Power went out & these were my emergency brooders - Pics

[Sherriekim]

The power went out early this morning and I have month old chicks in a brooder in the garage and three day old chicks in a brooder in the house.

This was the best idea I could come up with considering what I had available.

The newly hatched -

The older chicks -

There's all kind of reasons why this wouldn't be a good idea for a long period of time. Number one been, these were all scented candles and all were a different scent. If the cold didn't get them, the smell would! I'm not kidding, either. I know scented candles will kill parrot and I have a headache, but it got us by for a few hours. (Note to self... buy unscented candles, prefarably soy with cloth wicks) Really made me appreciate what some of our members have gone through this winter with the power off for days at a time. I was just thankful I didn't have eggs in the incubator yet. Jody'e eggs should be here today or tomorrow. Yea!!

 

[Crazy4Chicks]

well first of all I have to say AWWWW what cute babies---
and what a smart idea you had to keep them warm ---
how are they doing now? what kind are they?

Good luck with your hatch

Julie

 

[Sherriekim]

Thanks, Julie! The older chicks that you can see in the picture are Silkies and Mille Fleur D'Uccle's. The little guys are two Serama chicks and three gold-sex links. Everybody is doing fine and back in their own brooders.

 

[speckledhen]

Good quick thinking! Another idea would be to have a bunch of those instant handwarmer things or even those wraps for your back that heat up for eight hours.

 

[LoneCowboy]

Well I have the best solution of all.... I have a generator.

I know, not everybody has those. I think the hand warmer is a great idea.

 

[speckledhen]

I have a generator, too, but at the cost of gasoline and the noise is makes, I might try the handwarmer things first, LOL.

 

[BlueMoon]

Hot water bottles, if you had a gas stove and could heat up water, might do they trick too? Good thinking about the candles - they making the cutest candle ring ever!

 

[HenHaven]

You are very clever and resourceful!!!

Two years ago, I got my first chicks. We had a snowstorm that knocked out the power for about 12 hours. The chicks were only a few days old, and I was not very chicken savvy. We put 7 chicks in a very small cardboard box with a flashlight turned on, then covered the whole thing up with blankets. When we checked on them in the morning, they were all huddled around the end of the flashlight. They all made it.

When I hatch eggs this spring, I will definitely get some handwarmers, just in case. So glad your babies are OK!

 

[Sherriekim]

Hey, I like the candle ring comment. I think I will try it for Christmas dinner just to see the look on my mom's face.

What?!?! You have chickens in the house, in the kitchen, on the table?!?!?! She's a very non-chicken person. If she saw that picture, she would insist I throw out the tub they are in and burn the table. Hummn, if I show her the picture of the chicks in the oven, I may never have to host a family dinner at my house again.

I thought of the handwarmers, too, but they are with the camping gear in the garage. I never could have found them in time. I just can't seem to plan for emergency's. The only other idea I had was to start the car and plug the heating pad into the 12-volt adapter "thingy" if the candles didn't do the trick.

 

[tazcat70]

My daughter would have tucked them all in her shirt and walked around with them all day.

We warn our friends with pets that she is an Elmyra!

She is quite young and obsessed with animals and cute things, usually causing great discomfort or serious injury to potential pets from her overenthusiastic affection.

Elmyra hunts them to love and baby them to death (sometimes literally) often diapering the animals.

Tonya​