I am about to share my thoughts. As such I welcome input but let's not have any ruffled feathers 
When I got my first batch of chicks eight years ago I knew nothing. I'm pretty sure I had never even seen a live chicken before. I felt so lost. I had no idea how they moved, what they sounded like, what their moods were. I don't people-ize animals, but they still have all the non verbal cues to communicate that we do.
Lol now to what this thread is about. I always see people freaking out about temperatures, what to feed them, "can I really do this!?" questions.
My thought about care from the begining was "does it make sense"? I mean the whole idea that your whole brooder needs to be a certain temp and be lowered by 5 degrees every week. That's crazy! Chicks running around with mom aren't exactly the same temperature ALL the time. Chicks just need access TO a warm enough area, they are generally smart enough to know where they need to be to be warm enough. Chick behaviour will tell you if you need to raise or lower a lamp. All you need to do is wean them off the heat for when they go outside.
People ask, when can I take them outside, when can I feed them something other then chick food, can I add branches. Well? What do you think? Is it too cold to be outside in shorts? Then it's too cold for them to be outside with out heat. If you think it's warm enough then take them out and watch them like "a mother hen". Same goes for food. Chicks eat all kinds of stuff with momma. So if it's safe for you it's safe for them. Infact it's probably great for them. I feed my chicks leaves, grass, leftovers. It's good for their systems get a head start on the "outside". Just be sensible and don't let them eat too much and get sick. Remember, a brooder can be really boring and all there is to do is eat.
Now some breeds are more fragile then others, some areas are incredibly harsh and need extra precautions, and I'm not trying to bash anyone, but I guess after being the oldest of eight kids and always being a huge animal/plant person I just feel that over shelteredness leads to more likelyhood of weakness AND a lot more heart break. Animals are animals and they are designed to survive heat lamp in the coop in the winter? Great, until power goes out or they even walk outside. They never got used to the cold, animals are great at adapting
When I got my first batch of chicks eight years ago I knew nothing. I'm pretty sure I had never even seen a live chicken before. I felt so lost. I had no idea how they moved, what they sounded like, what their moods were. I don't people-ize animals, but they still have all the non verbal cues to communicate that we do.
Lol now to what this thread is about. I always see people freaking out about temperatures, what to feed them, "can I really do this!?" questions.
My thought about care from the begining was "does it make sense"? I mean the whole idea that your whole brooder needs to be a certain temp and be lowered by 5 degrees every week. That's crazy! Chicks running around with mom aren't exactly the same temperature ALL the time. Chicks just need access TO a warm enough area, they are generally smart enough to know where they need to be to be warm enough. Chick behaviour will tell you if you need to raise or lower a lamp. All you need to do is wean them off the heat for when they go outside.
People ask, when can I take them outside, when can I feed them something other then chick food, can I add branches. Well? What do you think? Is it too cold to be outside in shorts? Then it's too cold for them to be outside with out heat. If you think it's warm enough then take them out and watch them like "a mother hen". Same goes for food. Chicks eat all kinds of stuff with momma. So if it's safe for you it's safe for them. Infact it's probably great for them. I feed my chicks leaves, grass, leftovers. It's good for their systems get a head start on the "outside". Just be sensible and don't let them eat too much and get sick. Remember, a brooder can be really boring and all there is to do is eat.
Now some breeds are more fragile then others, some areas are incredibly harsh and need extra precautions, and I'm not trying to bash anyone, but I guess after being the oldest of eight kids and always being a huge animal/plant person I just feel that over shelteredness leads to more likelyhood of weakness AND a lot more heart break. Animals are animals and they are designed to survive
heat lamp in the coop in the winter? Great, until power goes out or they even walk outside. They never got used to the cold, animals are great at adapting 
