Raising chicks in an outdoor brooder

[McChooky]

I keep day old baby chicks in the house for a week before putting them outside in a brooder. I use 2 black ceramic heat emitters in case one fails so the chicks still have heat.
The temperature here can drop below zero in the winter.

 

[McChooky]

Edit: Their feathers should keep them warm as long as you raise cold tolerant breeds in WV but day old chicks need to be raised indoors the first week because they have no body fat to insulate them.

 

[NatJ]

day old chicks need to be raised indoors the first week because they have no body fat to insulate them.

I agree that they need warmth, and protection from rain, wind, etc.

But that does not always mean keeping them inside a human house. They can also be in a basement, garage, barn, chicken coop, etc-- anything that provides the conditions they need. (I have a personal dislike of chicks in my living space, so I have brooded them in quite a few alternative locations over the years.)

 

[McChooky]

I agree that they need warmth, and protection from rain, wind, etc.

But that does not always mean keeping them inside a human house. They can also be in a basement, garage, barn, chicken coop, etc-- anything that provides the conditions they need. (I have a personal dislike of chicks in my living space, so I have brooded them in quite a few alternative locations over the years.)

I don't know of any brooder plate designed to keep day old chicks 90-95 degrees if the outside temperature is below zero.

 

[McChooky]

To be safe I would check with where you are buying the chicks to see if its safe to use a brooder plate the 1st week outdoors .That way if you suffer any losses after arrival they'll issue a refund or credit.I hope this helps! Its dropping down in the teens here this week

 

[NatJ]

I don't know of any brooder plate designed to keep day old chicks 90-95 degrees if the outside temperature is below zero.

I don't know of any such brooder plate either.

That would be why I prefer heat lamps instead of a brooder plate, while you choose to bring the chicks into your house, and @3KillerBs used a heat lamp to warm the outside brooder enough to use a brooder plate-- three different ways to provide the right temperature for the chicks, even when the outdoor air is very cold.

Testing before the chicks arrive, with a thermometer, is the best way I know to check any specific combination of housing and heat source in various weather conditions.

 

[NatJ]

To be safe I would check with where you are buying the chicks to see if its safe to use a brooder plate the 1st week outdoors .That way if you suffer any losses after arrival they'll issue a refund or credit.I hope this helps! Its dropping down in the teens here this week

Yes, definitely check that.

Hatcheries have a wide range, from ones that recommend heat plates to ones that will not refund if the chicks die when a customer is using a heat plate (even indoors!) And the policies can change from one year to another, so re-checking each year is also a good idea.

Of course any hatchery should refund if chicks arrive dead, so this would only apply to chicks that arrive alive but die in the first few hours or days.

 

[McChooky]

Edit:

I made a 4 x 4 coop for broody hens to raise their own chicks but can't use it myself to raise chicks. Its too low to the floor to add a heater and my heating pad didn't keep them warm enough.I used an XLarge dog crate instead.

 

[Butchers Wife]

We really don’t want to raise chicks inside but it’s not all the way ruled out. We are getting chicks in late January and we want to keep them outside. I have raised chicks before, but only in warmer weather. So some background info- I live in WV and our winters very every year. But normally in the 30s and 40s, but every now and then can go in the 20s but normally it’s only that cold at night. . And our brooder is like a coop but just more of a brooder size if that makes sense. It is 4.5 ft by 6 ft. And the brooder has a run attached.

So I am wondering if anyone has any info to help. Sorry if this sounds stupid. I just need to know if I can raise the chicks outside in the colder months? Or should I just keep them in an indoor brooder? And if I raise them outside in the colder months , what should I do to make it safe ( warm )?

And help is much appreciated .

I would do it. We have one outdoor brooder that's just a plywood box 2 feet wide by 5 feet long by 3 feet high. It has a plywood floor. The entire lid is hinged and opens fully for cleaning. There's an attached outdoor run of the same dimensions, covered in 1/2-inch hardware cloth, including the floor. The run has a split hinged lid to limit escapees. We cut a little doorway between the run and the box and fashioned a little sliding door that we close at night. We hang a brooder lamp in one corner of the box, farthest from the doorway. An outdoor extension cord is run from the house to inside the box. We never use bedding in the box (but wish we'd made it a little taller), hang the lamp securely, keep the entire cord lashed to the brooder box lid, keep food and water at the opposite end, move those outside as soon as possible and leave the lamp on 24/7. We cover the entire box with a waterproof tarp, but not the run. We never keep chicks under a brooder past the first 24 hours, we allow them to come and go as they please as soon as possible. If it's in the 20's, I'll use a hotter bulb or a second heat lamp. We've been brooding chicks entirely outdoors in southeast Pennsylvania zone 6 for years, usually beginning in March which is often cold, wet, blustery, and dreary.