wow, feeling over-whelmed before I even start, ? re. air-exchange.

[fluffychicksmomma]

Okay, I'm ready to give up before I begin! We are due to get some baby chicks in the morning. I have been reading everything I can find about raising baby chicks. I can only have a limited number of hens where I live, and the chickens are primarily pets for my teen daughter, (she has horses and dogs, but has been begging or chickens for several years),but we are both huge animal lovers, so I really don't want to see any of our chicks die if it is preventable. However, the more info I read, the more concerned I become that I am not going to be able to do everything I need to for chick survival. I thought I had a handle on the brooder situation, as far as litter, water, food, heat-lamp, temp., etc.... I thought I was supposed to keep the chicks like totally draft-free. But tonight I was reading the info in the Raising Baby Chicks index, and it said the chicks must have "100% air exchange 6 times per 24 hours. That means subtle continuous movement of air in the brooder" Wow! I must be totally wrong on what I thought a brooder was supposed to be like. I am trying to figure out how in the world do I accomplish that in a large plastic tub/container that needs to have the heat-lamp clamped on and kept mostly covered to keep it warm enough??? I should probably mention that we are starting with Silkies (because those are the first ones available to us of the breeds we want), and were only going to get about 4 to begin with, as my daughter is also wanting some Polish chicks when they arrive as well as a couple of Frizzles and when all is said and done our little flock needs to number approx. 6 chickens or so. Anyway, any suggestions on how to get and maintain the "air exchange" are much appreciated, as well as perhaps a different idea of what a brooder should be like!

 

[Sugar Sand Farm]

If you are using a plastic tub as a brooder you do not have to keep the top covered. They will have enough heat with it. I have used cardboard boxes, plastic totes, cages, I have never worried about air exchange. I brood my chicks in the spare bedroom and outside in a baby coop. Both rooms have windows that when the temps are good I open the room gets enough ventilation so the chicks are fine. It isnt as complicated as some make it out to be. If you keep the chicks warm, fed,watered they will be fine. They dont need any extras I have read on here where people want to supplement their chick starter. It isnt necessary that feed is designed to be a complete diet. Of course we want to spoil them but I think they are healthier without all the goodies. Let them grow alittle before messing with their little stomaches.. As long as they receive the right food they are fine. Relax and stop reading you are making yourself worry. I have raised alot of chicks. Right now I have 48 in one brooder, 15 in another, 12 in another and 5 in another. I very rarely lose a chick. They are alot more sturdy than you think, Hope this helps If you have any more questions you can PM me and I will try to answer you. Micki

 

[muddypuddles]

I kept my chicks in a bird cage on the floor of the bathroom for the first few weeks

and they survived! I guess its a good thing that I didn't read up on chickens until they were almost full grown or I would have freaked that I was doing it all wrong! Anyway, all my chicks have survived. Relax and have fun is my advice. All they need is food and water and warmth. and they will let you know if they aren't happy--its amazing how loud they can get when they're unhappy

 

[fluffychicksmomma]

Thank you very much for your replies, its helping me calm down, LOL! Yeah, I was starting to think maybe I'm just getting informational over-load. I told my daughter and hubby last night, "well, I have read and read and read, and what I have learned is----we can't raise baby chicks!" The both looked at me like I was slightly nuts but thats not unusual. Anyway, thanks for the info.! : )

 

[Chickens-246]

It really doesn't take much venting to accomplish 6 air exchanges in 24 hours. A brooder has hot and cold air exchanging constantly. The main idea is to remove humidity, just like in a coop, to avoid ammonia issues.

 

[fluffychicksmomma]

I thought my sanitation would be the main factor to avoid ammonia, but I can see how that would be a problem. Geez, I hope it will help that its really, really dry here.

 

[Chickens-246]

The brooder heaters alone will dry things up pretty well (if correctly sized). I made a real cool brooder for this years batch (look for 'automatic brooder' thread). It has very little venting, the main reason is retaining heat for the 40-50° nights (brooder in the garage). When I gets chicks, I will be monitoring the humidity level and watching for ammonia closely. I can change venting on a whim with it occupied.

 

[Jess N Jeff]

Deep cleansing breaths....chickens should be fun, don't stress...breath........

You seem to be doing good so far. Water, heat, food, nice brooder...you got it covered!!!

 

[WoodlandWoman]

Your tub is a great brooder. I've raised chicks in tubs and even the cardboard box an upright freezer was shipped in. It's really pretty easy to raise chicks. This is a great time of year to get chicks, too. Not too cold or too hot.

Just make sure your brooder is set up tonight. Make sure the temperature is what it should be. Have some paper towels down on the bottom and put some marbles in the waterer, to keep them from drowning.

I like to have some sugar water and an eye dropper or syringe available, in case any look weak when they arrive. I've never needed to do it, but if any are weak, you can put drops of sugar water along the opening of their beak, one at a time, to give them strength and rehydrate them. They shouldn't need it, though.

All of mine have just had their beaks dipped into the water and been set down in the brooder. They eventually drink and peck at the few bits of food I sprinkled on the paper towels. They start to peck at the food in the feeder. They spend a lot of time sleeping, too, as it's been a big trip. Once they are warm and full, they really like a good sleep. It's really fun to watch them.

The only thing I really do after they're in the brooder is watch to see if it looks like they are drinking and eating ok. If I see any that aren't, I just re-dip their beak in the water, to help them figure it out. Usually though, the slower or shyer chicks watch what the bolder chicks are doing and copy it.

I think you are going to have a great time and do a great job. You'll certainly have a lot of people here to help you with any questions, if you are worried about anything. It really is fun.

 

[TC_BokBok]

I just wrote an article on my blog about having your "checklist" for a new brooder setup and I think it's pretty rational and down to earth. Maybe it can help if you're looking for YET more info to read but it's not that much honestly.

Hope it helps.
http://tcbokbok.blogspot.com/