Outdoor Brooding - When to put them outside

[LightMadeLiquid]

Hello everyone! I'm getting my very first batch of chicks in a few days. I've had chickens for almost 8 years, but I've never ventured into the world of baby chicks until now. I'm hoping to get some opinions from people with more experience than me.

I will be brooding outdoors in my predator-proof run that I will cover to protect from the elements - I will be using the Mama Heating Pad method. I recently gave my grown, established flock to a friend, so the chicks will not be sharing the space.

I've spent time reading a lot of the Mama Heating Pad threads/comments and other various threads about brooding outdoors and I'm seeing a whole lot of different opinions regarding when to actually put them outdoors.
- "Right away even if there are subzero temperatures. They're tough and they'll tell you what they need."
- "Wait a few days to make sure they're okay."
- "Wait until night-time temps are over a certain benchmark."
- "What are you thinking? They need to be under a heat lamp indoors kept at exactly X temperature!"

I'm inclined to start them outside right off the bat with the heating pad cave, only bringing them indoors or set up my heat lamp outside if they seem too cold. After all, I have never used artificial heat with my started pullets/grown chickens in the past, even when the temperature dove well below zero and they were always totally fine and seemingly unphased. ... but as the delivery date comes closer, I have begun second-guessing my "outside right away" conviction. (Our forecast the week we get the babies expects mostly sunny days in the 50's/60's and nights in the 30's, which isn't too bad, but it's definitely not what I would call "warm".)

So what do you think? When do you put your chicks outdoors with the heating pad/plate? And why then?

 

[JaeG]

If they are being shipped to you it may be best to keep them indoors initially until you know they are all happy and healthy and eating. Shipping is tough on little chicks.

 

[azygous]

We're in the same exact climate zone. Beginning the first of April is when I put baby chicks directly outside in my brooding pen in my run. Unless we get a surprise deep freeze, I would put chicks out right now.

@JaeG has a good point, though. If your chicks are being shipped directly to you, you definitely will need to keep them indoors under observation for a couple of days to spot signs of shipping stress, which can kill if untreated.

Even chicks purchased at a feed store may have been delivered within a few hours prior to your purchasing them. They would then be subject to the same risk of shipping stress. Watch carefully for any chick that is sleepy acting, lying on the floor too long, eyes dull, wings held out to the side away from the body and drooping.

Have warm sugar water and Poultry Nutri-drench handy and ready to treat such chicks. Immediate attention to these symptoms can save a stressed chick.

 

[LightMadeLiquid]

If they are being shipped to you it may be best to keep them indoors initially until you know they are all happy and healthy and eating. Shipping is tough on little chicks.

I'm really coming around to this idea. I think my hesitation to keep them inside for the first couple of days is just knowing that they get stressed out from change, I'd hate to get them all comfy in a bin indoors, then shift their world all over again.

But keeping them inside to observe and make sure they're healthy makes sense to me, for sure!

 

[azygous]

Hatching out on a conveyor belt, unceremoniously snatched, sorted, sexed, and tossed into bins, then again tossed roughly into shipping cartons, jostled and bumped in a truck on the way to the post office for weighing and shipping, jostled and bumped in a rocky ride for several hours or even for a couple of days, depending on distance to the destination, causes so much stress, your gently moving the chicks from indoors to a spacious brooding pen outdoors is not going to amount to a hill of beans for these seasoned travelers.

 

[LightMadeLiquid]

We're in the same exact climate zone. Beginning the first of April is when I put baby chicks directly outside in my brooding pen in my run. Unless we get a surprise deep freeze, I would put chicks out right now.

@JaeG has a good point, though. If your chicks are being shipped directly to you, you definitely will need to keep them indoors under observation for a couple of days to spot signs of shipping stress, which can kill if untreated.

Even chicks purchased at a feed store may have been delivered within a few hours prior to your purchasing them. They would then be subject to the same risk of shipping stress. Watch carefully for any chick that is sleepy acting, lying on the floor too long, eyes dull, wings held out to the side away from the body and drooping.

Have warm sugar water and Poultry Nutri-drench handy and ready to treat such chicks. Immediate attention to these symptoms can save a stressed chick.

In that case, hi hello neighbor! And thank you! Our chicks are actually coming from Cackle and arriving first to a local feed/homesteading store, then I go pick them up and bring them home, so the chances of them being a little freaked out are increased, I think.

