Using a heat plate outside for baby chicks?

[aer11]

We just lost almost our entire flock to a very inventive raccoon (we are guessing). We are fixing the problem, and are now looking to essentially start over.

I have always used a heat lamp in the past, but the fear of fire has always made me nervous. And I have always raised my chicks in the summer, which in Texas, only requires nighttime heating past the first few weeks.

Now, I am looking to raise some chicks in the winter, if possible. I am looking at purchasing a chick plate, but I was wondering, can I use them outside? How cold can they keep the chicks warm? Where I live, it can sometimes (rarely, but it can) get down to the 20s at night. Would a chick heat plate keep baby chicks warm in that environment?

Suggestions for chick plates, if appropriate for outdoor winter in Texas, would be appreciated!

<<Edited to add: I do plan to keep the chicks indoors for the first two weeks. And then I typically move them outside during the day, and bring them inside at night for another week or two. I do this even in the summer. >>

Thank you!

Annemarie

 

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

Hello and welcome to BYC! Glad to have you join our community. I do e some experience with the brooder plates. I used a heat lamp for my first chicks, then switched to a brooder plate for my second batch. The brooder plate IMHO is by far better and safer than the heat lamp. The chicks warm up under the plate when they feel cold, then wander about the brooder when they feel comfortable doing so. If your coop/brooder set-up is free from drafts then they should be fine. However, I would try to avoid temperatures in the 20's for the first two weeks. I'm sure our more experienced chicken keepers will weigh in on this. Best of luck with your wee ones.

 

[DobieLover]

We just lost almost our entire flock to a very inventive raccoon (we are guessing). We are fixing the problem, and are now looking to essentially start over.

I have always used a heat lamp in the past, but the fear of fire has always made me nervous. And I have always raised my chicks in the summer, which in Texas, only requires nighttime heating past the first few weeks.

Now, I am looking to raise some chicks in the winter, if possible. I am looking at purchasing a chick plate, but I was wondering, can I use them outside? How cold can they keep the chicks warm? Where I live, it can sometimes (rarely, but it can) get down to the 20s at night. Would a chick heat plate keep baby chicks warm in that environment?

Suggestions for chick plates, if appropriate for outdoor winter in Texas, would be appreciated!

Thank you!

Annemarie

I have a built-in brooder in my coop. I raised my 2-day old chicks out in the coop in April in NY.

The area I have the brooder plate is shielded on three sides with solid walls to protect the warm area from drafts. I put a towel over the top of the brooder plate so it draped over the back and sides. I also slanted the plate so it was lower in the back and higher in the front. The chicks did absolutely fine.

This is some of them on a 23F morning buzzing around.

 

[aer11]

I have a built-in brooder in my coop. I raised my 2-day old chicks out in the coop in April in NY.

The area I have the brooder plate is shielded on three sides with solid walls to protect the warm area from drafts. I put a towel over the top of the brooder plate so it draped over the back and sides. I also slanted the plate so it was lower in the back and higher in the front. The chicks did absolutely fine.

This is some of them on a 23F morning buzzing around.

View attachment 1949088
View attachment 1949090

Thank you! Your brooder looks amazing... and I love your little roost. I am definitely going to build one of those! But where is the heating plate? Doesn't it hang, or on legs above the chickens? Or is this a floor heat plate?

 

[aer11]

Thanks,

Hello and welcome to BYC! Glad to have you join our community. I do e some experience with the brooder plates. I used a heat lamp for my first chicks, then switched to a brooder plate for my second batch. The brooder plate IMHO is by far better and safer than the heat lamp. The chicks warm up under the plate when they feel cold, then wander about the brooder when they feel comfortable doing so. If your coop/brooder set-up is free from drafts then they should be fine. However, I would try to avoid temperatures in the 20's for the first two weeks. I'm sure our more experienced chicken keepers will weigh in on this. Best of luck with your wee ones.

Thank you for your reply! I wasn't clear in my first post. I do plan to keep the chicks indoors for at least 2 weeks. But after that, I am ready to move them out... Glad to know you think the brooder plate will work in low 20s after they are two weeks old. Eases my concerns some

 

[DobieLover]

Thank you! Your brooder looks amazing... and I love your little roost. I am definitely going to build one of those! But where is the heating plate? Doesn't it hang, or on legs above the chickens? Or is this a floor heat plate?

It's on adjustable legs under the towel.

 

[DobieLover]

Thanks,

Thank you for your reply! I wasn't clear in my first post. I do plan to keep the chicks indoors for at least 2 weeks. But after that, I am ready to move them out... Glad to know you think the brooder plate will work in low 20s after they are two weeks old. Eases my concerns some

I'll repeat: mine were in the outdoor brooder from the day they arrived from the hatchery. They were exposed to sod clumps at 4 days old when I transitioned them to pine shavings for bedding. They were on the ground at about 4.5 weeks old when I finished building the brooder run. I provide chick grit in the first week... just like a broody mom does!
I left the light on in the brooder room for the first three days so they could eat all they wanted. After that, the lights were turned off so the chicks could adapt a normal circadian rhythm of sleep.

 

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

It's on adjustable legs under the towel.
View attachment 1949134

I’m glad you confirmed what I thought @DobieLover. I can’t brood indoors anymore because of the dust, so my next batch will be outside. Thank you.

 

[wyoDreamer]

I used a Mama Heating pad for my first 2 sets of chicks - both were 1 day old chickens bought in April in Wisconsin and brooded in the barn. Note - our barn does not have nay other animals in ot to keep teh temps higher than external temps. April in Wisconsin is average low 27*F and average high is 47*F - I know it got down to 10 degrees a couple of times. They all did great, fully feathered by 4 weeks, active from day 1.
My last set of chicks was purchased at the end of July and they used a heater plate that sat on the floor of the coop. They slept on it and did just fine. If it had not been hot outside; July has 90*F days and 65-70*F nights, I probably would have made a cave with the plate and a towel so they could sleep under it if they preferred.

 

[Morrigan]

I've brooded outside with heating plates twice now.

The first time I did it much like you did, inside for two weeks, then in an outside brooder with the heating plate. It worked out fine, but setting up two brooders, and having chicks in the house wasn't ideal.

The second time, I put them in an outside brooder with a heating plate on day 1. The brooder was an old rabbit hutch that we insulated around 3 sides, and then I loosely draped a towel over the front at night to keep out drafts. I was paranoid, so I also put a cozy-coop heating plate along one side, in addition to the brooding plate. Temps were down into the lows 40s that first night. When I went out to check there were the chicken at first light, and there they were bouncing happily around.

Having done it both ways, I wouldn't go back to inside brooding again. Either way, I recommend putting a pan of dirt/clump of sod from your yard with them from the beginning.