Using Sweeter Heater for brooding in coop

[vantain]

So, I’m getting eight new chicks this week, and I plan to brood them in the coop. I bought a 10x40 one, and was told to set it at about 4” above the bedding.

I placed a couple of accurite temperature probes under it, and they were both registering 106 degrees. I raised the heater another inch, and the temps are now measuring in the 90s, about 95 average. I also checked with an infrared thermometer and got similar results.

Would it be better to raise it to 6” above the bedding for the new chicks. And get the temp closer to 90?

Here is the setup. I will be adding a little more bedding, and a short wall to pen them in just a bit more. Their area will be about 3’x4’. The other half of the coop is the two ISA Browns that I have left from my first flock. They will be able to see them, and interact, but they are separated by chicken wire walls.

 

[Kiki]

I don't know what this device is that you bought or how it works but 95 is too hot so do what ever you need to do to get it down to 90.

 

[vantain]

It’s obviously also proportional to the coops inside temperature. It was 52 in the coop when I wrote the post. This morning it was 35 in the coop, and the temperature under the heater was 86.

 

[nikolairapunzel]

Once you get the chicks, you can observe their behavior. If they stay under the heater, the heat is okay. If they hang their heads out and flip down flat they are too warm. If they are too warm, you can raise it. Being outdoors and cool outside, I dont think you'll have any issues.

 

[vantain]

Once you get the chicks, you can observe their behavior. If they stay under the heater, the heat is okay. If they hang their heads out and flip down flat they are too warm. If they are too warm, you can raise it. Being outdoors and cool outside, I dont think you'll have any issues.

Thanks. During the night when it got colder, it was more in the low 90s. It’s 50 outside right now, and coop inside temp is mostly the same. Temperature under the sweeter heater is 100. They will be able to get out from the heat anyway, so hopefully they will be fine. In retrospect, I mainly did the same thing with the heat lamp I used when brooding my original flock two years ago. I raised and lowered the lamp depending on the temps under it. Guess this will be mostly the same , but without the fire hazard.

 

[nikolairapunzel]

Yes, this will be so much easier than the heat lamp! And from my experience I dont worry quite as much as I did with that first flock! No fire hazard to worry about and you arent a first time flock raiser, so you should have a much less worrying time at least that was my experience! I am on my 4th set of chicks over 6-7 years and these were the least stressful. Good luck!

 

[vantain]

So here is the final setup. The space is 4’x4’. Should give eight chicks enough room to party. The front “wall” is 16” high. When they get high enough to clear that, I’ll just remove it, which will give them another 2’ of space, so total of 4’x6’. That is half the current coop. I have two 2 year old ISA Browns occupying the other half. You can see those two, checking out what I’ve been doing to their coop. Can’t wait to see how they respond to the newbies!

 

[nikolairapunzel]

Your setup looks good! I hope your Isa Browns are nicer than mine is! Ours is a crazy chicken. She likes to sit under the log splitter as it is running! Likes to run alongside the lawn mower, etc.. she likes to jump up.and watch from 2 inches away as my husband uses a saw. SHe is very entertaining, but gets into a lot of trouble! She is the only chicken we have ever had that got locked inside a car! She is also the biggest bully we have to our chicks! Her, the RIR and the Amber Sex Link. I call them the bullies. Let me know, if you remember, how yours do with the new chicks!

 

[vantain]

So, tomorrow should be the day to get the new chicks. Been playing around with the height of my sweeter heater. I have a temperature probe under the heater, sitting in the bedding. When it shows “100”, the temperature in the surrounding bedding is between 88.5 and 91 as measured with an infrared thermometer. I think the plastic of the temp probe heats up a traps more heat internally, making it measure a bit high. This is with an ambient temp in the coop of 42.

I hope this all works out. Worrying a little about ambient temp dropping through the night, and the temperature dropping a bit under the heater. The lowest I’ve seen it is about 82 by morning when ambient is around 32.

 

[nikolairapunzel]

Is there a draft? As long as there is no draft I think it will be perfectly fine. Remember the chicks themselves will be warm and snuggle together.
I bought 3 chicks for my 2nd batch a few years ago. They were put under a broody hen at night. The broody kicked 2 from the nest. I woke up to 52 degrees outside and peeping. I ran outside and found the 2 little chicks just shaking with cold. I picked them up and hurried to make a warm spot. The one little chick was shivering so bad it couldn't even stand. I though FOR SURE that it would die! I got them warmed up, rescued the other chick from under the hen and raised then in a heating pad cave. Those 3 chicks are still healthy today and that was 4 or 5 years ago! They are very resilient and stronger than we think!