Worried about cold temperatures

[GroovyGallus]

Hi everyone - repeat reader, first time poster... (my hubby posts often)

We have 20 chicks that are 4 weeks old. We have been working on their coop and were deciding to put them out there with a heat lamp because they are getting big and their brooder is shrinking. After hanging a heat lamp in the coop the thermometer registered at 80 so we figured it was fine. We went to get the chicks after awhile and discovered that they had started pecking each other. There were 6 with bloody tails. So we really have not choice but to get them to a larger space. The transition went well and the pecked chicks are doing much better alone in the brooder.

NOW it has been snowing for a few hours and when i checked the 14 chicks in the coop they are all huddled right under the lamp. I lowered it and they are still huddled. The temp seems to be between 65 adn 75 - not what we would like.

Any suggestions on how to get the coop warmer. We don't have an extra light and it is too late to shop for one tonite.

Soooo .... my question now is, are they too cold? Will they be okay?

 

[BellLisamo]

Quote:
They should be fine, 4 weeks they should have enough feathers to keep warm. Your nicer than i am, my 2-3 week olds are out in a new coop i built. No lamp. It was about 40 degrees last night. But i put them in a guinea pig cage and cover it with a heavy sleeping bag. I'm sure ill hear alot of crap about it, but hey! My chicks are healthy happy and love being outside all day everyday.

 

[GroovyGallus]

Thanks for the info. It is now 5am here and we are in the midst of a serious winter storm (north Idaho). We wound up putting a space heater in the coop. They seem to be doing fine. Better than us! Now the power is flickering on and off. I guess this is our first test of being good chicken parents

I'm still worried. But we don't have too many options right now.

I'll keep my fingers crossed and hope that the temperature goes up today as predicted.

 

[sherrydeanne]

At 4 weeks old, they'll be absolutely fine at 60

 

[basicliving]

! I don't blame you for worrying, GroovyGallus. You're a good chicken mom. I agree though, that they will probably be just fine. There are 20 of them, and they will keep each other warm by huddling up together. I'm sure you have bedding they can hunker down on and keep the heat lamp above them. If you lose electricity, well, there's not much you can do about that. And I honestly think they'll keep each other warm enough. At four weeks old, they are tougher than we tend to give them credit for. If you just can't stop worrying though, bring them back to the brooder until the storm passes.

Let us know how it goes. And enjoy those babies!

Penny

 

[Chicken Fruit]

Oh theyre fine!

Even grown up chickens huddle in the cold, thats how they generate the temperatures theyre comfortable with.

My guys are outside in their coop, they went out at around 4 weeks and a few days- they made it through the nights in the 20's too!

It helps if you stack some hay bales, or a cardboard box or something in a corner with the heat lamp so the heat can collect in one little area. But if you just cant do that dont worry, they will be fine.

 

[Buster]

Just make sure if you don't have a light in there that they don't get separated from each other. That will freeze them quick.