Why don't chicks with moms get cold?

[ginznchix]

Ok I've done the mail order, chicks under a light thing several times...you know, 95 degrees, then 90, then 85, etc. This time I let the chicks hatch naturally and left them with mom. Since day 1 (they're still under a week old) they've been out pecking and scratching and running in the pen. Mom rarely sits down to let them warm up under her and when she does they ignore her anyway! Yes it's been warm, but not 95, and half the time they're under the feed hut where I'm sure it's quite cool. Today is cloudy and only in the 70's and they're happy as clams (I think). So what gives?! Thanks!

 

[nchls school]

Some breeds are hardier than others/some chicks are hardier than others.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Reality. Practically all the thing given on here to help keep chickens are guidelines, not absolute laws of nature. People starting out have no experience to go by. You can’t just say “Use common sense” because common sense needs some experience behind it. The guidelines are intended to give people that have no clue a place to start. Since we keep chickens in so many different climates, using different management techniques, our facilities are all over the place, our goals are different, we keep different breeds, urban versus rural; we are so unique that there is hardly ever any rule that applies to all of us. There can’t be.

That 90 to 95 to start them drop 5 a week is intended to be a very safe recommendation. No matter how rough your weather or how lousy your brooder, your chicks will probably not die due to getting cold if you follow that. For the vast majority of us it is overkill. For most of us our brooders are decent, out brooder management is decent, and our climates are not that rough, especially if you brood in a climate controlled house.

For the vast majority of us our chicks don’t need to be that warm. Most of the time they can do quite well for hours at a time in temperatures much cooler than those guidelines. If you let a broody hen raise her chicks and you pay attention you will see that. What the chicks need is a warm place to go to when they want to go warm up. A broody hen provides that.

If you put a bunch of people in a room and set the thermostat somewhere reasonable, some people will be cold, some warm, and some just right. Chicks are that way too. Some like it warmer, some cooler. There is no perfect temperature for every chick in a brood.

I find the best brooder is a big one in the coop. There can be a few downsides to that but to me the benefits far outweigh the potential possible problems. I heat one end and let the rest cool down as it will. I don’t worry too much about exactly what the temperature is on the warm end, just so it is warm enough or even too warm. They can get away from the heat if they need to. They self-regulate. There have been mornings when there was ice on the far end of the brooder but the chicks stayed in the warm end. They will play in the cooler end when they get a bit of age on them, especially when the temperatures are not extreme.

I’m rambling. To get back on track, take everything you read on here with a grain of salt, whether from me or someone else. If someone tells you that you absolutely have to do something a certain way, get a second opinion. Use the guidelines as suggestions, a place to start. But don’t get really hung up on them, just try to get reasonably close. As you gain experience you will better understand what works for you.

 

[ihearvoices]

Reality. Practically all the thing given on here to help keep chickens are guidelines, not absolute laws of nature. People starting out have no experience to go by. You can’t just say “Use common sense” because common sense needs some experience behind it. The guidelines are intended to give people that have no clue a place to start. Since we keep chickens in so many different climates, using different management techniques, our facilities are all over the place, our goals are different, we keep different breeds, urban versus rural; we are so unique that there is hardly ever any rule that applies to all of us. There can’t be.

That 90 to 95 to start them drop 5 a week is intended to be a very safe recommendation. No matter how rough your weather or how lousy your brooder, your chicks will probably not die due to getting cold if you follow that. For the vast majority of us it is overkill. For most of us our brooders are decent, out brooder management is decent, and our climates are not that rough, especially if you brood in a climate controlled house.

For the vast majority of us our chicks don’t need to be that warm. Most of the time they can do quite well for hours at a time in temperatures much cooler than those guidelines. If you let a broody hen raise her chicks and you pay attention you will see that. What the chicks need is a warm place to go to when they want to go warm up. A broody hen provides that.

If you put a bunch of people in a room and set the thermostat somewhere reasonable, some people will be cold, some warm, and some just right. Chicks are that way too. Some like it warmer, some cooler. There is no perfect temperature for every chick in a brood.

I find the best brooder is a big one in the coop. There can be a few downsides to that but to me the benefits far outweigh the potential possible problems. I heat one end and let the rest cool down as it will. I don’t worry too much about exactly what the temperature is on the warm end, just so it is warm enough or even too warm. They can get away from the heat if they need to. They self-regulate. There have been mornings when there was ice on the far end of the brooder but the chicks stayed in the warm end. They will play in the cooler end when they get a bit of age on them, especially when the temperatures are not extreme.

