Greetings to everyone!
I wanted to share my experiences and methods I use in my brooders, so you can give it a try and keep chicks warm without any supplemental heat.
When I hatched my first group of chicks, I was very overprotective of them, not having previous experiences, I did everything the way I think most people do, they had a heat lamp, and lived in my room until I decided to move them out. That time I had 13 chicks only, and after the second week it was really hard to keep them inside the brooder. They made everything full of dust, and grew out of the space I could give them very fast. The last years I already had 50+ chicks hatching, so keeping them inside is very much impossible. In the storage I have a stall I built for bunnies, but already wasn't in use for a time, so we gave it a wire roof for predator protection and transformed it into a brooder. My problem was that there we have no electricity, and moving it there wouldn't be safe or comfortable, so I needed other options.
The 'warming box' I came up with traps the warmth chicks produce and don't let it escape easy. Chicks aren't reptiles so they shouldn't need a warmed environment, instead they need something to replace their feathers until they have them.
My first attempt was still over the needed as I see now, being worried as it was winter the first time I had chicks outside, and things worked out great, but they are a lot more tough than I would imagine.
THE FIRST BOX
I used a cardboard box 40x60 cm in size, and made it about 20 cm tall. Insulated the inside with heat reflecting foil and made several little ribbon curtains in the back half, made of a polar fleece blanket, and cut it to be of little lines, carefully trimming the excess for don't reach the ground.
On the box I made a small door (which I carefully closed with a cage piece for the nights preventing chicks accidentally falling out to the cold) , and that was the only opening.
To that I connected a ring of cardboard for the chicks stay safe and don't get lost before learning how to go back, but to can be outside the box, eat and drink. To encourage them enter the box I used a bicycle lamp at the door to make it bright. Also I found it problematic if the 'run' had corners, the chicks gathered there and didn't enter the box, so making the run round solved this problem.
This was my first try, with freezing temperatures outside and 2-6 °C in the building, from the first day of the chicks.
After the first days (when I had the 5 weakest die) I didn't have many deaths, maybe one or two of the 50 in the middle of winter. After they grew out of the box, I replaced it with a bigger, uninsulated cardboard box for sleep in it for the night, but they already didn't enter for warmth at that age, around 3 weeks.
This box I used with the next group at that spring, I had chicks from here, and eggs from another farm. All but one chicks from the other farm died one after the other for no visible reason, leaving my 20+ chicks alone, still growing up great in the same box. After this I chose to get rid of the box, it already get very much used.
GETTING LAZY
This year I finally ended up finishing the next years project of brooding outside in the run.
(This time the chicks are a week old, I had them inside the house because it was raining heavily on that week, and it seemed easier this way for myself. On the first week they were in an uninsulated cardboard box 40x60cm made to be about chick height when closed, only having a door cut open for them, tried it empty, as putting the curtain took a lot of time, in the house it really wasn't even needed, and they already didn't use it at day 5, only to sleep. It was connected to an open box with their food and water in it.)
In the outside run the house I used is an old, triangle shaped bunny house i made, if I remember correctly it's 50x50cm at the base. It have a wood on the side which is openable, the hole covered with a piece of a cage to be predator proof, but also offer extra ventilation in hot weather. Its still closed, planning to open it later as they get bigger. Until that over that wood there is a half cm open line on one side, and the windows you can see. The day the door is also completely open but locked for the night.
This time I gathered four mop heads (they have ribbons, not strings) and tied them to the roof so they cover 2/3 of the room inside. I didn't have much time figuring out something elegant, so I just went the easy way.
The first time I put them in the house, but they chose to be in the run all day and they entered the house for the night by themselves. The weather now is around 7°C, coldest weather we can expect now, and they're mostly outside still, entering for some time to warm up.
The temperature I measured inside with the probe was 32,7°C (sure not highest, as the probe layed on the ground) and they had the door open, so I imagine they can make it warmer if it's closed in the night.
The first two days I had a ring in front of the house, to prevent chicks getting lost, after I removed it, and they are already using the half of the run. As they learn to enter the original house of the run, (as that will be their next home) or get too big before that, I will let them use the whole thing. Also the first day I offered another waterer, as they needed some time to get used to this type.
SMALL SCALE
This group had some special care chicks, one that refused to eat for being too weak (already got strong and will stay as company for the other) and one with a slipped tendon I couldn't fix with anything I tried. They are still in the house and they use a box of the same type. The first week they also had 4 other friends for company. As soon as the wound of the slipped tendon chick heals, they will go with the others, as she got very good moving around.
For them I simply cut a door on a small box (a little less than 20x20x20cm) and hung a piece of polar fleece cut the same way in ribbons, this time only making two curtains until the half of the box. They are fine, never made sound of being cold even after staying alone the two. Here I never used a light source to encourage them entering the door, they found it very easily.
This way, reducing the size of the box I could easily use the same method for a small group as well, so it can be a great alternative for anyone. I would encourage everyone who would like to try this method, as it is safe, reducing the amount of electricity you use in raising chicks as you can just switch off everything after they hatch, and get chicks get used to day and night cycles that they had a problem with for me after using the heat lamp. Also it helps their eyes to rest and develop comfortably without constant, red light on them, seeing the colours they also won't start pecking at each other after moving to sunlight. I will definitely not return to any other methods, and I'm happy I don't have to be picky about the materials and can use a simple mop, because it makes it fast to make the brooder also.
