Keeping chicks warm during power outages

[RubylovesRice]

How can I keep my chicks warm when I have a power outage? Usually I have them an outbuilding in a wooden box with a shop light and a heating pad. Last night we had a power outage, so I put all 9 chicks (2.5 weeks old) in a cat carrier with wood shavings and set them near the wood stove. The air temp in the cat carrier got up to 92 degrees. It was crowded and they didn't have much room to move around (next week the cat carrier will be too small to hold all of them). One chick was panting, so this might have been too warm. What did they do in the "old days" before generators?

Sometimes we have outages that last for days and outdoor temperatures in the 30s & 40s. I worry that the power will go out at night and I'll have a box of dead chicks in the morning.

Any ideas??

Buying a generator is not an option for me.

Thanks,

Ruby

 

[cheapcheap_jeepjeep]

Well I may not be much help but could you use hot water bottles? When my furnace broke this yr I boiled water to keep things warm, but I have a electric stove.

hope it helps some

 

[keljonma]

You could surround them with straw bales and put a tarp over most of the top.

You could also heat up some bricks or rocks on the wood stove, wrap them in blankets and put them in the straw bale house.

If you have some old blankets or towels you don't mind getting chick poo on, you could put those down and then some bedding on top of it in the straw bale house.

Their combined heat should help keep them warm as long as they aren't in any drafts.


I can't think of anything else off the top of my head......

 

[allen wranch]

If you are using a wood stove for heat and they are less than six weeks, bringing them in house is a good idea. A big box, bigger than the dog crate, would work. You don't have to put it real close to the stove. Cover with a blanket (leave room for ventilation) to help conserve heat.