Raising chicks without electricity

[chickenchicklady]

Hi! I apologize in advance for the lengthy question! I’ve been searching for a post that already answered my question, and while I found useful info regarding this topic, I didn’t find exactly what I was looking for. My situation is kinda different. I was wondering If I put a couple 5 gallon buckets of hot water in the brooder ( with something around the buckets to prevent them from getting burned) do you think it’d stay warm enough during the night to not have to reheat the water at all? I would replace it in the morning with fresh hot water Three sides of the Brooder would have thick walls of straw/hay around it so it would be insulated somewhat. My problem is that they would be on property away from our home and we don’t have access to electricity not would I be able to change the water through out the night. They’re about a month old right now. They are in my garage at the moment, however, we Have a bit of a dilemma and aren’t going to be able to keep them in there for much longer. It still gets about 40° at night time, and about high 50s to low 70s during the day Outside.

I was reading somewhere that they did 1 gallon jugs of hot water and only switched it out every 4 to 6 hours throughout the night In lower temperatures (think teens, low twenties). I figure the more water there is, the longer it would take to get cold. I could also use some of that metallic bubble wrap insulation to kind of make a cave so that it would reflect the heat back to the chicks. And obviously it would be free of drafts and predator proof, etc. I’m down at the property for a few hours a day (few hours in morning/afternoon and for a little bit in the evening), so I’d be able to check on them through out the day. If I must, my friend is willing to have them sent to her house (they have stalls and electricity where they raise their babies) but I’d prefer to keep them where my garden and other chickens are since she lives a ways away. But if it’s necessary, I’ll send them there. Please keep it kind. I’m doing my best with what information I have. Thanks

 

[Rose Quartz]

at about 4 weeks, they should be mostly feathered. How used to normal temperatures are they?

By around 6 hours the temperature will likely drop low enough to not really alter the ambient temperature. But if you aren't sure you can do a test run with the jugs of water and a thermometer. By 2 months they should easily be able to live at the same temps as your adult chickens.

 

[azygous]

Four-week old chicks are mostly feathered out and do not need heat during the day, and during the night, if well fed before night fall, they may be able to generate enough body heat from calories to keep each other warm under the right preparations.

The number of chicks is crucial. How many do you have?

How protected from wind and weather is the coop or shed? What is the lowest temp you would need to deal with?

Have you heard of a wool hen? It's a box big enough to comfortably hold all the chicks without over crowding, but small enough so their body heat doesn't get wasted inside of a too large space. Wool blanket or polartec fleece strips hang down from the roof of the box to further hold the body heat the chicks generate.

The principle is that no fuel other than calories the chicks have ingested are necessary to heat the chicks, and very little of the heat generated is lost, so they all stay warm all night. There are several threads here you can search to see how to make one.

The problem with using big buckets of hot water is that it may be much to hot for the chicks at first, and much too cool for them as the water cools, resulting in a dangerous temperature spread.

 

[chickenchicklady]

I have 11.. It would be a makeshift brooder/coop surrounded by hay/straw (I was thinking I’d just use a dog house made from wood with the top on hinges so I’m able to open it up) inside of a three sided shed. It would be difficult for the wind to get to them. I’ll check those wool hens out though! That could be an option!! I think the lowest temp would be 36 at night next week. And then I’d have a predator proof run that they could venture out into during the day.

 

[azygous]

Eleven chicks would generate enough heat inside a wool hen to stay warm down to the low 30s.

The wool hen is easy to make. You could throw a wool blanket over the top of the box to further insure no heat would be lost.

 

[chickenchicklady]

Ok! Great! Thank you so much!

 

[chickenchicklady]

How big would you suggest?

big enough to comfortably hold all the chicks without over crowding, but small enough so their body heat doesn't get wasted inside of a too large space.

 

[azygous]

You're a better judge, having your chicks there where you can measure the approximate footprint each chick body occupies. But I would say 16 square inches per chick (4" x 4") which would be a box 176 square inches. A box approximately 16" x 12" and at least 10" deep would do.

 

[chickenchicklady]

Thanks! I’m going to get started on it tomorrow. I’ll start a new post to show how I did it and make sure I did it right