Rocking Bars
In the Brooder
- Jul 8, 2021
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Hello,
I don’t post often but love the great information on this board!
Hubby and I are going out of town next week for our son’s wedding and we are finishing up a big coop for our adult chickens, and repurposing our old coop for our 4 week old chicks.
The old coop/now brooder is solid, not drafty, but not insulated. Right now they are in the garage under a heat lamp in a huge box, and the temp is around 80 under the light and 70 elsewhere in the box. The garage temp is around 50-60. We do not want to have a heat lamp in the garage while we are out of town, and feel better having it securely attached in the coop. That way even if the unthinkable happens (fire), it affects the brooder coop and not our home or barn. I wish there were a better way, we have an ecoglow, but have also had those stop working. But we will have both in the coop for the chicks.
My biggest concern is we will be having a cold snap the next few days with temps getting in the high 20’s/low 30’s at night. The day we leave the low will be 40. The highs will be between 55 and 69. Our plan is to set the coop up now, run the lamp, take out any roosts near the lamp, and run wire screen under it “just in case”. We will check the thermometer often for a few days so we have an idea how well the brooder holds heat, then move the chicks out there.
we have to decide whether to put them out the day we leave since temps won’t be freezing that night or the day before which will be low 30s.
I just don’t know how well heat lamps work in an enclosed area. The area is 6x6 so they have room to get away from the heat as well.
My farm sitter will be checking on them daily as well.
Does this sound like a plan? Anything I’m missing?
I don’t post often but love the great information on this board!
Hubby and I are going out of town next week for our son’s wedding and we are finishing up a big coop for our adult chickens, and repurposing our old coop for our 4 week old chicks.
The old coop/now brooder is solid, not drafty, but not insulated. Right now they are in the garage under a heat lamp in a huge box, and the temp is around 80 under the light and 70 elsewhere in the box. The garage temp is around 50-60. We do not want to have a heat lamp in the garage while we are out of town, and feel better having it securely attached in the coop. That way even if the unthinkable happens (fire), it affects the brooder coop and not our home or barn. I wish there were a better way, we have an ecoglow, but have also had those stop working. But we will have both in the coop for the chicks.
My biggest concern is we will be having a cold snap the next few days with temps getting in the high 20’s/low 30’s at night. The day we leave the low will be 40. The highs will be between 55 and 69. Our plan is to set the coop up now, run the lamp, take out any roosts near the lamp, and run wire screen under it “just in case”. We will check the thermometer often for a few days so we have an idea how well the brooder holds heat, then move the chicks out there.
we have to decide whether to put them out the day we leave since temps won’t be freezing that night or the day before which will be low 30s.
I just don’t know how well heat lamps work in an enclosed area. The area is 6x6 so they have room to get away from the heat as well.
My farm sitter will be checking on them daily as well.
Does this sound like a plan? Anything I’m missing?
