Question on moving 4 week old chicks and heat sources

[annampet]

Hi all.
Our chicks are about 4 weeks old and we need to move them out of their tub in to a larger container. My husband got a water heater box and we're going to set it up in the garage with sand to keep the dust down.
We've weaned the chicks off the heat lamp and have just a Thermo peep heating pad that they sleep on and their wing feathers are coming in nicely along with tail feathers.

Question: I'm in NE MI and it's still in the upper 30's at night here. Our garage is probably around that temp. I'm planning on using a box to set up a make shift "coop" over the heating pad so they can run in and out but I'm concerned that it will be warm enough. Do you think I should set up the heat lamp to hang over the new brooder?

We'll probably need to keep them in the garage until they are fully feathered unless Michigan decided to surprise us with early Spring warm weather.

 

[debid]

Heating pads work better when they can go underneath it but as old as yours are, they don't need as much heat. Mine are sleeping "under the wing" at this point (head out, body under their heating pad hen) in their outdoor brooder.

How many watts is a thermo peep?

 

[annampet]

Heating pads work better when they can go underneath it but as old as yours are, they don't need as much heat. Mine are sleeping "under the wing" at this point (head out, body under their heating pad hen) in their outdoor brooder.

How many watts is a thermo peep?

It's 25 watts.

 

[wyoDreamer]

I brood my chicks out in the barn and at 4 weeks, most of the chicks preffered to sleep on top of the mama heating pad cave. But being outside, they feather very quickly and that may help them.
I would go for it, just check on them to make sure they are warm enough. With the box over the pad, they will have a warm, draft-free place to sleep and they can cuddle together to keep warm to some extent.