Consequences of too little heat

[Uzuri]

So I'm doing chicks on water bottles this year, which I think should be no problem since it's been hot enough to just leave them with nothing lately If anything I'm going to have trouble keeping them from overheating. Never experienced a summer like this.

Anyway, despite the fact that I'm confident that I can keep the heat up to where it needs to be, I'm curious. What really*are* the consequences of a chick that's below temp? Now I'm not talking a day-old chick at 40 degrees; I'm talking 10 to 20 degrees under recommended temps.

I know that crowding and crushing is the big one. But are there other consequences?

 

[Judy]

Chicks certainly tolerate being a little cool better than being a little warm. If they aren't piling I don't worry about it. Every chick I've raised has avoided the "correct temp" areas in favor of a bit cooler place. I turned off a heat lamp on 3 week olds being raised in the coop, with nights in the 60's, because they were sleeping about 6' from it, as far away as the pen would let them get. In my opinion, the answer to the question is, nothing. Or maybe, they will grow out a little faster and be a little healthier.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Quote:
X2

Make sure they have lots of shade in this heat.
Having raised chicks in all temps I much prefer cool/cold.

 

[Chick15]

how do yu mean chicks on water bottles? i have never heard that before.

 

[Amyable]

They will feather out faster too.

 

[Uzuri]

Quote:
All you need to raise peeps is a heat source of some sort. Everyone's used to using lamps, but you can use a woodstove (not in august, I hope ), heat mats, ceramic heaters, your central heat (if you're crazy), chemical heat packets (you'll go broke), microwaveable heat packets (ewwwwww!), a hen, or bottles of some sort full of hot water. I'm going with the latter. There's a risk to using them (flooding) but it can be mitigated (of course, there's a risk to lamps, too -- fire). Water holds heat a long, long time, especially in the temps we're having now.

 

[GardenState38]

Quote:
All you need to raise peeps is a heat source of some sort. Everyone's used to using lamps, but you can use a woodstove (not in august, I hope ), heat mats, ceramic heaters, your central heat (if you're crazy), chemical heat packets (you'll go broke), microwaveable heat packets (ewwwwww!), a hen, or bottles of some sort full of hot water. I'm going with the latter. There's a risk to using them (flooding) but it can be mitigated (of course, there's a risk to lamps, too -- fire). Water holds heat a long, long time, especially in the temps we're having now.

That's really interesting! I'd never heard of that before, either. Something to definitely keep in mind when/if I ever raise another batch of chicks.
(Who am I kidding? My first 5 aren't even 3 weeks old and I'm already thinking about how many more I can fit in my coop/yard!!)

 

[Wildflower_VA]

This would not apply to chicks being brooded in the summer, but what happens to chicks brooded without enough heat in cold weather is that they don't put weight on as fast because they are using up all their energy (calories) staying warm and growing feathers faster than usual. They would catch up weight wise as soon as they had feathers to keep them warm. I think a chick raised on the cool side is much more hardy.

 

[Uzuri]

They're definitely pottering around happily out there with nothing right now and it's 84 out.

Though I think these chicks might have been eating rocket fuel. Wild little beasties this year.