Thermometer: best kind? Where did you get yours?

[bawkbawkbawk]

Getting my chicks today, and not sure where to go for a thermometer - want something they won't knock over - do you tape it to the side of your brooder?

 

[lux_interior]

I've never used a thermometer with baby chicks, just a heat lamp..... I go off the chicks reactions to see how the temp is... if they are too cold, they'll all crowd together under the light... if they are too hot, they'll be spread out far away from it. As long as they are all walking around happily, everything is fine and you shouldnt need one. Good luck with your chicks!!

 

[Rolsjo]

I used a thermometer with a wireless sensor from Home Depot. Just put the sensor in the brooder and then put the display wherever you will notice it. We put it directly under the middle of the heat lamp to get the highest temp that the brooder would reach. I only used it for about a week then started going by the way the chicks were acting. Technically, my brooder temp was too low, but the chicks were happier that way. They just didn't go "by the book." So even with a thermometer I found myself checking them constantly and adjusting the lamp during the day as it warmed up outside and lowering it in the evening.

Good luck with your new chicks!

 

[Uzuri]

I might be making a mistake as a newbie, but I've got thermometerless as well. I have a small round outdoors one that I put in to test the temperature before they came, so I had an idea of it being close to right, but sincre we've used it in our refrigerator, I didn't want them squatting on it and ruining it ;D

From what I've seen in my one day of chick-momming, it's really obvious if they're happy with the temperature

 

[PurpleGizmo]

I just raided the kitchen and used our candy thermometer.

The markings went down to 75 degrees and were in five-degree increments. Not very precise, but good enough for ballparking their comfort—along with checking their behavior.

Although I started out laying it in the coop with the protective cover over the glass tube, I later used the clip to hang it from the chicken wire lid. That seemed to work just as well.

 

[ging3rhoffman]

I bought one of those wireless thermometers also. It is really nice to have. You leave one in the brooder and the other half is in your livingroom, office, whereever you like. The left reading shows me the temp in the house and the right side shows me the temp in my brooder. I laid an extra thermo by the digital wireless to check it for accuracy and it was right on.

 

[Peepthis541]

chaneyinstrument.com

I use a 15 dollar digital temp gauge. It has a wireless box that is meant for putting outside and transmitting the outside temp to the main unit, which also reads indoor temp. I put the wireless box in the brooder and have the main unit sitting next to my cpu at my desk. I am pretty happy with it.

Oh, I got it at Harbor Freight.