Room Temperature for Baby Chicks

[Beccichka]

We have new chicks arriving any day and we are first time chicken owners. We purchased a brooder plate, but what I can't seem to find much info on is what the room temperature should be. I have seen 70 degrees, but not more than 75. We have a quiet room for them, but it is the coolest room of the house and fluctuates between 58-63. The other place we could put them is in our great room at the other end from the wood stove. That room fluctuates between 72-80. I've read to watch their behavior for signs of temperature adjustment. It won't be very easy to move them between rooms so I would like to try to get them in the right spot to begin with.
Thank you!

 

[ExoticPetOwner]

The brooder's temperature for the chicks should be between 90-95 degrees F. However, this does change as the chicks age. The heat source should be decreasing as they age. (Someone has mentioned that in their post as well.) If you have the brooder plate or a heat lamp, that'll be good in a room that's close to 60 degrees even. I suggest getting a thermometer to check the temperature for the inside of the brooder! As long as you notice that the chicks are not all huddled up or getting away from the heating source, that tells you they're comfortable. I hope that helps!

 

[FunClucks]

I'd pick the coolest room, but would actually recommend you raise them in your garage. You'll find people raise them in their garage or even outdoors in a separate area of the coop/run. They make a horrible amount of dust. My first set of chicks we raised in the house, and by week three put them out in the garage, because the chick dander was just coating everything, and I was having trouble breathing. It gets everywhere.

Some brooder plates don't operate correctly down below 50F. Your brooder plate owner's manual should tell you. So for raising them in a really cold location, some folks put a heat lamp over/near their brooder plate, to raise the surrounding area to at least 50F so the brooder plate can function. If you do this, secure the heat lamp carefully so it can't fall and cause a fire. Check temperatures with a meat thermometer to make sure nothing gets too hot.

Raising the chicks in a cooler room/garage is actually a good thing, as it gets them ready for outdoor temperatures, and makes the transition easier once they're fully feathered and ready to go outside.

Chicks will show if they're cold or hot. Just make sure the brooder is big enough they have a cool place to retreat to as needed. It's easier to make things warm, harder for them to cool off if the room they're in gets too hot.

 

[FunClucks]

Not sure I was clear - chicks themselves should have a warm place that starts out at 95F temperature, and this temperature should decrease 5F each week. But the surrounding area in the room and brooder box can be quite chilly and that's okay, it will help them get ready to go outside. They'll show by their behavior if they're too hot or cold. They'll dart between the hot area and the cold areas of the brooder to eat and drink and hang out where they're most comfortable.

 

[mcdze]

72-80 is where id put them long as its draft free .. when its colder, i use a box for a brooder, i'll cover the top with a towel up tp 3/4 of the way .. first week is most critical, but keep them cozy until their feathers start filling in ..

 

[rosemarythyme]

I'd pick the coolest room, but would actually recommend you raise them in your garage. You'll find people raise them in their garage or even outdoors in a separate area of the coop/run. They make a horrible amount of dust. My first set of chicks we raised in the house, and by week three put them out in the garage, because the chick dander was just coating everything, and I was having trouble breathing. It gets everywhere.

Some brooder plates don't operate correctly down below 50F. Your brooder plate owner's manual should tell you. So for raising them in a really cold location, some folks put a heat lamp over/near their brooder plate, to raise the surrounding area to at least 50F so the brooder plate can function. If you do this, secure the heat lamp carefully so it can't fall and cause a fire. Check temperatures with a meat thermometer to make sure nothing gets too hot.

Raising the chicks in a cooler room/garage is actually a good thing, as it gets them ready for outdoor temperatures, and makes the transition easier once they're fully feathered and ready to go outside.

Chicks will show if they're cold or hot. Just make sure the brooder is big enough they have a cool place to retreat to as needed. It's easier to make things warm, harder for them to cool off if the room they're in gets too hot.

x2. I don't bring chicks inside for even a moment any more, and they get brooded outdoors in spring with lows of mid 40s. If you must brood indoors, then the cooler room is the better choice IMO.

