We are told chicks need to be kept at 95 degrees for the first week, dropping 5 degrees every week until the temperature outside matches the temp in the brooder. This is simply not true. But you have to set up a brooder in a way that is COMPLETELY different from the ones everybody who tells you this is used to.
These chicks at three days old were overnight in 53 degree weather. EIGHT full weeks before all the experts say is OK to leave chicks outside.
This is my third time experimenting with a wool hen. The lowest age and temp I have had chicks outside in is 40 degrees at three days. The wool hen I used then became too small too fast and I scrapped it. The next wool hen I made was "borrowed" by someone who lived off grid and wanted to raise chicks. It worked so well for her she decided to never return it and cut off all communication with me when I kept asking for it back.
This is my third wool hen and it is as good or better than the second one.
Here is how these chicks spent their first 24 hours:
I used a standard Rubbermaid laundry basket. I placed a towel lengthwise across the bottom and over the sides. Then a seed warming mat and then a second towel over the heating mat and the long sides of the basket.
The "hen" is made of hardware cloth with 2" wool strips suspended every inch along the top. The wool strips are just long enough to almost touch the bottom.
Wool is important because it breathes and holds heat extremely well.
Three day old chicks. They spent the night in the wool hen. This is only the third time I have tried a wool hen, and these are the youngest chicks I have had outside with no heat lamp. These chicks are three days old and they have been outside 24 hours straight in 60 - 70 degree weather. There are 19 chicks in this brood.
I wasn't 100% sure how they would do so my first move was to take them all out of the wool hen and put them in my basket to observe them carefully. Every single one was warm and active!
Right after hatch I had them under the wool strips in a laundry basket. (see previous video) Under towels at the bottom of the laundry basket I had a seedling warming mat. Yesterday I removed the seedling mat just before taking the chicks outside. They don't appear to care.
Even the chick with the slightly open navel seems to be thriving.
High temp yesterday was 69°
Low temp last night was 53°
Forecast for today is the same.
I used about 1/4 of a 1" styrofoam panel, a wool blend blanket (100% wool is better but I didn't have any on hand) hardware cloth, duct tape, and an old cat bed/toy/napping thing.
Chicks. Thriving overnight outside in 53° weather with no broody and no supplemental heat.
These chicks at three days old were overnight in 53 degree weather. EIGHT full weeks before all the experts say is OK to leave chicks outside.
This is my third time experimenting with a wool hen. The lowest age and temp I have had chicks outside in is 40 degrees at three days. The wool hen I used then became too small too fast and I scrapped it. The next wool hen I made was "borrowed" by someone who lived off grid and wanted to raise chicks. It worked so well for her she decided to never return it and cut off all communication with me when I kept asking for it back.
This is my third wool hen and it is as good or better than the second one.
Here is how these chicks spent their first 24 hours:
I used a standard Rubbermaid laundry basket. I placed a towel lengthwise across the bottom and over the sides. Then a seed warming mat and then a second towel over the heating mat and the long sides of the basket.
The "hen" is made of hardware cloth with 2" wool strips suspended every inch along the top. The wool strips are just long enough to almost touch the bottom.
Wool is important because it breathes and holds heat extremely well.
Three day old chicks. They spent the night in the wool hen. This is only the third time I have tried a wool hen, and these are the youngest chicks I have had outside with no heat lamp. These chicks are three days old and they have been outside 24 hours straight in 60 - 70 degree weather. There are 19 chicks in this brood.
I wasn't 100% sure how they would do so my first move was to take them all out of the wool hen and put them in my basket to observe them carefully. Every single one was warm and active!
Right after hatch I had them under the wool strips in a laundry basket. (see previous video) Under towels at the bottom of the laundry basket I had a seedling warming mat. Yesterday I removed the seedling mat just before taking the chicks outside. They don't appear to care.
Even the chick with the slightly open navel seems to be thriving.
High temp yesterday was 69°
Low temp last night was 53°
Forecast for today is the same.
I used about 1/4 of a 1" styrofoam panel, a wool blend blanket (100% wool is better but I didn't have any on hand) hardware cloth, duct tape, and an old cat bed/toy/napping thing.
Chicks. Thriving overnight outside in 53° weather with no broody and no supplemental heat.
Thanks. This isn't my original idea, I'm just running with it. 
