Newbie here. I'm in central Florida so not many freezing nights lol.
I've been raising 11 chicks in an inside brooder. Plastic tub with pine shavings and a heat plate. My chicks are two weeks old and can hop/fly up a few inches (they started "roosting" on top so I covered it with a towel). I have since provided them with roosts via dowels and they love them.
They have most of their wing feathers and are sprouting tail feathers.
The problem is they are getting bigger and my wife wants her bay window back lol.
I have constructed a large outside brooder. It has a hardware cloth floor with some boards for support. It is made for plenty of air exchange but not drafty. It is large enough to place my current brooder inside of it.
Let me explain my set up. My outside chicken area is approximately 50' x 25'. Fenced and keeps them contained while they forage. Inside of that is a 6.5'T x 9'W x 18'L wire run. It is steel framed and I have it mounted on PT 2x8's with a completely sealed wire floor (no digging in or out). I have this run covered in a heavy-duty tarp to eliminate rain inside/provide shade. My henhouses are outside of this run, however the chickens access them from inside the run (also sealed so predators can't get to them). I have Run Chicken auto doors on both henhouses. I also close the gate to the run at night to keep predators out of there.
I have my large brooder inside of the run. My idea was the mature chickens would be able to see, smell and interact with the littles but not have access to them. I am putting a top on the large brooder tomorrow and I think I'd like to move them outside to it.
I was thinking to make an opening in my plastic brooder, put it inside the large brooder and let them access that in the evening for roosting (mimicking the transition from run to roost like the matures).
My main question is temp. Right now I have a large (12" x 18.5") brooder plate from Producers Pride that has worked out awesome. I suspend it with chains like this pic:
but it also has legs for vertical applications. I just raised it as they got taller.
I also have two regular red-bulb lamps I can clamp and use.
Right now our temps are calling for Highs in the mid 80s and 90s during the day with lows in the upper 50s-60s for the next two weeks or so.
If I continue to use the heat plate and augment with a lamp if the temp dips, will that be sufficient?
I had an original batch of 15 but lost 4 due to shipping/weather delays, but I'm really digging these chicks (8 Calico Princess and 3 Sapphire Olive Eggers) and I want to make sure they're safe.
Like I said, they will be "outside" of my house, but under a roof and not exposed to wind/drafts.
I'm open to all opinions/suggestion!
Thank you!
Bonus pic of them on their roosts:
I've been raising 11 chicks in an inside brooder. Plastic tub with pine shavings and a heat plate. My chicks are two weeks old and can hop/fly up a few inches (they started "roosting" on top so I covered it with a towel). I have since provided them with roosts via dowels and they love them.
They have most of their wing feathers and are sprouting tail feathers.
The problem is they are getting bigger and my wife wants her bay window back lol.
I have constructed a large outside brooder. It has a hardware cloth floor with some boards for support. It is made for plenty of air exchange but not drafty. It is large enough to place my current brooder inside of it.
Let me explain my set up. My outside chicken area is approximately 50' x 25'. Fenced and keeps them contained while they forage. Inside of that is a 6.5'T x 9'W x 18'L wire run. It is steel framed and I have it mounted on PT 2x8's with a completely sealed wire floor (no digging in or out). I have this run covered in a heavy-duty tarp to eliminate rain inside/provide shade. My henhouses are outside of this run, however the chickens access them from inside the run (also sealed so predators can't get to them). I have Run Chicken auto doors on both henhouses. I also close the gate to the run at night to keep predators out of there.
I have my large brooder inside of the run. My idea was the mature chickens would be able to see, smell and interact with the littles but not have access to them. I am putting a top on the large brooder tomorrow and I think I'd like to move them outside to it.
I was thinking to make an opening in my plastic brooder, put it inside the large brooder and let them access that in the evening for roosting (mimicking the transition from run to roost like the matures).
My main question is temp. Right now I have a large (12" x 18.5") brooder plate from Producers Pride that has worked out awesome. I suspend it with chains like this pic:
but it also has legs for vertical applications. I just raised it as they got taller.
I also have two regular red-bulb lamps I can clamp and use.
Right now our temps are calling for Highs in the mid 80s and 90s during the day with lows in the upper 50s-60s for the next two weeks or so.
If I continue to use the heat plate and augment with a lamp if the temp dips, will that be sufficient?
I had an original batch of 15 but lost 4 due to shipping/weather delays, but I'm really digging these chicks (8 Calico Princess and 3 Sapphire Olive Eggers) and I want to make sure they're safe.
Like I said, they will be "outside" of my house, but under a roof and not exposed to wind/drafts.
I'm open to all opinions/suggestion!
Thank you!
Bonus pic of them on their roosts: