Outdoor Brooder

[Michelle14]

So I have hens, 8 of them to be exact. I picked up 8 chicks last Friday, I recently built a plywood brooder box 4’x2’. My question is I currently have the chicks on my covered deck with a 250 watt heat lamp and a brooder plate inside the brooder box. The heat lamp silt on top of the lid ( made of hardware cloth). I also place a towel covering most of the hardware cloth at night. Would you say that is plenty of heat? Or should I add more heat lamps/brooder plates. Ps I live in Washington state.

 

[nuthatched]

It's better to have less than too much.

 

[rosemarythyme]

x2. It's too much heat. The towel is also a fire hazard with the lamp and blocks of ventilation. Just a brooder plate should be fine, though make sure it's functioning properly in lower temps as many have disclaimers saying they're optimal for use in 50F and above.

This is my outdoor brooder that sits in the run. Ventilation on all 4 sides and I use a heating pad for heat.

 

[Michelle14]

So I live in Washington state. Temps are ranging from high 60’s to low 40’s. Purchased 8 chicks on Friday the 25th. Kept them in a tote in my room till yesterday. I built a 4’x2’ plywood brooder box, that I put underneath my covered deck. I am using both a brooder plate and a heat lamp. Is this a good idea? I found a chick dead this morning unsure if it was too cold. The heat lamp sits on top of the hardware cloth. Do I need to put it closer with a 150 watt bulb vs the 250 watt bulb higher up? Help!!

 

[NatJ]

So I have hens, 8 of them to be exact. I picked up 8 chicks last Friday, I recently built a plywood brooder box 4’x2’. My question is I currently have the chicks on my covered deck with a 250 watt heat lamp and a brooder plate inside the brooder box. The heat lamp silt on top of the lid ( made of hardware cloth). I also place a towel covering most of the hardware cloth at night. Would you say that is plenty of heat? Or should I add more heat lamps/brooder plates. Ps I live in Washington state. View attachment 4110002

Maybe move the heat lamp to the same end that has the brooder plate, and skip the towel. I'm pretty one end will be plenty warm with two heat sources.

Then check the other end with a thermometer. If the far end goes over about 80 degrees in the hot part of the day, unplug the heat lamp during the daytime and leave just the brooder plate. If the far end stays over about 60 degrees at night, unplug the heat lamp at night as well, leaving just the brooder plate at all times. (Basically, you may not need the heat lamp at all, but I'm suggesting a way to check that.)

A broody hen can raise chicks even in weather below freezing (as in, cold enough that ice forms on the water.) The chicks come out to eat and play, then go back under the hen to warm up, then come out again for more eating and playing. You want to provide something similar: one warm place (brooder plate or heat lamp or both), with plenty of cool space for the chicks to run around and spend time. That is the main reason for moving the heat lamp to the end with the brooder plate, if you need the heat lamp at all: you want it away from the other end, so the chicks have a cool place available too.

Most chicks are very good at regulating their own temperature if they are given a choice. They will go to the warm area or the cool area or somewhere in between, depending on what they want at the time.

 

[Yardmom]

You need to watch how the chicks respond to the heat with the lamp. Under lamp peeping, cold. Avoiding under lamp, to hot. Moving in and out of under the lamp just right. Control temp by raising and lowering the lamp.

The brooder plate works differently. It should be a set temperature and height the chicks can touch. They need to go under it like they would go under a hen.

Chicks do not need to be warm all the time. Chicks just need a spot they can warm up as needed like they would with a hen.

You don't need both, but it won't hurt to have both as long as there is space to move away from the heat.

 

[The Moonshiner]

Have you checked what the temperature is underneath that light? I never use 250 w bulbs because I know they can put out a lot of heat.
Your bulb is kind of in the middle there and they look piled up in the corner. Maybe it's too hot and they can't get away from it. Just a thought.

 

[Eggs_Over_EZ]

We have used both, but not at the same time. We used heat plates for our last two hatches and I like them better. As has been mentioned, unless it is really cold , chicks will run in and out of the plate . Even standing on top of them at times. I cannot say for sure, but it seems we had less issues with pasty. It when using the heat plates. The heat is more stable. All you do is raise the plate higher as the weeks go by. Whatever you use make sure you give them space away from the heat source.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I suggest aiming the heat lamp at one corner of the brooder and leaving the rest of the brooder "unheated." That way the chicks can move to cooler or warmer zones as they need to, to regulate their temperature. Each week raise the lamp so it's less warm, as the chicks grow their feathers. It's best to put a thermometer on the floor of the brooder in the warmest and coolest areas. Put the thermometer in a zippy bag to stay clean. But more importantly watch how the chicks behave. Standing head down, wings out, panting - too hot. Huddled together, loud cheeping - cold. Running about, eating, drinking, scratching - Goldilocks! Just right. Of course when fed and happy they will settle down, nap, talk softly to each other.

 

[Michelle14]

You need to watch how the chicks respond to the heat with the lamp. Under lamp peeping, cold. Avoiding under lamp, to hot. Moving in and out of under the lamp just right. Control temp by raising and lowering the lamp.

The brooder plate works differently. It should be a set temperature and height the chicks can touch. They need to go under it like they would go under a hen.

Chicks do not need to be warm all the time. Chicks just need a spot they can warm up as needed like they would with a hen.

You don't need both, but it won't hurt to have both as long as there is space to move away from the heat.

Yes there is space, for both I’m waiting on another brooder plate that’s a bit bigger, I have 7 chicks set the plate at 95 degrees. They seem to be mainly under the plate but there’s 2 slightly outside of it and one under the heat lamp. I touched the shavings to see if it was hot it’s warm, but with the brooder plate I think they should be ok? It’s going to get down to 42 degrees tonight