if you need some extra heat still, put glass over 2/3 or so. This will keep heat in and still let sun in. Kind of like a cold frame or a green house, but for chicks.

3 - Compost heating - one time, I got chicks in january, and when they got too big to keep inside, but were still too young to just put out, I buried their brooder in composting straw (compost will often generate temperatures of 130-160 degrees). I kept the sides covered, but uncovered the top during the day, and buried it again at night (leaving a hole for ventilation)

4 - body heat - When you order chicks through the mail, they have a minimum order of around 25 or so. This is because the chicks can be shipped on their own and huddle up to stay warm during the 2 day journey. I just apply the same principle, and prefer to get enough chicks that they can regulate their own temperature as necessary. A huddle of 25 chicks can generate a surprising amount of heat.

5 - wood stove. If they still need more heat, then it's generally cool enough that I have to wood stove going anyways. So I'll keep a few bricks on it, then switch them out as needed. Just be sure to put a towel or some straw or something on it so they don't burn their feet. They like to sit on the warm bricks.

 

[RachelJG]

I know this thread is old, but I'll add to it for anyone who happens upon it as I did...
I just tried brooding chicks out-doors in a covered 4'x8' brooder made of 1/2" plywood. It has a salt box shape with a 1'x8' ventilation opening across the top of the higher wall. I piled leaves around it for some extra insulation.
The short version: it didn't work
The long version: i live in east Texas. My chicks arrived on March 20. I was looking at lows in the high 40s and low 50s and rain/drizzle for their first several days. I read some of the older texts about raising chicks, including the one referenced above and constructed a 2'x2' hover (the recommended dimensions for 50 chicks, which is what I had) and loosely lined the inside with flannel. I filled a plastic gallon jug with boiling water, 1/2 buried it in the deep bedding/sawdust, and covered it with an old t-shirt. I felt like if I had provided a very nice warm, cozy place for them to huddle loosely (i.e. Without suffocating anyone). The chicks never voluntarily went under it. If I forced them under they wandered out. They would huddle two deep against the wall under the nipple waterer and freeze their fuzzy butts off instead. I tried one of those clay pot heaters with tea candles and they would huddle up to that, but only as individuals or groups of 4 or fewer. It did not raise the air temp significantly because the heat all went up and out the ventilation opening. I also tried adding additional hot water bottles, but they preferred to snuggle with live heat sources. I lost several (some pneumonia, some suffocation... I think) before bringing them inside. Then I lost more (too crowded? Previous stress? Suffocation?). I had to put them back outside after a week, and lost several more still, two to something that involved diarrea. I know... I'm a terrible farmer, and I hate that so many chicks died because I didn't manage them well, but you gotta try if you wanna learn... I really wanted to get their bedding composting to warm them from below, but I added too much fresh sawdust. I tried watering it, but I'm afraid that just made it more damp and chili for them. I have more chicks arriving next week and plan to start them inside the first week while I experiment with modifying the hover, insulating the brooder and trying to get the bedding to heat up.

 

[vidariffic]

Old thread but also curious about other ideas. The thoughts from Melal are interesting-Getting birds later and compost piles. I should have thought of both of these in the fall so the
Compost was warm in the greenhouse already.
We are off grid and got the Eco glow thing but it seems to only warm the prepared space 10
Degrees more than ambient- not enough in early Spring in upstate Ny. Days are 40-70(tho rare) and nights are 30's.
Tomorrow I'm going to try a 40waat electric seed heater mat and see if it gets it warmer. I'm worried of putting this under the straw tho bc it will get soaked in poop and pee of birds so just may lay It on top of Eco glo. This means 60w wco glo and 45w mat which is still
Okay for our solar system but getting as high as id like.
Hot water bottles under straw could be good for cold nights. These are only 99 cents and when I put one in my bed at night it often has heat still In the AM.

The other idea I had is to put one of our grown lady ducks in the brooder with them. She will provide warmth and lead by example. What do people think of this idea? Typically I integrate ducks over a few days of smelling and seeing each other but wonder with such tiny ducklings if they may not need that integration. She could hurt them tho...

 

[HI chicks]

I have absolutely no electricity and have been very successful with brooding multiple batches of chicks. The first few I used water heated in a kettle and then poured into glass water bottles. But it didn't last long enough and I would have to get up multiple times in the night to reheat in order to keep the temperature where it needed to be. Now I use two oil lamp in a caged zone in the brooder so nobody can be burnt and they also have another zone so if it's too warm they can be out there. It has worked very well with no casualties.