I’m rambling. To get back on track, take everything you read on here with a grain of salt, whether from me or someone else. If someone tells you that you absolutely have to do something a certain way, get a second opinion. Use the guidelines as suggestions, a place to start. But don’t get really hung up on them, just try to get reasonably close. As you gain experience you will better understand what works for you.

I've got mine out in the coop right now under an eco glow. They hatched overnight. I am so nervous. I have seen the little faces pop out, sometimes a body... but they are perpetually under that warmer.

So here i am:
-what if they're too cold?
-what if they don't remember where to find the water?
-they all ignored me when i showed the food... what if they starve?!
-what if they know where the water is, but they are just too cold to hop out?
-are they going to be alright tonight? It's going to 11C overnight!

And here chances your post .... "nah, fuggedaboutit"

So i'm going to sleep, and thank you for taking the time to write all that out.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Reality. Practically all the thing given on here to help keep chickens are guidelines, not absolute laws of nature. People starting out have no experience to go by. You can’t just say “Use common sense” because common sense needs some experience behind it. The guidelines are intended to give people that have no clue a place to start. Since we keep chickens in so many different climates, using different management techniques, our facilities are all over the place, our goals are different, we keep different breeds, urban versus rural; we are so unique that there is hardly ever any rule that applies to all of us. There can’t be.

That 90 to 95 to start them drop 5 a week is intended to be a very safe recommendation. No matter how rough your weather or how lousy your brooder, your chicks will probably not die due to getting cold if you follow that. For the vast majority of us it is overkill. For most of us our brooders are decent, out brooder management is decent, and our climates are not that rough, especially if you brood in a climate controlled house.

For the vast majority of us our chicks don’t need to be that warm. Most of the time they can do quite well for hours at a time in temperatures much cooler than those guidelines. If you let a broody hen raise her chicks and you pay attention you will see that. What the chicks need is a warm place to go to when they want to go warm up. A broody hen provides that.

If you put a bunch of people in a room and set the thermostat somewhere reasonable, some people will be cold, some warm, and some just right. Chicks are that way too. Some like it warmer, some cooler. There is no perfect temperature for every chick in a brood.

I find the best brooder is a big one in the coop. There can be a few downsides to that but to me the benefits far outweigh the potential possible problems. I heat one end and let the rest cool down as it will. I don’t worry too much about exactly what the temperature is on the warm end, just so it is warm enough or even too warm. They can get away from the heat if they need to. They self-regulate. There have been mornings when there was ice on the far end of the brooder but the chicks stayed in the warm end. They will play in the cooler end when they get a bit of age on them, especially when the temperatures are not extreme.

I’m rambling. To get back on track, take everything you read on here with a grain of salt, whether from me or someone else. If someone tells you that you absolutely have to do something a certain way, get a second opinion. Use the guidelines as suggestions, a place to start. But don’t get really hung up on them, just try to get reasonably close. As you gain experience you will better understand what works for you.

X 2 - there are lots of "rules" you'll read about various parts of chicken keeping, but remember, the chickens don't read those books and don't know those rules. I don't use a thermometer in my brooding - the chicks are my thermometer. Chicks that are raised in a brooder here are weaned off supplemental heat and moved to the coop at 5-6 weeks of age.....I am working on getting things re-worked to be able to brood outdoors entirely.

 

[Blooie]

Hence the reason I prefer to raise chicks outdoors in a brooder pen in the run, using a heating pad cave. THEY control their comfort level and the only thing in there being warmed is the chicks themselves. They pop under for a quick warmup or when they get spooked, they head underneath to sleep the whole night through, and they spend the vast majority of their time exploring and learning to be chickens.

 

[donrae]

And this is how folks end up cooking their baby chicks. They read those "rules" and think the chick's entire world has to be that warm. In reality, they just need a warm spot, like Momma provides.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

And this is how folks end up cooking their baby chicks. They read those "rules" and think the chick's entire world has to be that warm. In reality, they just need a warm spot, like Momma provides.

which is another reason to use an appropriately sized brooder.....those little totes so many want to use simply don't give enough room for ANY variation in temp zones.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

A momma hen has a fever of a 105f on a GOOD day so there is some leeway built into the rules regarding the appreciate nursery temperature in which to house baby chickens.

 

[Teila]

I am still amazed at just how much heat a chicken gives off.

Ever put your hand between two chickens snuggled on the roost? They are like little ovens!