Processing Day Support Group ~ HELP us through the Emotions PLEASE!

[Sally Sunshine]

How cool, with my luck my kids or DH would walk on them and crush the little things!! soooo cute they are too that little!

 

[Happy Chooks]

Ok Bee and Happy CHooks how did you accomplish this????? How do you protect those little babies from the elements ie cold??

The coop holds heat really well. I have a large EcoGlow, but have used a heat lamp in the past. The heat lamp is attached at the roof line and shines in one area of the coop. I have an extension cord to the house outdoor plug. If it's 20-30 degrees out, I supplement for the first week with a 100W incandescent light bulb. (in addition to the EcoGlow) The chicks are stronger than people realize. That puts off enough heat that they do not get chilled and end up with pasty butt. After a week, I open up the pop door to the little run and give them access to outside.

Here's the inside, and the little crower I had at one DAY old. In this case I was using the small EcoGlow. (I have the large one for when I hatch a lot of chicks):

 

[fisherlady]

Quote:
Nice set up... and love the little 'crower'!!
I am also of the 'chicks aren't as delicate as you think' group.... with a reasonable heat source available and a safe, draft free environment they seem to thrive even when ambient temps are much lower than you would think they would like. I currently have a group of chicks running around in the main coop and run area with their broody mama, and they have been there since day one (now are 25 days old and well feathered)... temps mostly in the 20s to 30s and they are out and about like it is nothing... just an occasional warm up under mama.
A second pair of broodies with their shared clutch are also in the coop, babies were running around at 32 hrs old for long periods of time with only half their time spent under one of their mamas. Now at 4 days old they run out to greet me and Mindy when we go in the coop and their mamas are following them around!

 

[jajeanpierre]

Nice set up... and love the little 'crower'!!
I am also of the 'chicks aren't as delicate as you think' group.... with a reasonable heat source available and a safe, draft free environment they seem to thrive even when ambient temps are much lower than you would think they would like. I currently have a group of chicks running around in the main coop and run area with their broody mama, and they have been there since day one (now are 25 days old and well feathered)... temps mostly in the 20s to 30s and they are out and about like it is nothing... just an occasional warm up under mama.
A second pair of broodies with their shared clutch are also in the coop, babies were running around at 32 hrs old for long periods of time with only half their time spent under one of their mamas. Now at 4 days old they run out to greet me and Mindy when we go in the coop and their mamas are following them around!

I used an EcoGlow brooder for the first time on this new batch of a dozen Ameraucanas. I, too, was surprised at how little they used the heat source. The only thing I found was that on occasion, especially in the first week, they would get cold and not know how to find their way to heat. I had to herd them under the brooder three or four times, the last time being last week (at 2.5 weeks) when they got wet and chilled. (They had run around in their ff and the water, then went to sleep in a cold wet pile at the far end of the box and got really, really chilled. I think I had the EcoGlow set too close to the bottom, so they found it too hot and didn't want to go under it.) My understanding is that Mama hen will rescue any chilled chicks, so if using a brooder like the Brinsea, you have to be a little vigilant about making sure they find their way to heat if they get chilled. They don't problem solve well when they are already chilled--they just stand their chilled and peeping.

 

[fisherlady]

Quote:
I agree.. they do seem to be the 'wait for rescue' types rather than 'figure it out for ourselves' type!

 

[ronott1]

Quote: Originally Posted by jajeanpierre

I agree.. they do seem to be the 'wait for rescue' types rather than 'figure it out for ourselves' type!

It really depends on the breed. The New Heritage Delaware chicks figured out how to use the eco Glow with no problem

You need to raise the height way before two weeks. I usually have to raise it one setting at 1 week and then at 3 weeks. They often to not need it after 4 weeks but if so the last adjustment is around 5 weeks.

I have 42 chicks keeping warm with an eco glow 20 today. They did fine over night. They are going to their new home today thank goodness. They are cute but that is way too many for me to keep and brood.

 

[jajeanpierre]

It really depends on the breed. The New Heritage Delaware chicks figured out how to use the eco Glow with no problem

You need to raise the height way before two weeks. I usually have to raise it one setting at 1 week and then at 3 weeks. They often to not need it after 4 weeks but if so the last adjustment is around 5 weeks.

I have 42 chicks keeping warm with an eco glow 20 today. They did fine over night. They are going to their new home today thank goodness. They are cute but that is way too many for me to keep and brood.

I had already raised it EcoGlow 20) one level when they got so terribly chilled and wet. They were good about getting under the EcoGlow when they were cold except if they got really chilled, then they just didn't think. I put it to the highest level well before they hit three weeks. I still have all 12 and they are doing really well. I'm hoping my husband can build a pen for them so they can go outside in the steel shed.

 

[ronott1]

I had already raised it EcoGlow 20) one level when they got so terribly chilled and wet. They were good about getting under the EcoGlow when they were cold except if they got really chilled, then they just didn't think. I put it to the highest level well before they hit three weeks. I still have all 12 and they are doing really well. I'm hoping my husband can build a pen for them so they can go outside in the steel shed.

That is great!

I really like the eco glows. The chicks do so much better with them. I bet using an eco glow and separating the feed from the water and feeding morning and night really makes a difference with the Cornish hybrids.

 

[Arielle]

Thank you Bee and Happy CHook!!! I have a good picutre of how to use an existing coop that is completely walled in with acess to electricity. The 3 x 9 structure maybe work well for starting chicks outside!!! Just need to move the ducks . . . . .

 

[Happy Chooks]

Thank you Bee and Happy CHook!!! I have a good picutre of how to use an existing coop that is completely walled in with acess to electricity. The 3 x 9 structure maybe work well for starting chicks outside!!! Just need to move the ducks . . . . .

You're welcome. If you use the EcoGlow outside, the plug does need to be protected from weather. I have it inside the nest box area of my coop. The extension cord feeds into a splitter in the nest box.