Chicks in the garage

[Lily V]

Hello, the store we purchased our chicks from called and alerted me that our chicks are in fact coming tomorrow instead of next month (today was the original day this is the third time the date has changed). We are wondering if we live in Michigan can we put the chicks in the garage in four weeks? We keep our garage at 40-50 degrees and have the ability to make a bigger area for them in the garage but we do t want to hurt our chicks. We have a brooder, a heat lamp, and one of the brooder heat plate things. We are new to this and need advice. I cannot stress enough that the the chicks health is of the utmost importance. This pic is of our laundry room area that we have set up currently (we are testing the heat lamp currently).

 

[Noraaaaa]

Since you have a large heat lamp and a small area you may be able to leave it! Can you put a thermometer under the lamp? Check the chart bellow to find the right temps. And make sure it will stay overnight!

SORCE FOR CHART

Age	Brooding Temperature
0 to 1 week	93° to 95°F (33.9° to 35°C)
1 to 2 weeks	88° to 90°F (31.1° to 32.2°C)
2 to 3 weeks	83° to 85°F (28.3° to 29.4°C)
3 to 4 weeks	78° to 80°F (25.6° to 26.7°C)
4 to 5 weeks	75°F (23.9°C)
5 to 6 weeks	70°F (21.1°C)
6 weeks and over	Comfort Zone 50° to 70°F (10° to 21.1°C)

 

[CalgaryFarmer]

Recheck the temperature with a thermometer once you have relocated them to the garage. If it gets cold at night in the garage, you may want to use that as a basis to check and monitor temperature.

If the garage changes temperature because it gets colder outside then recheck the temperature.

Also, check for drafts. It may be drafty near windows or the garage door.

 

[Lily V]

Since you have a large heat lamp and a small area you may be able to leave it! Can you put a thermometer under the lamp? Check the chart bellow to find the right temps. And make sure it will stay overnight!

SORCE FOR CHART

​

Age	Brooding Temperature
0 to 1 week	93° to 95°F (33.9° to 35°C)
1 to 2 weeks	88° to 90°F (31.1° to 32.2°C)
2 to 3 weeks	83° to 85°F (28.3° to 29.4°C)
3 to 4 weeks	78° to 80°F (25.6° to 26.7°C)
4 to 5 weeks	75°F (23.9°C)
5 to 6 weeks	70°F (21.1°C)
6 weeks and over	Comfort Zone 50° to 70°F (10° to 21.1°C)

I LOVE this chart, thank you very much. We want to keep them in our laundry room as long as possible but I am concerned about running out of room in there. If we move them to the garage in a month or so we can set aside a 10x10 area (still with heaters) but cannot find anything about whether it will be too cold in the garage. Our garage is heated with a furnace but only to 40-50 degrees.

In this picture my husband and I are trying to figure out the temps (or an estimated temp) for different heights of that lamp. We really want our chicks to be safe. We will be getting twelve that is why space is of a concern for us.

 

[Lily V]

Recheck the temperature with a thermometer once you have relocated them to the garage. If it gets cold at night in the garage, you may want to use that as a basis to check and monitor temperature.

If the garage changes temperature because it gets colder outside then recheck the temperature.

Also, check for drafts. It may be drafty near windows or the garage door.

Thank you!

 

[Finnie]

If you have a heat plate, you can brood them in the garage without the heat lamp. They will go under the heat plate when they need to, and run around eating, drinking, playing the rest of the time.

Since you already have the heat lamp set up in the laundry room, I would start them out there for a few days so you can watch them easier, and then when you’re tired of the dust in the laundry room, move them to the garage with the heat plate.

You don’t need a thermometer. With your heat lamp setup, you will know the temp is too cold if the chicks are crying incessantly and standing in a group huddle under the lamp. Lower the lamp. You will know it is too hot if the chicks are spread out as far as they can get from the lamp and pancaking themselves out flat in an attempt to cool off. Or are panting. Raise the lamp. It is just right if they are running around eating and drinking and seemingly happy.

