We live in Phoenix. We lost a chick last night but after spending the day watching the others with Terramycin added to the water I am feeling more optomistic. These new family memebers are being kept in the guest bedroom in a storage type container with wood shavings and a heat lamp. Though this setting will work for the next week or so quickly they will need other arrangements. What I am wondering is since we are in Phoenix and it is warm when can they move to the outdoor chicken coop? We have electricity so I could use the heat lamp but am worried after already losing one that they might not be strong enough. They are currently about 10 days old. Currently, we are having 85 - 90 during the day and low 60's at night. Being a first time chicken owner I did not plan on a Brooder ?? I stupidly thought they could just go to the coop. Thanks, Charlotte Olive's Mom
They can just go into the coop, with a heat lamp of course. My day olds go straight to the coop in thier own pen with a heat lamp 18" from the floor. They snuggle under the lamp when it is cool and run around the rest of the 5x4 space when it is warm. And I am in Canada. Mine are coming Wednesday! I am excited!!
90 - 95 degrees the first week, decreasing by 5 degrees each week. They can go out whenever you can maintain those temps for them outside. Mine have been outside since day one. The first week (in early April) we used both a oil filled heater and their heat lamps to maintain the temp, after that just their heat lamps. Mine will be 4 weeks old this Wednesday and they will be in their permanent coop by the end of this week, or the beginning of next week. I plan to keep their temp. at 75 for another week after that. However, my chicks are extremely large for their age and I'm not sure I'd be so calm about it if they were banties.