When to get my chicks.

[MiMito3]

I live in the high Rockies of Colorado. The nighttime temps in May range from 20-40. I have a barn that is not heated. If I keep them there with a sweeter heater will they do ok?

 

[nuthatched]

Can you keep them inside for a few weeks?

 

[MiMito3]

Can you keep them inside for a few weeks?

Problem being my barn is about 4x the size of my cabin lol. Thinking it will be pretty rough in 500 sq ft. Is it quite a mess? Thank in advance for any advice.

 

[nuthatched]

Problem being my barn is about 4x the size of my cabin lol. Thinking it will be pretty rough in 500 sq ft. Is it quite a mess? Thank in advance for any advice.

Hmm, ideally they should have about 95* the first week and that should be reduced by 5 degrees a week, can the sweeter heater maintain those temperatures?

 

[NatJ]

I live in the high Rockies of Colorado. The nighttime temps in May range from 20-40. I have a barn that is not heated. If I keep them there with a sweeter heater will they do ok?

I would set up the heater in the barn, then check with a thermometer.

When you first get them, chicks need a warm area (about 95 degrees fahrenheit), and a cool area (anything cooler, no lower limit.) That way they can go explore in the cool area, and run & play, then come back frequently to warm up and sleep in the warm area.

As they get older, they will choose to spend more time in the cool area. Some people make the "warm" area cooler as the chicks grow, while some other people leave it the same temperature and just make sure there is lots of cool space. At some point the cicks will no longer go in the warm area at all, which is the obvious time to remove the heat source. This usually happens sometime between ages 1 month and 3 months, depending on the weather and the individual chicks (some grow their feathers faster than others.)

Oh, I just looked up sweeter heater, and it's one of those devices that is meant to warm the chicks but not the air. So I don't know whether you would get a useful reading by sitting a thermometer under it for a few hours, or not.
https://www.sweeterheater.com/faq
After reading this page on the manufacturer's website, I think there is a good chance of it providing enough warmth in the temperature range you mentioned, but I cannot be positive. The chicks will tell you if they are too cold, but that is not helpful for checking before you get them!

 

[SBChickenLady]

From my personal experience totally doable to have them in a small indoor space when they are really little and up to 4 weeks old. My younger son insisted they sleep in the brooder in his bedroom with our new group this season and they've done wonderful. Enjoy!

 

[rosemarythyme]

I would check the instructions on the heater you have and see if there's any recommended temperature range for use. If there is (i.e. 50F and up) I would wait until temps are consistently at that temperature or above to get chicks.

Other option is to use a heat lamp to warm the overall area to at least the minimum recommended temperature, to ensure the heat element works properly.

If there is no limit on the heater, I'd run a test for a couple of days first to ensure it works and is keeping temperature while out in the unheated barn. If it does that without issue, then you can get the chicks immediately.