Warming up my cold chicks

[SknyCkn]

Help I need some advice. First time chicken owner & I have 25 8 week old chickens. I had to move them outside about 2 weeks ago. They are in a wood & tin shed with 8 packages of pine shavings on the ground. I have 2 250 watt heat lamps hanging over their roost. They have been fine with temps down around 32F. However, freak cold front coming through & going down to 17F what should I do to help??

 

[TheAlrightyGina]

They're fully feathered, right? They should be fine. Just make sure you give them food and unfrozen water, as they might not want to go outside. I know mine are all staying in the coop right now.

 

[Mellowmalt]

500 watts is some serious heat. Can you not stick a big carboard box around the lamps with a little door so the heat stays contained in the box?
I'd be surprised if those lamps cannot keep them warm.

Heat is not just about providing heat, it is about containing heat. 500 watt lamps use approx $500 to run in a year so you might think, I don't need a $1 box or $20 insulation boards, I've got 2 heat lamps but .... long term it works out cheaper to get the insulation and only use one bulb instead.

Just a thought.

 

[JustAChickenLoverOverHere]

They're fully feathered, right? They should be fine. Just make sure you give them food and unfrozen water, as they might not want to go outside. I know mine are all staying in the coop right now.

x2

500 watts is some serious heat. Can you not stick a big carboard box around the lamps with a little door so the heat stays contained in the box?
I'd be surprised if those lamps cannot keep them warm.

Heat is not just about providing heat, it is about containing heat. 500 watt lamps use approx $500 to run in a year so you might think, I don't need a $1 box or $20 insulation boards, I've got 2 heat lamps but .... long term it works out cheaper to get the insulation and only use one bulb instead.

Just a thought.

and x2

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Help I need some advice. First time chicken owner & I have 25 8 week old chickens. I had to move them outside about 2 weeks ago.

Hi there and welcome to BYC!

25 birds put out enough heat to be shipped in cold temps with NO supplement as new hatchlings. Now that they are all sporting down jackets.. NOT a single one of them needs a heat lamp.. it's an energy sucking fire hazard that might even be disrupting sleep patterns and increase pecking antics/boredom... DITCH them both!

The shaving and body warmth sound super cozy.. Ventilation is more important.. they will snuggle to stay warm. Standard chick feed and NOT scratch/corn is best to "keep them warm".

You've got this! A little too well.

ong term it works out cheaper to get the insulation and only use one bulb instead.

Containment yes! Insulation, NO. Adequate ventilation negates any insulation.. but definitely need correct containment. direction, and draft protection.. it's a radiant thing more than an ambient thing seems the best way I can currently describe.

 

[Mellowmalt]

well we will have to agree to disagree. You are right that ventilation is vital and yes a gap in the coop will lose most the heat as a result but it still is better than none. Chickens produce a lot of heat themselves, they are like a little heat lamp each, so 25 of them huddled together produce a lot of heat. If they are sitting on something insulated even if the coop is highly ventilated it will still benefit them. Like you rightly point out, it's a radiant thing, not an ambient temperature thing (as ambient temps will stay low as a result of ventilation)

edit:
the best comparison I have is a blanket. My bedroom at the moment is at 13 degrees C - far too cold for me to sleep in without a blanket. But with a blanket containing the heat I produce I sleep just fine.

 

[SknyCkn]

Thank you all! I am a “Mother Hen” when it comes to my babies! Lol I was worried enough that I thought about bringing them back into my spare room but whew they are flying around down there & act fine so far. I keep 3.5 gallons of chick starter in the feeder at all times & the same with the water. Here is a picture from a week ago.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

edit:
the best comparison I have is a blanket. My bedroom at the moment is at 13 degrees C - far too cold for me to sleep in without a blanket. But with a blanket containing the heat I produce I sleep just fine.

Your blanket is their feathers already on their body at the stated age for THIS thread.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Here is a picture from a week ago.

Couple handsome fellas in that cute little mix there!

 

[SknyCkn]

Thank you so much!! Yes they are a kinda strange mix. My sons eggs when he had a Barred Rock Rooster. The hens that had the eggs are spotted Sussex, Barred Rock, Bantam and 1 sex linked hen. We hatched 25 eggs & I have I think 8 Roosters & 17 hens! I am so attached to them already!! Lol