Will 3 week old chicks survive 39 deg f nights?

[NatJ]

I'm using a reptile heat mat with a thermostat .it's about a foot long and situated at one end of the brooder. .has been working fine since I started hatching my own chicks last year and the brooder is about 5 feet long so I don't think the heat can disperse that far..

Sounds good

(Too many people use a heat lamp in a plastic bin that's not nearly big enough, so there really is no cool place. So I wanted to make sure!)

 

[ChookieG]

Sounds good

(Too many people use a heat lamp in a plastic bin that's not nearly big enough, so there really is no cool place. So I wanted to make sure!)

Thank you! Yeah I totally agree. In fact I don't like the idea of a heat lamp also becos some illuminate light which I think it's unnatural for chicks when they're trying to sleep - I don't think it's healthy for them and suspect it may affect their circadian cycle.

I would have liked to raise chicks in an outdoor brooder but unfortunately am unable to install a permanent electrical source to the run.

 

[3KillerBs]

I would have liked to raise chicks in an outdoor brooder but unfortunately am unable to install a permanent electrical source to the run.

I use a heavy-duty, outdoor-rated extension cord to my outdoor brooder.

 

[ChookieG]

I use a heavy-duty, outdoor-rated extension cord to my outdoor brooder.

Yeah I'll need a 40 metre one to connect from my house to the run!

 

[micheleomal]

Not without a heat source! Since you have a couple of days, you have time to make an additional heat source out of a heating pad and some chicken wire/hardware cloth. They are not safe in open enclosures, but should be fine indoors or in an enclosed shed. Do a search on BYC for "Mama Heating Pad." Good Luck!

I would never raise chicks any other way than under Mama heating pad. I got fall chicks this year and had them under mama hp from day one. Idaho is cold in the fall and they are now 7 wks old and sleeping on top of mama. The temps are in the 20s F at night.

 

[3KillerBs]

Yeah I'll need a 40 metre one to connect from my house to the run!

Those extra long ones are pretty pricey.

 

[MROO]

Yeah I'll need a 40 metre one to connect from my house to the run!

That's a loooong cord! Remember, though, that the idea is to acclimate the babies to the cold. Introductions can come later. For now, they don't have to be in the run; they just need to be outside. I use a rabbit hutch on my covered porch to acclimate youngsters. I put the brooder plate in the housing area, where it stays protected from blowing rain. With the plate in the "house," the babies are free to move around outside - in the cold - as much as they want or need. It's easy to tell when they no longer need the heat. When they decide that the branch outside is better for sleeping than the brooder house floor, it's time to join the flock!

 

[SandyRiverChick]

Not without a heat source! Since you have a couple of days, you have time to make an additional heat source out of a heating pad and some chicken wire/hardware cloth. They are not safe in open enclosures, but should be fine indoors or in an enclosed shed. Do a search on BYC for "Mama Heating Pad." Good Luck!

Here is that thread: https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...e-heavy-update.956958/page-1200#post-25969499

 

[McChooky]

My 2 week old baby chicks were moved outside to the main run today to be integrated in the flock( the runs covered & predator proof run with an apron) I'm also sectioning off a small portion of the run where their coops attached to the run.They have a 150 watt heat emitter in the dog crate I use for a brooder. Its 85-90 underneath the light .They won't be exposed to rain or wind of any kind so they'll be fine.

 

[ChookieG]

That's a loooong cord! Remember, though, that the idea is to acclimate the babies to the cold. Introductions can come later. For now, they don't have to be in the run; they just need to be outside. I use a rabbit hutch on my covered porch to acclimate youngsters. I put the brooder plate in the housing area, where it stays protected from blowing rain. With the plate in the "house," the babies are free to move around outside - in the cold - as much as they want or need. It's easy to tell when they no longer need the heat. When they decide that the branch outside is better for sleeping than the brooder house floor, it's time to join the flock!

That's a great idea! Thanks I might consider doing that in the future!