putting 3 week old chicks outside?

[GreenLove]

Has anyone put three week old chicks outside when it was 20-30 degrees at night? I have an unfortunate situation (25 chicks have decided to turn canibilistic) and they need a bigger brooder RIGHT NOW! If I put them outside in a horse stall with lots of bedding and a heat lamp, will they be okay? I'm very new at this, and underestimated their rate of growth and never new that they would peck each other to death.

 

[SunkenRoadFarms]

I do brood in our dairy office. It's unheated and not insulated other than the roof (cinder block walls, concrete floor). I use a Brinsea brooder plate normally, but have use heat lamps in the past. The main thing to worry about is drafts.

 

[Old 76 Farm]

I haven't had chicks that young this time of year before but, I would do a test run with the heat lamp in the horse stall & see if you can keep the temp at around 85 degrees before putting them out there. You may need two heat lamps with the size of the stall & the outside temps at 20/30 degrees. Hopefully others will have some ideas for you.

 

[GreenLove]

I do brood in our dairy office. It's unheated and not insulated other than the roof (cinder block walls, concrete floor). I use a Brinsea brooder plate normally, but have use heat lamps in the past. The main thing to worry about is drafts.

Yeah I was thinking about drafts also. I was thinking about putting old sheets or blankets on the stall walls. Thanks for telling me about your experience.

 

[Ridgerunner]

My brooder is in my coop. I’ve put chicks in there straight from the incubator when the temperature outside was below freezing. They don’t care what the temperature is outside, they care about the temperature in the brooder.

I only heat one end of my 3’ x 6’ brooder and let the rest cool off as it will. Some mornings there was ice in the far end but the chicks were not at the far end, they were near the heat. For 25 chicks you need to cover that end so you have a big enough area warm enough and maybe have a couple of lights for heat. You ae trying to create a warm area big enough for them but let them have enough room to get away from the heat if it gets too hot. Maybe try to build a tent in the stall, say 2’ high, and put a light at one end of that to concentrate the heat but give them room to get away from it if it gets too hot.

My current group of 19 chicks are almost 6 weeks old. I turned the heat off when they were five weeks old and the lows were in the 40’s Fahrenheit.


Edited to add; Yes, draft protection is very important, but so is good ventilation up high.. Your sheet idea sounds good. I use plastic sheeting.

 

[GreenLove]

I haven't had chicks that young this time of year before but, I would do a test run with the heat lamp in the horse stall & see if you can keep the temp at around 85 degrees before putting them out there. You may need two heat lamps with the size of the stall & the outside temps at 20/30 degrees. Hopefully others will have some ideas for you.

I haven't had them this young either, and can say that I will NEVER be in this situation again! This day has been horrible! Thank you for your advice!

 

[GreenLove]

My brooder is in my coop. I’ve put chicks in there straight from the incubator when the temperature outside was below freezing. They don’t care what the temperature is outside, they care about the temperature in the brooder.

I only heat one end of my 3’ x 6’ brooder and let the rest cool off as it will. Some mornings there was ice in the far end but the chicks were not at the far end, they were near the heat. For 25 chicks you need to cover that end so you have a big enough area warm enough and maybe have a couple of lights for heat. You ae trying to create a warm area big enough for them but let them have enough room to get away from the heat if it gets too hot. Maybe try to build a tent in the stall, say 2’ high, and put a light at one end of that to concentrate the heat but give them room to get away from it if it gets too hot.

My current group of 19 chicks are almost 6 weeks old. I turned the heat off when they were five weeks old and the lows were in the 40’s Fahrenheit.


Edited to add; Yes, draft protection is very important, but so is good ventilation up high.. Your sheet idea sounds good. I use plastic sheeting.

Great advice and ideas! The problem is, I'm trying to keep them away from each other because they are severely hurting each other. They are in a 4ftx4ft brooder now. I'm not sure if I can get the stall heated up enough in a big enough area to keep them from eating each other. I've just never seen anything like this happen. They were all happy and then 2 hours later blood all over the brooder (I have another thread on the "emergencies" section that talks about what happened). I will try some of your ideas. Thank you!

 

[hmkeea]

Has anyone put three week old chicks outside when it was 20-30 degrees at night?  I have an unfortunate situation (25 chicks have decided to turn canibilistic) and they need a bigger brooder RIGHT NOW!  If I put them outside in a horse stall with lots of bedding and a heat lamp, will they be okay?  I'm very new at this, and underestimated their rate of growth and never new that they would peck each other to death.

I am new to raising chickens too, but I did put mine out at 3 weeks.They've been out for about 2 weeks. Its been cold the last few nights, last night was 16°. I have a couple heat lamps on and they've been just fine.

 

[SunkenRoadFarms]

I would setup more than one light and multiple feeding and watering stations. This way everyone can get what they need without crowding one area.

 

[GreenLove]

I am new to raising chickens too, but I did put mine out at 3 weeks.They've been out for about 2 weeks. Its been cold the last few nights, last night was 16°. I have a couple heat lamps on and they've been just fine.

Good to hear! Thanks for sharing your experience!