Temperature query

[Chuckkeeper]

Hi
I have a brooder cage with a heat brooder in. There are seven chicks. One is 2w old and 6 are 4/5w old. When can I move the entire brooder - including heat - into my external garage? There is no draft but it does reach external temperatures, so at least as low as 5 degree C, possibly lower

Thanks

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hi
I have a brooder cage with a heat brooder in. There are seven chicks. One is 2w old and 6 are 4/5w old. When can I move the entire brooder - including heat - into my external garage? There is no draft but it does reach external temperatures, so at least as low as 5 degree C, possibly lower

Thanks

Can you post some photos?
Heat brooder-is that a heat plate?

5C is 41F, so if they have a heat source and are protected from the elements, to me they should be fine.
I've had chicks outside with a heating pad when nighttime temps were in the 20's (F)

 

[Ridgerunner]

This is my brooder built into my coop. I've put chicks straight from the incubator into it when the outside temperatures were below freezing. I use a heat lamp, not a heat plate. When it's that cold the plastic goes all the way to the top of the sides but that "chimney" where the heat lamp is still gives good ventilation. The side with the heat lamp stays toasty but sometimes I find ice in the far end.

A broody hen can raise chicks when the temperature is below freezing. Even very young chicks can spend a surprising amount of time in the cold, just going under Mama when they need to warm up. That's the type of environment I try to provide. An area warm enough that they can go to when they need to warm up but also an area cool enough if they need to escape the heat.

Your heat plate should provide that warm spot like a broody hen does, provided they can all fit. I've seen posts on here where people use heat plates outside in cold weather.

Your older chicks aren't that far from not needing any supplemental heat. I've had 5-1/2-week-old chicks go through nights with temperatures a little below freezing with no heat provided, colder than what you are facing. Exposing them to those cold temperatures helps acclimatize them and I think helps speed up feathering out.

If it were me I'd move them out. Don't be surprised if they don't use the heat plate as much as you think they should.

 

[Chuckkeeper]

This is my brooder built into my coop. I've put chicks straight from the incubator into it when the outside temperatures were below freezing. I use a heat lamp, not a heat plate. When it's that cold the plastic goes all the way to the top of the sides but that "chimney" where the heat lamp is still gives good ventilation. The side with the heat lamp stays toasty but sometimes I find ice in the far end.

A broody hen can raise chicks when the temperature is below freezing. Even very young chicks can spend a surprising amount of time in the cold, just going under Mama when they need to warm up. That's the type of environment I try to provide. An area warm enough that they can go to when they need to warm up but also an area cool enough if they need to escape the heat.

View attachment 2408770

Your heat plate should provide that warm spot like a broody hen does, provided they can all fit. I've seen posts on here where people use heat plates outside in cold weather.

Your older chicks aren't that far from not needing any supplemental heat. I've had 5-1/2-week-old chicks go through nights with temperatures a little below freezing with no heat provided, colder than what you are facing. Exposing them to those cold temperatures helps acclimatize them and I think helps speed up feathering out.

If it were me I'd move them out. Don't be surprised if they don't use the heat plate as much as you think they should.

Thank you both so much. My set up is rather like this one: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/yorkshire-coops-guinea-cage-brooder.67499/

The cage has high sides so ventilation is at the top rather than through the sides, and the Brinsea inside is the same model as mine

Can you post some photos?
Heat brooder-is that a heat plate?

5C is 41F, so if they have a heat source and are protected from the elements, to me they should be fine.
I've had chicks outside with a heating pad when nighttime temps were in the 20's (F)

This is my brooder built into my coop. I've put chicks straight from the incubator into it when the outside temperatures were below freezing. I use a heat lamp, not a heat plate. When it's that cold the plastic goes all the way to the top of the sides but that "chimney" where the heat lamp is still gives good ventilation. The side with the heat lamp stays toasty but sometimes I find ice in the far end.

A broody hen can raise chicks when the temperature is below freezing. Even very young chicks can spend a surprising amount of time in the cold, just going under Mama when they need to warm up. That's the type of environment I try to provide. An area warm enough that they can go to when they need to warm up but also an area cool enough if they need to escape the heat.

View attachment 2408770

Your heat plate should provide that warm spot like a broody hen does, provided they can all fit. I've seen posts on here where people use heat plates outside in cold weather.

Your older chicks aren't that far from not needing any supplemental heat. I've had 5-1/2-week-old chicks go through nights with temperatures a little below freezing with no heat provided, colder than what you are facing. Exposing them to those cold temperatures helps acclimatize them and I think helps speed up feathering out.

If it were me I'd move them out. Don't be surprised if they don't use the heat plate as much as you think they should.

 

[Chuckkeeper]

This is my brooder built into my coop. I've put chicks straight from the incubator into it when the outside temperatures were below freezing. I use a heat lamp, not a heat plate. When it's that cold the plastic goes all the way to the top of the sides but that "chimney" where the heat lamp is still gives good ventilation. The side with the heat lamp stays toasty but sometimes I find ice in the far end.

A broody hen can raise chicks when the temperature is below freezing. Even very young chicks can spend a surprising amount of time in the cold, just going under Mama when they need to warm up. That's the type of environment I try to provide. An area warm enough that they can go to when they need to warm up but also an area cool enough if they need to escape the heat.

View attachment 2408770

Your heat plate should provide that warm spot like a broody hen does, provided they can all fit. I've seen posts on here where people use heat plates outside in cold weather.

Your older chicks aren't that far from not needing any supplemental heat. I've had 5-1/2-week-old chicks go through nights with temperatures a little below freezing with no heat provided, colder than what you are facing. Exposing them to those cold temperatures helps acclimatize them and I think helps speed up feathering out.

If it were me I'd move them out. Don't be surprised if they don't use the heat plate as much as you think they should.

I can't get a heat source to my outside coops, so I'll transition the older ones in to the garage for a couple of weeks until they are 5-6 weeks old, then move them out. I was so worried about killing them!