Do check the instructions on your brooder plate, as noted, some are not designed for use under 50F and will require an additional heat lamp to bring the area up to around that temperature.

 

[Beccichka]

x2. I don't bring chicks inside for even a moment any more, and they get brooded outdoors in spring with lows of mid 40s. If you must brood indoors, then the cooler room is the better choice IMO.

Do check the instructions on your brooder plate, as noted, some are not designed for use under 50F and will require an additional heat lamp to bring the area up to around that temperature.

Hmm, The pet owner in me wants to see them when they are little and get to know them and be able to observe their behavior to make sure they are ok. My husband is fine with putting them in our utility shed which is insulated and has a heater that we can set to a minimum room temp of for example 60. I guess we put them there and check on them often? Our overnight lows are in the teens and day may be in 30's or low 40's.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Hmm, The pet owner in me wants to see them when they are little and get to know them and be able to observe their behavior to make sure they are ok. My husband is fine with putting them in our utility shed which is insulated and has a heater that we can set to a minimum room temp of for example 60. I guess we put them there and check on them often?

Makes sense, and as this is your first group of chicks I get that that makes folks want to check in on them more often. I became a lot less enamored with raising them inside after my first batch, brooded in a spare bathtub, left greasy dander about 6' up the bath wall and all the way across the floor to the sink on the other side of the room. Haven't raised chicks inside since then.

From my own experience, the chicks I raised outside aren't any more or less friendly than the ones raised inside. It's more of an individual bird sort of thing (some are just going to be flighty no matter how much you try to handle them).

I think it's fine to do what feels comfortable to you. I won't be surprised that if you start indoors, at some point, the chicks get kicked out to the shed, however.

 

[Beccichka]

Makes sense, and as this is your first group of chicks I get that that makes folks want to check in on them more often. I became a lot less enamored with raising them inside after my first batch, brooded in a spare bathtub, left greasy dander about 6' up the bath wall and all the way across the floor to the sink on the other side of the room. Haven't raised chicks inside since then.

From my own experience, the chicks I raised outside aren't any more or less friendly than the ones raised inside. It's more of an individual bird sort of thing (some are just going to be flighty no matter how much you try to handle them).

I think it's fine to do what feels comfortable to you. I won't be surprised that if you start indoors, at some point, the chicks get kicked out to the shed, however.

Ha ha! Yep! After FunClucks comment, I compromised with my husband to have them here 2-3 weeks. However, after what you said, I'm reconsidering and he probably would appreciate it. Just have to convince the son. Yep, we don't want that kind of mess in the house. But maybe we don't want it on our freezers etc in our utility shed.

 

[FunClucks]

Ha ha! Yep! After FunClucks comment, I compromised with my husband to have them here 2-3 weeks. However, after what you said, I'm reconsidering and he probably would appreciate it. Just have to convince the son. Yep, we don't want that kind of mess in the house. But maybe we don't want it on our freezers etc in our utility shed.

I recently finished raising 20 eggers and 23 meat chickens in my two car garage (with a working area, workbenches, cabinets, and our spare fridge and freezer). There is a fine layer of dust all over everything. I'll have to go out there with some microfiber cloths and wet-mop or wet-wipe down everything. But it's better to have it outside in the garage than in the house - one expects some level of dust in a garage, and being able to open the garage door during cleanout really helps clear the air. I tarped as much as I could, but I still had to use certain areas of the garage while building the coop/run, so I couldn't tarp those. Also, N95 dust masks really save your lungs during cleanout. I wore one when changing out the litter, and that really helped. Followed by a full shower. When we want to hold and cuddle the chicks, we wash hands before and after, and change our shirts, or anything the chicks touch.

If my utility shed was waterproof (having some issues with the roof), and I was confident running electrical out there, I'd have brooded out there to spare the garage.

I was out there checking on them multiple times a day.