Why do chicks need to be in a brooder so long?

[nittanyxi]

I don't get it. If the mother hen hatches her own chicks they are running around as soon as they can walk - no brooder. If I hatch them myself why do I need to keep them in a brooder for 4 to 6 weeks starting at 95 and reducing 5 degree each week? Do they really need to be kept at 80 degrees at week 4?

 

[Molbaygun]

If the chicks aren't with the mom then they need to keep warm. The reason for dropping the temperature gradually is because they are starting to feather out and those feathers will keep them warm. My chicks are 3 weeks and their surrogate Mom keeps them warm at night but I keep the light on during the day. During the day Mom has been visiting with the other ladies in the run. We're in CT and it's about 60- 70 during the day so the heat lamp is still necessary and they still go under it to warm up.

 

[nittanyxi]

But if a hen in CT hatched her eggs on her own and it was a 60-70 degree day wouldn't they all be out in the run together? During the day the mother leaves the nest to go out and the chicks follow her. In nature she isn't sitting on them 24/7 after they hatch keeping them at 95 degrees for the entire first week.

 

[Molbaygun]

Yeah - good point!! I understand what you're saying......typically the mom won't leave for a long period of time. Our hen would sit with them most of the day that first week. When my hen went broody and I knew the few eggs where about ready to pip I moved them all to an enclosure in our shed. My chicks are separated from the others that are in the run. They have their own spot away from the others. They have been in the shed for the entire 3 weeks. I just moved the mother out this week to be with the other girls for awhile and then I move her back in at night. When the mother is with them she will walk around, feed them and also lay down with them. She's up more than she's down. I continue to leave the light on and the temp tonight was about 80. I probably didn't answer your question but I do understand what you are asking.

 

[debilorrah]

A mother hen will always be available for her chicks to crawl underneath her if they are cold. And the mama knows when it is too cold too. Brooding chicks is mimicking the mother.......

 

[nittanyxi]

depending how many there are, chicks will only fit under a mother hen for the first week of two. 8-10 3 week old chicks aren't all going to fit under 1 mother hen. I see a need for a brooder heat lamp for the first week or two but why does it need to go on for so long. A 24/7 heat lamp does more than a mother hen would do.

 

[debilorrah]

Quote:
Have you ever had a mother hen??? They can spread their bodies out SOOOO far to accomodate the chicks to offer warmth. The brooding mimicks a mother hen.

 

[Tala]

they don't have to be in a brooder box in your house that long, they can be in a bigger pen outside, with a smaller enclosed, dry area with heat -- they will go out to explore and return to "mom" as needed.
I ship 'em out of the rubbermaid tote after 1-2 weeks, depending on the weather. Of course they get their lamp till about 5-6 weeks (again, depends on the weather) but they don't have to be under it 24/7 unless they want to.

 

[silkiechicken]

You don't need a "brooder" so to say, just a way to keep the chicks warm, which is most commonly called a brooder. Unlike mom hen who can drop everything and sit for a bit to warm up her babies, we entrust a heat lamp to be there for the chicks if they are cold. If you raise a big batch of chicks and make only one side of the brooder 95F and have the other side at 40F, such as it would be if you brooded outside like I do, you will note that the chicks will spend less and less time under the 95F area and will venture to the 40F cool outdoors at only a week old or so even.

You don't want the whole brooder to be 95F, just the hot spot to be 95F and down from there. A bit of cooler areas in the brooder is a good idea and the chicks will use it to self regulate. I take out heat lamps at 6 weeks old and brood outdoors when temps go between mid 30s and 40's over the course of the day. I let them range at 3 weeks, but they do have the ability to go inside and heat up when they need to. So technically they do not need to be under heat 24/7 when being "brooded" but still need the ability to get warm when needed.

With out giving the option of heat, it would be difficult to provide an instant heat on system for a chick who screams it is cold.

 

[nittanyxi]

I understand that the brooder mimicks the mother hen. but with a mother hen the chicks are exposed to fluxuating temps. Unless it is a cold day they pretty much run around with the mother hen until it cools down at night and then they use her for warmth. A brooder lamp keeps them at one temp all day and night.

I'm not asking if chicks need to be in a brooder at all.
I'm asking why do the chicks need to be in a brooder so long. Is it really needed for 4 to 5 weeks?


THANKS, the last two posts answered my questions. I was typing the above when they were repliying.