Warming up my cold chicks

[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.

Ok I went out to the coop & took some old quilts & nailed then across the drafty side & right away you could tell a big difference! Thanks again for all your help!! You guys & gals ROCK!!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

At 8 weeks, they don't need those heat lamps. Perhaps a 75 or 125 watt ceramic emitter but 500 watts is way overkill. That would even be hot for day old chicks. Plus, those heat lamps won't allow the chickens a daily dark period. Being under 24 hours of continuous light after they are 3 days old makes them a little crazy and it can alter the shape of their eyes.

 

[Ryguy3684]

As others stated, at 8 weeks, they'll be fine with no supplemental heat. I was nervous about cold days too when I first started. If you want to rest easy, slide your fingers, up under their feathers and down. Within a few seconds your hand will be sweating. I was amazed at the heat they retain when I did this. Mine are actually more comfortable under 40 degrees. Good luck.

 

[SknyCkn]

At 8 weeks, they don't need those heat lamps. Perhaps a 75 or 125 watt ceramic emitter but 500 watts is way overkill. That would even be hot for day old chicks. Plus, those heat lamps won't allow the chickens a daily dark period. Being under 24 hours of continuous light after they are 3 days old makes them a little crazy and it can alter the shape of their eyes.

Are you really serious? I haven’t read anything about it making them crazy or effecting their eyes. I’m not sure you realize how big of a shed they are in or maybe where the lamps are. I have the lamps hanging from a 6 foot plant hanger so unless they are on the roost it does not help much at all. Once I blocked most of the ground level drafts it did get better. Still you can see your breath & it has been raining almost every day now for 2 weeks so our grounds are saturated. I only use the heat lamps when it goes below 30F. This morning with the wind chill it was 9F. Something extremely rare in Mobile Alabama Lol.. I guess I would rather have crazy chickens than dead ones! (Maybe) I am a first time Mother Hen myself so I guess I was over cautious!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Are you really serious? I haven’t read anything about it making them crazy or effecting their eyes. I’m not sure you realize how big of a shed they are in or maybe where the lamps are. I have the lamps hanging from a 6 foot plant hanger so unless they are on the roost it does not help much at all. Once I blocked most of the ground level drafts it did get better. Still you can see your breath & it has been raining almost every day now for 2 weeks so our grounds are saturated. I only use the heat lamps when it goes below 30F. This morning with the wind chill it was 9F. Something extremely rare in Mobile Alabama Lol.. I guess I would rather have crazy chickens than dead ones! (Maybe) I am a first time Mother Hen myself so I guess I was over cautious!

I'm really serious. I've always known any earthbound animal needs a daily dark period. Sleep deprivation, white room and constant light are common torture methods around the world.
I just finished reading a text book called 'Poultry Lighting, the theory and practice', by Peter Lewis and Trevor Morris - out of the UK and Africa with various PhDs in poultry husbandry. It is a pretty heavy read. ISBN# 0-9552104-0-2
Continuous illumination causes behavioral problems and fertility problems.
Enlargement of the eye in birds exposed to continuous light is thought to be caused by an accumulation of fluid. Buphthalmia and corneal flattening, corneal thickening, cataracts, lenticular thinning and damage to the retina and several other eye issues. Broilers, layers and turkeys exposed to continuous light develop elongated eyelids, have increased sclera exposure, cornea curvature and become blind.
That's the issue with first time' Mother Hens'. They don't know how hardy most breeds of chickens are. I only try to use heat when it gets below 0 F if I can utilize a safe means of elevating the temp a bit. And I only do that because I have lots of Mediterranean roosters with huge combs and wattles. If I only had hens, I wouldn't worry about it. I've never had frostbite on any breed of hen down to -19F. But I give enhanced ventilation year round.
Wind chill has no impact indoors. Cold may be rare in coastal Alabama but it isn't rare in the chicken world. 25 eight week old chickens should be able to keep themselves warm well below zero without heat. That is unless you have some foo foo chickens like seramas or silkies.
To add heat, you don't need to subject them to continuous light.
They make ceramic heat emitters from 25 to 300 watts.
You might be cold but your chicken aren't. They go to sleep at night wearing a down winter coat, not pajamas.

 

[SknyCkn]

As others stated, at 8 weeks, they'll be fine with no supplemental heat. I was nervous about cold days too when I first started. If you want to rest easy, slide your fingers, up under their feathers and down. Within a few seconds your hand will be sweating. I was amazed at the heat they retain when I did this. Mine are actually more comfortable under 40 degrees. Good luck.

Thanks for all the info!! I haven’t used the lamps since I posted but I still worry with every cold snap but they seem just fine!

 

[SknyCkn]

I'm really serious. I've always known any earthbound animal needs a daily dark period. Sleep deprivation, white room and constant light are common torture methods around the world.
I just finished reading a text book called 'Poultry Lighting, the theory and practice', by Peter Lewis and Trevor Morris - out of the UK and Africa with various PhDs in poultry husbandry. It is a pretty heavy read. ISBN# 0-9552104-0-2
Continuous illumination causes behavioral problems and fertility problems.
Enlargement of the eye in birds exposed to continuous light is thought to be caused by an accumulation of fluid. Buphthalmia and corneal flattening, corneal thickening, cataracts, lenticular thinning and damage to the retina and several other eye issues. Broilers, layers and turkeys exposed to continuous light develop elongated eyelids, have increased sclera exposure, cornea curvature and become blind.
That's the issue with first time' Mother Hens'. They don't know how hardy most breeds of chickens are. I only try to use heat when it gets below 0 F if I can utilize a safe means of elevating the temp a bit. And I only do that because I have lots of Mediterranean roosters with huge combs and wattles. If I only had hens, I wouldn't worry about it. I've never had frostbite on any breed of hen down to -19F. But I give enhanced ventilation year round.
Wind chill has no impact indoors. Cold may be rare in coastal Alabama but it isn't rare in the chicken world. 25 eight week old chickens should be able to keep themselves warm well below zero without heat. That is unless you have some foo foo chickens like seramas or silkies.
To add heat, you don't need to subject them to continuous light.
They make ceramic heat emitters from 25 to 300 watts.
You might be cold but your chicken aren't. They go to sleep at night wearing a down winter coat, not pajamas.

Thanks for the information! I stopped using the lights at night after your message. It took about 3 days before they would go inside the coop at night without me having a flashlight & showing them all was fine in the dark corners. Now they go in at dusk/dark by them selves & roost at the very top. I haven’t clipped wings because I have the whole run covered & its 7 foot tall so they can do their thing. If I may ask when do I feed them something other than starter feed? They just turned 11 weeks old.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

That's a bonus on them going in at dusk.
As for food, they never really need anything other than feed, grit and perhaps oyster shell when they approach point of lay.
I usually wait till they are out foraging before I occasionally offer anything else.
Keep in mind, the feed is formulated to be complete nutrition for the age it is intended to feed. When in doubt, read the feeding instructions on the bag. That is as long as the feed is fresh. Always check the mill date on the bag before you buy it.
Anything you feed in addition to their formulated ration has the potential to throw off ideal nutrition.

 

[SknyCkn]

That's a bonus on them going in at dusk.
As for food, they never really need anything other than feed, grit and perhaps oyster shell when they approach point of lay.
I usually wait till they are out foraging before I occasionally offer anything else.
Keep in mind, the feed is formulated to be complete nutrition for the age it is intended to feed. When in doubt, read the feeding instructions on the bag. That is as long as the feed is fresh. Always check the mill date on the bag before you buy it.
Anything you feed in addition to their formulated ration has the potential to throw off ideal nutrition.

Thank you!