Train your chicks to a dog crate.

[Mrs. K]

I worry about a heat lamp all night and a fire. So when I have chicks, I have a heat lamp covering a small area in the brooder where chicks can warm up if needed. At night, I turn the heat lamp off, and inside a bedded dog crate, I have a wooly mamma - just thick wool insulation on the inside of half a box, covered with a tied on dishtowel.

Chicks produce a lot of heat, really what the broody mama does, once they hatch, is insulation to capture their heat, as her own heat mostly rises up. I do this from the get go. And with in 3 days, as soon as I shut off the heat lamp, they are headed to their 'coop'.

This makes managing them in the coop a breeze. I have a safety zone for the chicks, that the dog crate faces into. At night, they just go back to the dog crate. I pop the crate in the coop, easy peasy. Morning, back to the run and safety zone. Once I see them out with the layers. I will just leave the crate in the coop.

Just another way of doing things.

Mrs K

 

[janiedoe]

I worry about a heat lamp all night and a fire. So when I have chicks, I have a heat lamp covering a small area in the brooder where chicks can warm up if needed. At night, I turn the heat lamp off, and inside a bedded dog crate, I have a wooly mamma - just thick wool insulation on the inside of half a box, covered with a tied on dishtowel.

Chicks produce a lot of heat, really what the broody mama does, once they hatch, is insulation to capture their heat, as her own heat mostly rises up. I do this from the get go. And with in 3 days, as soon as I shut off the heat lamp, they are headed to their 'coop'.

This makes managing them in the coop a breeze. I have a safety zone for the chicks, that the dog crate faces into. At night, they just go back to the dog crate. I pop the crate in the coop, easy peasy. Morning, back to the run and safety zone. Once I see them out with the layers. I will just leave the crate in the coop.

Just another way of doing things.

Mrs K

Have you considered making this an article?

 

[Mrs. K]

Thank you - what a lovely compliment. No I have not thought about an article, not quite sure how that is set up.

 

[Henschickspups]

I'm having some trouble visualizing the wool insulation - like pieces of a fleece? A sweater? Blanket?

I love the idea though, and like you, heat lamps make me nervous. Especially if they're in a spot where I won't know if there's a problem until it's a BIG problem.

 

[David61]

I have a small flock. The few chicks i brood are in a dog crate next to my chair in the house so the dog and i imprint. a wool hot box sounds interesting ;