Raising chicks for the first time...

[Pequena Bandada]

Make sure the heat lamp you get has a ceramic base (if not it will melt if you leave it on 24/7 no matter what it's rated for) and a red bulb. The white bulb will encourage picking and other antisocial behaviors. Put a thick layer of shavings down on the floor of your plastic tote - and make sure you have a sturdy cover to keep the heat in. We used reflective insulation taped to the inside top of the plastic tote when we needed to move our 4 week old babies out to the coop.

 

[Judy]

I'm sure they will be fine. It gets into the 20's during the winter here, and the old timers would just hang a 100 watt bulb and stick them in a box.
That 95 degrees for the first weeks then drop the temp, commonly recommended, is, in my opinion, too warm. When I brooded baby chicks I could not keep it that warm. My month old chicks have been running around their coop with no heat since they were a week old with daytime highs in the 40's. They have a mama, yes, but they are out from under her a LOT of the time.


Watch them and go by that. If they are too cold they will not snuggle; rather, they will pile on top of one another, suffocating the ones on the bottom of the pile. If they are running around or just snuggling up to one another, they are fine.

 

[Jacklynn]

Quote:
Awesome :O Will cochins and other broody breeds raise chicks in the winter ?

I have my mom convinced to let me keep the chicks in the house !

It's a miracle !

 

[Judy]

Quote:
Yes, they'll raise chicks in the winter -- if they truly go broody. You never know how many good broodies you're going to get, though, no matter how broody a breed you have. Australorps are supposed to be excellent brooders and Orpingtons good or frequent brooders; I've had several and only had one go broody -- and she killed her chicks as they hatched, as a 2+ year old, not an immature broody. You'll probably get a good mama if you have a few Cochins -- but you might not.

I won't raise chicks in the house again. I believe I'd let the mama raise the chicks in the coop in Canada, as well. They'd just spend more time under her than they do here, for a few weeks anyway.