What have I done! Babies are coming! Brooder Questions

[Enchanted1s]

Hi All - Just a brief history & you can decide if I have lost my mind! LOL If you don't want the back story - skip down to QUESTIONS...

In March, the neighbor decided to get chickens. They were tiny chicks that could walk right thru the fence. In April, just a few weeks later, one of these chickens decided she liked our yard better and came over the fence. I couldn't catch it and neither could they so she roamed freely and the neighbor continued to throw feed thru the fence. In June, the neighbors dogs killed ALL of his chickens. Our hen must have seen the massacre! A few weeks later, neighbor replaced his chickens with some of about the same age as the one that chose us. He then asks if he can throw one of the Roosters over because he got two and they were fighting. I thought he was kidding, but no - then there were two. It turned out to be a good thing for the hen - she became much calmer and happier - the two are inseparable. October rolls around and the two are still here - but our goats are getting sick from eating all the chicken scratch! And, some storms are coming this way and these two have no real shelter. I finally realized that they were here to stay & I needed to learn what they needed. I found this forum, and it seems that all I do now is spend time and money on these birds! Just in the nick of time (before the storms) I got them a suitable coop built. TWO days later, I go out to the coop and there are two young chickens in the coop! Neighbor bought 6 at the flea market, and 2 choose us - again! Now there are four.

SO... after spending all of this time and money on these birds - I decided if we were going to have hens and eggs - I wanted some color in the basket! AND - I wanted pets that would let us pick them up. From reading here, I learned that it is better to get your flock all at once instead of making them re-do the pecking order again and again. I figured if I went ahead and got babies now, they would be closer to the same age as the two newest ones. They appear to be around 6-8 weeks now. I was not able to find any chickens locally, other than older hens and a few brown egg layers. We named the older ones Rudy & Tootie. She is a really good bird. Until last week, she was giving us one small brown egg daily. We have only had the two newest ones a couple of weeks, so they are just 'the teenagers' for now. So, I started looking at online hatcheries and found that this is the last week that a small order (less than 15) can be shipped until Spring! I PLACED MY ORDER! We have 3 babies that are likely pecking their way out of their shells as I type! Their hatch / ship date is tomorrow!

QUESTIONS - This is our first time. We have been reading as much as we can. I think I have almost everything we need for the babies arrival. We are in New Mexico, so winter is not too bad. I plan to keep the babies inside with us until they have all of their feathers. Is that the right move? Or would it be better to set up a brooder area in the coop? (I don't have easy access to electricity in the coop. I could run a couple of 100' extension cords and get there)???

I ordered a heat plate for them to stand under. I am a little confused about the temperature for the room. Do I need to raise the temp in the room and provide the heat plate? Or is just the heat plate enough? I am planning to put them in my grow room. I don't have any plants growing in there right now. I was going to use a small wire cage, inside the grow tent. I have the cage up off of the floor about a foot. Hanging a heat lamp in the tent, above the cage, would not be a problem - but if left on all the time, won't it get too hot in there?

Since this is my grow room - I do have fans and filters in there for proper air circulation for the plants. Should I run these while the babies are in there to assure fresh air? I have the humidifier up and running to maintain around 55% humidity in the room. I wrapped the bottom half of the wire cage with plastic wrap to help avoid drafts.

Anything I am doing wrong? Forgetting? I am really a little confused on the 95 degrees in the brooder. Is it just 95 under the heat plate? Do I need to heat the tent too? The room? I'm guessing yes for the first couple of weeks at least? We have to make one more run to Tractor Supply before they arrive - we need the small pine shavings.

I sure hope the babies make their journey safe and sound! We only ordered 3 babies! They are shipping out of CT. Two Cream Legbar and one Buff Orpington (all female).

Thanks in Advance

 

[Folly's place]

Wonderful! The heat plate should have instructions, as in what ambient temps it needs to work well. Most people set it at an angle, so one side is warmer than the other.
Make sure your post office knows they are coming, and that you want to be called IMMIDIATELY when they arrive, regardless of the time. Then have your brooder all set up, water at room temperature, food on bedding and in feeder, and heat plate set up and warm. A thermometer ahead of time so you know that the warmest under the plate is about 95F, and it gets cooler further away.
Chicks are a lot of fun! Have the brooder covered with hardware cloth or something, for good air flow, and to keep the chicks inside and anyone else out.
Pictures!
Mary

 

[Folly's place]

Also, the sooner your chicks can be out there in the coop, separate, but in view of your other birds, the sooner they will acclimate. BUT the chicks need heat until they are feathered out, so without electricity it's going to be later, not sooner.
I would want better fencing between you and your neighbor's flocks, to control cock fights, if for no other reason.
Mary

 

[sylviethecochin]

x2 with Folly's place.

95-90 degrees inside the brooder for the first week. Decrease by five degrees every successive week, and have there be a cooler spot in the brooder so that they can move back and forth to regulate their own body heat.

Chickens fully feather out at seven or eight weeks and by that point, they can be kept outside in the milder temperatures. The question is whether you can stand the smell of half-grown chickens for those last few weeks. My mother never could. If that's the case, use an outside brooder, and yes, you can use extension cords, though there is some risk of fire. This will also help with integration.

 

[Folly's place]

Chickens produce a HUGE amount of dust! Bad to breathe, and a total mess indoors. Get them out ASAP or be miserable. How about a garage with electricity? Mary

 

[Enchanted1s]

Thank you everyone. I plan to call the post office first thing in the morning. Hopefully we will have a tracking number tomorrow also. Will post pics as soon as the arrive. @Harmony Fowl do you have a carbon filter and fan in your grow room? Do you use it while it is your brooder room?

I'm guessing temps will be in the 40's to low 50's (during the day) when these babies will be partly feathered. Would it be good to take them out to the coop, with their Premier Heat Plate, during the day and bring them in when the temps start dipping? That's my plan - but I'm guessing the chicks will have their own plans!