question

[ronott1]

If you are gong raise chicks a lot, A brooder plate is a good alternative for a heat lamp. They pay for themselves in energy savings

 

[MissChick@dee]

Just remember they cannot regulate their body heat until they get feathers. The LEARNING center on the Home page is a awsome place to start. Just tell them we sent you. They’ll let you sit in the front row!

 

[snow5164]

I use the heat lamp with a safety cage , they’ve been used for hundreds of years.... ( let the bickering begin )
I do have a heating pad but anything over 10 chicks it got too big for my set up.

Read , read and read some more then decide what you want to do , have a game plan ready before you need it.

Plan for the Best, but be prepared for the worst ,

Good luck and
Have Fun

 

[Northern.Ontario]

the end of September I will be getting about 20 meat birds. they will be day old chicks and my plan is to keep them outside in a coop but I don't have electric run to the coop. I know they are supposed to have a heat lamp, do you think they will be ok if they don't have a heat lamp and just extra bedding. temps will still be in the 60's.

DEFINITELY NEED A HEATLAMP or they will die. Their first week it needs to be 95 degrees F, 90F the second week and 85F the third week. By then it's October so I don't know what the temps will be where you live. You may need a heat lamp on until they are feathered.

August/early September is the best time to raise meat birds. The chicks have the warm summer heat to grow and once they reach adulthood, they can enjoy the cooler temps; big Cornish hate the heat.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I have not raised broilers but I've raised a lot of dual purpose chicks in my brooder in the coop. Some in the dead of winter when the outside temps are below freezing and in the middle of summer in a ridiculous heat wave where I turned the daytime heat off at 2 days and the overnight heat off at 5 days. I've also had many broody hens raise chicks with the flock. You can learn a lot watching a broody and her chicks.

Is that 60 degrees your daytime highs or overnight lows? What are your extremes, high and low? I'd need to see the coop and run before I could comment on when to let them into the run. Photos would be nice, including a shot of the pop door. How many chicks are you talking about? What are the sizes of the coop and run in feet or meters?

At 60 degrees they will need a heat source. There are a lot of different ways that you can do that, they all have their benefits, restrictions, and risks. People successfully use heat lamps, incandescent lamps, heat pads, heat plates, emitters, hovers, and other methods to raise chicks outside. Without knowing a lot more about your conditions I will not recommend one above the others.

One of the big issues in brooding outside is the temperature swings. If you are brooding inside a climate controlled area it's pretty easy to manage temperatures but I've had temperatures go from under freezing to the mid 70's F in 36 hours. Your heating system needs to be able to handle the swings you are likely to see.

Watching broody hens raise chicks you quickly realize they do not have to have 90 to 95 the first week with a 5 degree drop per week. That is a very safe guideline that if you can meet that you are absolutely guaranteed they will never be cold, but it is hugely conservative. I do think they need a lot of heat the first two or three days but after that needs change.

You do not need to keep the entire brooder at a perfect temperature. I my opinion, what the chicks need is a place in the brooder where they an go to warm up if they need to. But they also need a cooler place they can go if they get too hot. Too much heat is as big a danger as too little. I find that mine are extremely good at regulating their temperature straight out of the incubator or from the post office if given a chance. The typical behavior with a broody hen is that after the first two or three days the chicks spend a lot of time out from under the broody, pecking at about everything, then they go back under the broody to warm up.

I'll show my brooder so you can kind of see what I'm talking about. It is 3' x 6' with good ventilation. In winter I wrap it with 3 mil plastic to help keep the heat in but there is a chimney to the left with the heat lamp that lets hot air rise. This was in warmer weather when I used the plastic to keep the hens from going under to lay eggs. In winter that far end might have ice in it but the heated end stays toasty. In summer I use low wattage heat lamp bulbs, in winter 250's. Many people would be surprised how much time the chicks spend in the cool end even when it is pretty darn cold.

If you can give us some more information I might suggest how I might go about it, but that would be my opinion and personal preferences. There are plenty of other way that can work.

 

[Kfults]

I used the heat plate, my babies could go under when they needed warmth ( just like having a momma) and come out when they didn’t. They self regulated their needs. No fire hazards!

 

[RUNuts]

My meat birds are coming up on a week old. I have a heating pad, but they sleep in the corner. However, my daytime temps are in the high 90's and cooling down at night into the 80's. Planning on moving them this weekend to the unheated chicken tractor. The little wing feathers are coming in.

So, 60's. You must be north or in the mountains. Best to provide heat for 2-3 weeks? Watch them. If they huddle a lot, warm them up. If they move around and spread out, you are doing fine. If they sprawl on the floor, they are too hot and need to cool a bit. Chickening in a very hands on thing.

Best wishes.