It’s a good thing you have a way to raise the lamp. I wouldn’t be surprised if that size brooder gets overheated. If you can’t raise the lamp high enough and the chicks still seem overly hot, then moving them to the cooler garage might be just the thing to balance the heat of the lamp. (If you are using the lamp instead of the heat plate.)

Don’t use them both at the same time unless you build a brooder with a much bigger footprint. You didn’t say how many chicks you are getting. You will need to expand at some point.

 

[Noraaaaa]

I LOVE this chart, thank you very much. We want to keep them in our laundry room as long as possible but I am concerned about running out of room in there. If we move them to the garage in a month or so we can set aside a 10x10 area (still with heaters) but cannot find anything about whether it will be too cold in the garage. Our garage is heated with a furnace but only to 40-50 degrees.

In this picture my husband and I are trying to figure out the temps (or an estimated temp) for different heights of that lamp. We really want our chicks to be safe. We will be getting twelve that is why space is of a concern for us.

Great ideas! God luck!!!

 

[Ridgerunner]

I personally do not like heat lamps inside the house. I assume your house is climate controlled and your temperatures are in the 70's Fahrenheit. Inside a house with a relatively small brooder it is easy to overheat the chicks. I strongly suggest that inside your house you use the heat plate and not the heat lamp.

A broody hen can raise chicks even in freezing temperatures without any supplemental heat. They come out to eat, drink, and play until they get cold then they go back under her to warm up. Their first two or three days they tend to spend a lot of time under her but soon they spend a surprising amount of time in the cold.

Good post from Finnie.

I understand these are your first and you are really worried. Having them in your house is probably best for you. But many of us (me included) have the brooder in the main coop. Totally unheated coop. I put chicks in there straight from the incubator or post office, even with temperatures below freezing. I use a heat lamp to keep one area toasty warm even in the coldest temperatures but the brooder is big enough and ventilation good enough that in the warmest weather they can find a cool spot. On really cold days there might be frost on the brooder walls but the chicks have a toasty area. Inside your garage it doesn't get that cold so you can set up the heat plate or heat lamp either one. Just make sure it does not overheat if you use the heat lamp and the weather gets warm.

Most chicks feather out by 4 to maybe 5 weeks old. Once they are fully feathered they can handle the temperatures in your garage. As long as you can do it safely there is nothing wrong with providing them a warm spot. It will not hurt a thing. But don't be shocked if they decide not to use it.

 

[Lily V]

If you have a heat plate, you can brood them in the garage without the heat lamp. They will go under the heat plate when they need to, and run around eating, drinking, playing the rest of the time.

Since you already have the heat lamp set up in the laundry room, I would start them out there for a few days so you can watch them easier, and then when you’re tired of the dust in the laundry room, move them to the garage with the heat plate.

You don’t need a thermometer. With your heat lamp setup, you will know the temp is too cold if the chicks are crying incessantly and standing in a group huddle under the lamp. Lower the lamp. You will know it is too hot if the chicks are spread out as far as they can get from the lamp and pancaking themselves out flat in an attempt to cool off. Or are panting. Raise the lamp. It is just right if they are running around eating and drinking and seemingly happy.

It’s a good thing you have a way to raise the lamp. I wouldn’t be surprised if that size brooder gets overheated. If you can’t raise the lamp high enough and the chicks still seem overly hot, then moving them to the cooler garage might be just the thing to balance the heat of the lamp. (If you are using the lamp instead of the heat plate.)

Don’t use them both at the same time unless you build a brooder with a much bigger footprint. You didn’t say how many chicks you are getting. You will need to expand at some point.

We are getting twelve chicks. And we can comfortably for them all in this brooder for now but moving them to the garage would mean I could have all twelve in a ten by ten area with heater brooder plate or heat lamp. I really just want to make sure that they will be warm enough. It is around 10 degrees out today but our garage is heated at between 40-50 degrees and I heard that may not be warm enough even with the heat lamp or brooder plate.

 

[Ilovemychicks08]

Yes you can absolutely keep them in the garage. I live in Wisconsin and have similar temps.
You have a brooder plate and a heat lamp so 2 heat sources. raise the heat lamp if its to warm. To find if its to warm just use a thermometer.
I do always lay something under the brooder to keep the bottom off the concrete.