Winter temps and chick location

[silver0420]

Hello all,
I am getting a late season shipment of chicks coming December 14 and am a bit wary as to where I should put them.

My coop is fully insulated like a house, and under neath the roosts and the poop boards I have a wired in “chicken hospital” that was intended for raising chicks or keeping sick chickens. With it being Dec do you think it will be too cold for them out in coop? Coop is insulated but not heated. Of course they will have a brooder plate with them.

For reference I’m in southwest Virginia. Right now we’ve been getting lows in the 20/30 range, which is also typical for December here.

 

[DobieLover]

With it being Dec do you think it will be too cold for them out in coop?

Not in VA.

It was totally unnecessary to insulate your coop. I hope the outer and inner walls are solid so you don't end up with an inaccessible rodent or mite infestation.

You need as close to 1 sq ft of year round ventilation per adult bird in the coop as you can manage. What is your ventilation like in there? The chicks will need copious amounts of fresh air in there as well. High over their heads.
Can you please post pictures of your setup?

Of course they will have a brooder plate with them.

How many chicks did you order? How large is your plate? You may not have a good survival rate as shipping chicks during weather extremes is dangerous too them.

I would toss an old towel over the plate and lower the rear legs 1 notch lower than the front legs to form a cave with the towel and tuck it into a corner. I kept a piece of cardboard over the top of the towel pinned in place with the upper part of the brooder plate legs and changed it every other day because the chicks will hang out up there and poop up a storm.

Make sure you give them electrolyte water for the first day or two after you receive them and make sure all of them get a drink and are eating well. Check them frequently the first several days.

I've raised chicks in a NY spring this way and they did excellent. Lowest temps they experienced were 23F when they were about 10-12 days old. They were zipping all over the place running back and forth from the heat source and the food and water.

 

[Hedgeland Farms]

I raised 30 chicks (bought from RK) I'm my noninsulated 10x10 coop in Feb last yr... I have heat boards...but set them up like a cave like so

They did great!!!

I am on Southern IL

I had a whole thread on what temps where and how the babies acted...

"Raising the Galaxies"

We had a rough go..until I set up the boards like the picture..

(I learned that the boards encourage some smothering issues..but once I set them like a cave that issue ceased)

 

[silver0420]

Not in VA.

It was totally unnecessary to insulate your coop. I hope the outer and inner walls are solid so you don't end up with an inaccessible rodent or mite infestation.

You need as close to 1 sq ft of year round ventilation per adult bird in the coop as you can manage. What is your ventilation like in there? The chicks will need copious amounts of fresh air in there as well. High over their heads.
Can you please post pictures of your setup?

How many chicks did you order? How large is your plate? You may not have a good survival rate as shipping chicks during weather extremes is dangerous too them.

I would toss an old towel over the plate and lower the rear legs 1 notch lower than the front legs to form a cave with the towel and tuck it into a corner. I kept a piece of cardboard over the top of the towel pinned in place with the upper part of the brooder plate legs and changed it every other day because the chicks will hang out up there and poop up a storm.

Make sure you give them electrolyte water for the first day or two after you receive them and make sure all of them get a drink and are eating well. Check them frequently the first several days.

I've raised chicks in a NY spring this way and they did excellent. Lowest temps they experienced were 23F when they were about 10-12 days old. They were zipping all over the place running back and forth from the heat source and the food and water.

Thank you, I will attach some photos once it is daylight out here! Yes walls are solid and they have probably 5 full size windows that open for ventilation and two at the top that stay open for ventilation. It was a contractor hobby project, so naturally he wanted all the things. I’ve had full grown birds in it since may and everyone has been good. I wonder though if I won’t have enough ventilation for the chicks since they’ll be low to the ground.

I will end up with 15 chicks if they make it. I plan to add a second brooder given this number so that no one gets left out. Thank you for your advice this is extremely helpful!

 

[silver0420]

I raised 30 chicks (bought from RK) I'm my noninsulated 10x10 coop in Feb last yr... I have heat boards...but set them up like a cave like so
View attachment 3691816


They did great!!!

I am on Southern IL

I had a whole thread on what temps where and how the babies acted...

"Raising the Galaxies"

We had a rough go..until I set up the boards like the picture..

(I learned that the boards encourage some smothering issues..but once I set them like a cave that issue ceased)

Thank you! Read through the thread this was very helpful. fingers crossed all mine make it but will definitely do the angling/cave trick. The space I have for them under my poop boards is a kind of u-shape, but the flat part of the u should have plenty of space for them while they’re mostly under heat, so hopefully won’t have smothering. I did have to restrain myself to keep from ending up with 30

 

[Hedgeland Farms]

Thank you! Read through the thread this was very helpful. fingers crossed all mine make it but will definitely do the angling/cave trick. The space I have for them under my poop boards is a kind of u-shape, but the flat part of the u should have plenty of space for them while they’re mostly under heat, so hopefully won’t have smothering. I did have to restrain myself to keep from ending up with 30

I was starting a whole new flock...
Which is why I got so many...

That flock is down to 22 now that I've sold some off