Advice on temp regulation in brooder?

[arielbaxtermiller]

Hey folks!

My housemates and I just got our very first batch of chicks and we are super psyched about raising them! We are having some issues keeping their brooder at 95 degrees so I wanted to tell ya'll what we're doing and see if anyone has any ideas of what we can do better.

Ours chicks are currently 5 days old. We have been keeping them in this cardboard box with a blanket over the top and two desk lamps inside (our heat lamp hasn't come in the mail yet!). we also have a small heating pad underneath the box.

We are using a food thermometer to keep track of the temperature. We have noticed that in the middle of the box it is sometimes reaching 105 degrees, while on the side with the lamps its at 100 and on the side without is around 95 (we poked holes in the box to insert the thermoter, then covered the holes with cardboard.)

It was around 105 last night at 1130 so I turned one of the lamps off; I woke up to use the restroom at 2 am and discovered it was 80 degrees in there! So I turned the lamp on again and this morning, it was 105 again. I've kept the mat underneath the box at around 100 degrees.

Anyhoo, attach is some pictures and a video. Generally when we check on them they are demonstrating this level of activity.

Any tips would be appreciated! Thanks!

 

[arielbaxtermiller]

here is the video

 

[SueT]

In the 80s is probably fine at 5 days. If chicks are too cold they will huddle together, so monitor that. It is important to have a cooler area for them to use. Cooler as in ambient room temperature.
Mama hen will take babies outdoors at that age, and they will spend lots of time not under her.
Don't overheat them! Good luck!

 

[aart]

That blanket gave me the <shudders>....Fire Hazard!
You're going to need a bigger brooder box soon.
Got your coop ready to go?

Here's my notes on chick heat, hope something in there might help:

They need to be pretty warm(~85-90F on the brooder floor right under the lamp and 10-20 degrees cooler at the other end of brooder) for the first day or two, especially if they have been shipped, until they get to eating, drinking and moving around well. But after that it's best to keep them as cool as possible for optimal feather growth and quicker acclimation to outside temps. A lot of chick illnesses are attributed to too warm of a brooder. I do think it's a good idea to use a thermometer on the floor of the brooder to check the temps, especially when new at brooding, later I still use it but more out of curiosity than need.

The best indicator of heat levels is to watch their behavior:
-If they are huddled/piled up right under the lamp and cheeping very loudly, they are too cold.
-If they are spread out on the absolute edges of the brooder as far from the lamp as possible, panting and/or cheeping very loudly, they are too hot.
-If they sleep around the edge of the lamp calmly just next to each other and spend time running all around the brooder they are juuuust right!

The lamp is best at one end of the brooder with food/water at the other cooler end of the brooder, so they can get away from the heat or be under it as needed. Wattage of 'heat' bulb depends on size of brooder and ambient temperature of room brooder is in. Regular incandescent bulbs can be used, you might not need a 'heat bulb'. If you do use a heat bulb make sure it's specifically for poultry, some heat bulbs for food have teflon coatings that can kill birds. You can get red colored incandescent bulbs at a reptile supply source. A dimmer extension cord is an excellent way to adjust the output of the bulb to change the heat without changing the height of the lamp.


Or you could go with a heat plate, commercially made or DIY: http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/pseudo-brooder-heater-plate

 

[rosemarythyme]

Week old chicks don't need to be kept at a constant 95 degrees (I disagree with 95, I think it's too hot anyhow.) They need some variation in temperature, so don't overheat them in an effort to keep them warm. Best to concentrate all your heat in one corner/one half, which it looks like the lamps are currently set up for.

That blanket makes me nervous as well. It's also blocking up all their ventilation. Get some wire mesh and secure it down for a safe cover.

You mentioned having a heating pad. I'd strongly urge you to consider using something like aart's heating pad or look up "mama heating pad" on here for build suggestions, then ditch the lamps and the blankets completely.

 

[arielbaxtermiller]

wow thanks so much for the tips!

Rosemary: When you talk about ditching the blankets, are you saying it should just be open at the top?

Thanks so much for your advice!

 

[rosemarythyme]

Rosemary: When you talk about ditching the blankets, are you saying it should just be open at the top?

Open to air flow but covered for safety. A wire mesh such as hardware cloth is the best option. By 1 week old chicks are going to start hopping and climbing on things. By 2 weeks, those chicks will be able to jump a good 24" straight up.

 

[arielbaxtermiller]

yes they have definitely started hopping! We are going to move them to a bigger space soon.

Thanks so much!

 

[ChocolateMouse]

Aart has the right of it. Here's a picture of some chicks perfectly cozy in my brooder. See how they're nicely spread out right on the edge of the light? Perfect.

 

[BitterSweetCitrus]

Ariel Instead of using cardboard boxes and food thermometers you can use other alternatives like a storage bin, fish/reptile tank, and/or reptile thermometers. My family and I have found that plastic and glass are better insulators as far as brooders. For thermometers, reptile ones are more reliable as they are used for very similar purposes! Also, if you keep having problems with your heating, try buying another bulb, usually that's the problem!