Two week old Chicks and changes to brooder.

[Mystikal]

Hello. We raised a great group of girls last year and wanted to add some new friends this year. We started them out in last year's setup with the heat lamp but after a week we lost one and noticed that they were avoiding the heat.

So I discovered the chick warmers and bought this brooder kit from Rent a Coop.

So we set it up and allowed to warmer to get up to temperature and put them in the new brooder. I spent some time trying to show them the new feeder and waterer and felt like they all figured it out, but I worry that there's too many changes.

Should I be offering both the old and new feeder/waterer? I also found myself worrying that they were in the dark at night now. I set up a blink camera so I can monitor them and not bother them at night. When they were under the heat lamp they seemed to be active through the night. Now they seem to be resting more, sometimes under the warmer sometimes not.

Any advice on the drastic changes would be appreciated. Maybe I am over thinking.

 

[cmobley]

They’re good they’ll come and go from the heat most of mine sleep on top of the heating plate.

 

[Mystikal]

They’re good they’ll come and go from the heat most of mine sleep on top of the heating plate.

This warmer has the cone so when they try to get up there they slide right off.

 

[K0k0shka]

Chickens need to sleep at night, all night, while it's dark. It's a very good thing that you switched from lamp to plate - you are offering them a more natural life where they can sleep at night like they need to. Them being active at night is not a good thing. So that's a great step! It may take them a while to get used to this new type of heat, but they'll get there. You may need to show them a few times (stuff them under it), if you see them outside of it and chirping. If they are outside of it but quiet, they are probably fine. As for the food and water, if you can see that they are able to eat and drink from the new setup, then they're fine, no need to offer both at the same time. All it takes is for one chick to go ahead and do it, and the rest will copy.

 

[Mystikal]

Chickens need to sleep at night, all night, while it's dark. It's a very good thing that you switched from lamp to plate - you are offering them a more natural life where they can sleep at night like they need to. Them being active at night is not a good thing. So that's a great step! It may take them a while to get used to this new type of heat, but they'll get there. You may need to show them a few times (stuff them under it), if you see them outside of it and chirping. If they are outside of it but quiet, they are probably fine. As for the food and water, if you can see that they are able to eat and drink from the new setup, then they're fine, no need to offer both at the same time. All it takes is for one chick to go ahead and do it, and the rest will copy.

Thank you. I appreciate you taking the time to advise me.

They are pecking at the nipple waterer but I don't see the little cup fill with water and I am not sure if it should. The feeder I have seen them all stick their heads in there but they still peck the ground in front of it as well.

 

[nuthatched]

They'll be fine, it's best that they not have 24/7 light

 

[K0k0shka]

Thank you. I appreciate you taking the time to advise me.

They are pecking at the nipple waterer but I don't see the little cup fill with water and I am not sure if it should. The feeder I have seen them all stick their heads in there but they still peck the ground in front of it as well.

Ah, nipples. Well that changes things a bit. Nipples are tricky and very young chicks are sometimes not strong enough to push the nipple enough to get water out. Some do, but some don't. You may need to wait for them to grow some more before introducing nipples.

 

[Mystikal]

Ah, nipples. Well that changes things a bit. Nipples are tricky and very young chicks are sometimes not strong enough to push the nipple enough to get water out. Some do, but some don't. You may need to wait for them to grow some more before introducing nipples.

Ok thank you very much. I will keep the other waterer in there for now. They just get it so dirty even when it is on a brick.

 

[K0k0shka]

Ok thank you very much. I will keep the other waterer in there for now. They just get it so dirty even when it is on a brick.

Chickens are messy, yeah. Put it on two bricks if you have to. The water level can be as high as beak level when they're standing. They don't need to bend down to drink. The higher it is, the better the chances it will stay clean.

 

[Mystikal]

Chickens are messy, yeah. Put it on two bricks if you have to. The water level can be as high as beak level when they're standing. They don't need to bend down to drink. The higher it is, the better the chances it will stay clean.

This is what my husband put on the waterer. Somehow he used the horizontal nipple and the cup.

You can see it on the right side of the picture.