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- #11
WaveyCreekChickens
Crowing
Thank you @aart for pointing out the differences from the two sources. That is odd that they have different dimensions when the picture is exactly the same.
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Thanks so much!How much room do 6-8 chicks take up, until fully feathered?? For reference, here are 6, month-old hybrid marans/barred rock (midnight majesty maran), sitting on a 2x4 (3.5 inch by approx 18 inches). See, they're not fully feathered here, so they probably doubled in size from here before they turned 8 weeks. As pictured, they'd probably fill the space of the 1200 brooder, plus they got bigger than shown here before their necks fully feathered. (yes the far left is a barred rock female, and the far right was a cockerel). FWIW, I'm a coward--I used the brinsea when I had them in the laundry room but used a brooder bulb when I put them outside this time of year, last year, with low temps just below freezing. I'd only suggest having a backup plan and a way to monitor them so you'll know if they need additional heat, or if the heat source fails. That could be fairly inexpensive with a heating pad or hanging bulb if you so chose, or pretty expensive with a brinsea.
View attachment 2917786
Maybe the model I have is available in Canada?? Here's a picture of the control. sorry I no longer have the box or paperwork showing the model number. It doesn't have auto shut-off, maybe that's the issue you're running into up there.Thanks so much!
That gives me a pretty good idea of how much space is needed.
I do have heat lamps, but read the disadvantages of those vs. mama caves or heat plates.
I am having a very hard time finding a heat pad without auto shut off. I found one on amazon.ca (that can’t be shipped to my adress!) that Is $76. Which is why I am exploring the Brinsea route right now.
Along with that disclaimer I mentioned above about ambient temps:
"IMPORTANT: This product is for indoor use only and the room temperature should not drop below 50°F (10°C)."
Thank you so much, @3KillerBs !
I had read your article before and bookmarked it for reference.
It is good to hear different people’s stand on the heat source.
Good to know!The plates must be used above their stated temperature minimum. Otherwise they will not be warm enough for the chicks.
Good point!I'm glad you found it informative.
If you build one yourself though build it full height.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/another-reason-to-build-a-full-height-coop-run.1484191/
Wow...I think you just saved me $50. I was close to buying a small chick brooding plate, but I didn't think about when the chicks get too big for it. Thank you!The heat plates are as bad as the tiny coops at estimating number of birds.
I made my own 12x24 and it just barely covered 16 chicks until they were fully feathered.