I wanted to share my experiences and methods I use in my brooders, so you can give it a try and keep chicks warm without any supplemental heat.
When I hatched my first group of chicks, I was very overprotective of them, not having previous experiences, I did everything the way I think most people do, they had a heat lamp, and lived in my room until I decided to move them out. That time I had 13 chicks only, and after the second week it was really hard to keep them inside the brooder. They made everything full of dust, and grew out of the space I could give them very fast. The last years I already had 50+ chicks hatching, so keeping them inside is very much impossible. In the storage I have a stall I built for bunnies, but already wasn't in use for a time, so we gave it a wire roof for predator protection and transformed it into a brooder. My problem was that there we have no electricity, and moving it there wouldn't be safe or comfortable, so I needed other options.
The 'warming box' I came up with traps the warmth chicks produce and don't let it escape easy. Chicks aren't reptiles so they shouldn't need a warmed environment, instead they need something to replace their feathers until they have them.
My first attempt was still over the needed as I see now, being worried as it was winter the first time I had chicks outside, and things worked out great, but they are a lot more tough than I would imagine.
THE FIRST BOX
I used a cardboard box 40x60 cm in size, and made it about 20 cm tall. Insulated the inside with heat reflecting foil and made several little ribbon curtains in the back half, made of a polar fleece blanket, and cut it to be of little lines, carefully trimming the excess for don't reach the ground.
On the box I made a small door (which I carefully closed with a cage piece for the nights preventing chicks accidentally falling out to the cold) , and that was the only opening.
To that I connected a ring of cardboard for the chicks stay safe and don't get lost before learning how to go back, but to can be outside the box, eat and drink. To encourage them enter the box I used a bicycle lamp at the door to make it bright. Also I found it problematic if the 'run' had corners, the chicks gathered there and didn't enter the box, so making the run round solved this problem.
This was my first try, with freezing temperatures outside and 2-6 °C in the building, from the first day of the chicks.
After the first days (when I had the 5 weakest die) I didn't have many deaths, maybe one or two of the 50 in the middle of winter. After they grew out of the box, I replaced it with a bigger, uninsulated cardboard box for sleep in it for the night, but they already didn't enter for warmth at that age, around 3 weeks.
This box I used with the next group at that spring, I had chicks from here, and eggs from another farm. All but one chicks from the other farm died one after the other for no visible reason, leaving my 20+ chicks alone, still growing up great in the same box. After this I chose to get rid of the box, it already get very much used.
GETTING LAZY
This year I finally ended up finishing the next years project of brooding outside in the run.
(This time the chicks are a week old, I had them inside the house because it was raining heavily on that week, and it seemed easier this way for myself. On the first week they were in an uninsulated cardboard box 40x60cm made to be about chick height when closed, only having a door cut open for them, tried it empty, as putting the curtain took a lot of time, in the house it really wasn't even needed, and they already didn't use it at day 5, only to sleep. It was connected to an open box with their food and water in it.)
In the outside run the house I used is an old, triangle shaped bunny house i made, if I remember correctly it's 50x50cm at the base. It have a wood on the side which is openable, the hole covered with a piece of a cage to be predator proof, but also offer extra ventilation in hot weather. Its still closed, planning to open it later as they get bigger. Until that over that wood there is a half cm open line on one side, and the windows you can see. The day the door is also completely open but locked for the night.
This time I gathered four mop heads (they have ribbons, not strings) and tied them to the roof so they cover 2/3 of the room inside. I didn't have much time figuring out something elegant, so I just went the easy way.
The first time I put them in the house, but they chose to be in the run all day and they entered the house for the night by themselves. The weather now is around 7°C, coldest weather we can expect now, and they're mostly outside still, entering for some time to warm up.
The temperature I measured inside with the probe was 32,7°C (sure not highest, as the probe layed on the ground) and they had the door open, so I imagine they can make it warmer if it's closed in the night.
The first two days I had a ring in front of the house, to prevent chicks getting lost, after I removed it, and they are already using the half of the run. As they learn to enter the original house of the run, (as that will be their next home) or get too big before that, I will let them use the whole thing. Also the first day I offered another waterer, as they needed some time to get used to this type.
SMALL SCALE
This group had some special care chicks, one that refused to eat for being too weak (already got strong and will stay as company for the other) and one with a slipped tendon I couldn't fix with anything I tried. They are still in the house and they use a box of the same type. The first week they also had 4 other friends for company. As soon as the wound of the slipped tendon chick heals, they will go with the others, as she got very good moving around.
For them I simply cut a door on a small box (a little less than 20x20x20cm) and hung a piece of polar fleece cut the same way in ribbons, this time only making two curtains until the half of the box. They are fine, never made sound of being cold even after staying alone the two. Here I never used a light source to encourage them entering the door, they found it very easily.
This way, reducing the size of the box I could easily use the same method for a small group as well, so it can be a great alternative for anyone. I would encourage everyone who would like to try this method, as it is safe, reducing the amount of electricity you use in raising chicks as you can just switch off everything after they hatch, and get chicks get used to day and night cycles that they had a problem with for me after using the heat lamp. Also it helps their eyes to rest and develop comfortably without constant, red light on them, seeing the colours they also won't start pecking at each other after moving to sunlight. I will definitely not return to any other methods, and I'm happy I don't have to be picky about the materials and can use a simple mop, because it makes it fast to make the brooder also.