 

[NatJ]

I'm inclined to start them outside right off the bat with the heating pad cave, only bringing them indoors or set up my heat lamp outside if they seem too cold. After all, I have never used artificial heat with my started pullets/grown chickens in the past, even when the temperature dove well below zero and they were always totally fine and seemingly unphased. ... but as the delivery date comes closer, I have begun second-guessing my "outside right away" conviction. (Our forecast the week we get the babies expects mostly sunny days in the 50's/60's and nights in the 30's, which isn't too bad, but it's definitely not what I would call "warm".)

I suggest you set up a heat lamp in the outside pen, and measure the temperature over the next few days. That may help you decide

As for indoors vs. out right after shipping: I think you should check on them very frequently for the first few days. That means either brood them indoors, or spend a lot of time outside watching them.

Having read various stories of heating pad and heat plate brooders and shipped chicks, I would recommend a heat LAMP in the first few hours after they arrive. They desperately need to warm up, but they also desperately need to drink and then eat. With a heat lamp, they can do those things all at once. If they arrive in the morning, and have full crops by evening, then you can probably tuck them all under the heating pad to sleep and unplug the lamp for the night. (I've done something like that, only I was tucking them under a broody hen for the night instead of under a heating pad. But I made sure they got warm and had plenty to eat and drink all day, first.)

 

[LightMadeLiquid]

Hatching out on a conveyor belt, unceremoniously snatched, sorted, sexed, and tossed into bins, then again tossed roughly into shipping cartons, jostled and bumped in a truck on the way to the post office for weighing and shipping, jostled and bumped in a rocky ride for several hours or even for a couple of days, depending on distance to the destination, causes so much stress, your gently moving the chicks from indoors to a spacious brooding pen outdoors is not going to amount to a hill of beans for these seasoned travelers.

That's actually a great point. I always feel so bad for them when I think about their first experiences in this world.

 

[LightMadeLiquid]

I suggest you set up a heat lamp in the outside pen, and measure the temperature over the next few days. That may help you decide

As for indoors vs. out right after shipping: I think you should check on them very frequently for the first few days. That means either brood them indoors, or spend a lot of time outside watching them.

Having read various stories of heating pad and heat plate brooders and shipped chicks, I would recommend a heat LAMP in the first few hours after they arrive. They desperately need to warm up, but they also desperately need to drink and then eat. With a heat lamp, they can do those things all at once. If they arrive in the morning, and have full crops by evening, then you can probably tuck them all under the heating pad to sleep and unplug the lamp for the night. (I've done something like that, only I was tucking them under a broody hen for the night instead of under a heating pad. But I made sure they got warm and had plenty to eat an drink all day, first.)

What great suggestions! Thanks so so much!

 

[Silexian]

Hello everyone! I'm getting my very first batch of chicks in a few days. I've had chickens for almost 8 years, but I've never ventured into the world of baby chicks until now. I'm hoping to get some opinions from people with more experience than me.

I will be brooding outdoors in my predator-proof run that I will cover to protect from the elements - I will be using the Mama Heating Pad method. I recently gave my grown, established flock to a friend, so the chicks will not be sharing the space.

I've spent time reading a lot of the Mama Heating Pad threads/comments and other various threads about brooding outdoors and I'm seeing a whole lot of different opinions regarding when to actually put them outdoors.
- "Right away even if there are subzero temperatures. They're tough and they'll tell you what they need."
- "Wait a few days to make sure they're okay."
- "Wait until night-time temps are over a certain benchmark."
- "What are you thinking? They need to be under a heat lamp indoors kept at exactly X temperature!"

I'm inclined to start them outside right off the bat with the heating pad cave, only bringing them indoors or set up my heat lamp outside if they seem too cold. After all, I have never used artificial heat with my started pullets/grown chickens in the past, even when the temperature dove well below zero and they were always totally fine and seemingly unphased. ... but as the delivery date comes closer, I have begun second-guessing my "outside right away" conviction. (Our forecast the week we get the babies expects mostly sunny days in the 50's/60's and nights in the 30's, which isn't too bad, but it's definitely not what I would call "warm".)

So what do you think? When do you put your chicks outdoors with the heating pad/plate? And why then?