Temperature fluctuations when brooding

[Opossum]

Im about to get new hatched Silkies and am told to keep them at 95 degrees for brooding and decrease that by 5 degrees per week. They will be in a metal stock tank on shavings with a heat lamp over them.
Because of the changes in ambient temperature at night, and a drop of about 10 or 15 degrees, I'm sure I will not be able to keep them at an exact 95 degrees constantly, so.............is it better to keep the brooder temp at a little over 100 degrees so at night they are not chilled, and assuming that if they get too hot during the day they will move to the other end of the brooder.
How much of a problem is occasional temperature fluctuation as long as you adjust it daily ?

 

[Opossum]

and how much temporary fluctuation is ok ?

 

[Yardmom]

Your brooder should have warm places and cool places.The hotest spot needs to be warm enough during the night, but they should always have access to cooler spots.
As a side note I do find that chicks don't need it as warm as the guide you mentioned especially once feathers start to grow.

 

[NatJ]

Im about to get new hatched Silkies and am told to keep them at 95 degrees for brooding and decrease that by 5 degrees per week. They will be in a metal stock tank on shavings with a heat lamp over them.
Because of the changes in ambient temperature at night, and a drop of about 10 or 15 degrees, I'm sure I will not be able to keep them at an exact 95 degrees constantly, so.............is it better to keep the brooder temp at a little over 100 degrees so at night they are not chilled, and assuming that if they get too hot during the day they will move to the other end of the brooder.
How much of a problem is occasional temperature fluctuation as long as you adjust it daily ?

and how much temporary fluctuation is ok ?

Don't try to keep them at one consistent temperature.

Provide a warm place that is at least 95 degrees, with plenty of cool space. Aim for the coolest area to be 70 degrees or less. It is fine if the coolest area gets much colder than that, even down below freezing.

Healthy chicks are very good at moving to a comfortable temperature as long as they have options. So if the heat lamp is at one end making it "too hot," and the other end is "too cold," the chicks will move around until they are comfortable. As the day gets hotter, the chicks will move farther from the heat lamp. As the night gets colder, the chicks will move closer to the heat lamp.

When the chicks are awake they will keep going off to explore and play in the cool area, and will come back to the warm area when they get chilly. When they are sleeping they will generally be in one place, but if they get too cold or hot they will wake up and move until they are comfortable.

If you have a big enough brooder with enough range of temperature, you will not have to adjust the temperature at any point during the day, and you don't really have to adjust it as the chicks grow either. They will naturally spend more time away from the heat, until one day you realize they are not using the heat at all, and then you take the heat lamp out.

With the chicks in a big stock tank, you do have to make sure there IS a cool area. Sometimes a heat lamp will make the entire area toasty, and then the chicks will not have any cool areas. If that happens, either switch to a smaller bulb (makes less heat), or move them to a bigger brooder (more space to get away from the heat.)

You can generally check the temperature by watching how the chicks behave: if they are huddled directly under the heat they are too cold, if they are crowding away from the heat they are too hot.

 

[Opossum]

Don't try to keep them at one consistent temperature.

Provide a warm place that is at least 95 degrees, with plenty of cool space. Aim for the coolest area to be 70 degrees or less. It is fine if the coolest area gets much colder than that, even down below freezing.

Healthy chicks are very good at moving to a comfortable temperature as long as they have options. So if the heat lamp is at one end making it "too hot," and the other end is "too cold," the chicks will move around until they are comfortable. As the day gets hotter, the chicks will move farther from the heat lamp. As the night gets colder, the chicks will move closer to the heat lamp.

When the chicks are awake they will keep going off to explore and play in the cool area, and will come back to the warm area when they get chilly. When they are sleeping they will generally be in one place, but if they get too cold or hot they will wake up and move until they are comfortable.

If you have a big enough brooder with enough range of temperature, you will not have to adjust the temperature at any point during the day, and you don't really have to adjust it as the chicks grow either. They will naturally spend more time away from the heat, until one day you realize they are not using the heat at all, and then you take the heat lamp out.

With the chicks in a big stock tank, you do have to make sure there IS a cool area. Sometimes a heat lamp will make the entire area toasty, and then the chicks will not have any cool areas. If that happens, either switch to a smaller bulb (makes less heat), or move them to a bigger brooder (more space to get away from the heat.)

You can generally check the temperature by watching how the chicks behave: if they are huddled directly under the heat they are too cold, if they are crowding away from the heat they are too hot.

Thanks !

 

[Opossum]

What is the favorite fruit, vegetable, or grain snacks for chicks, and how soon can they be given anything other than chick starter ?

 

[NatJ]

What is the favorite fruit, vegetable, or grain snacks for chicks, and how soon can they be given anything other than chick starter ?

There does not seem to be any single favorite. Different batches of chicks like different things.

If you want the fun of feeding them treats, try adding water to a small amount of chick starter to make a wet mash. Chicks will start by being scared of the new thing (mash in a dish or on your finger), but once they become bold enough to taste it, they usually love it. You can give them as much as you or they want, because it has all the right nutrients in the right proportions.

Regarding other treats, as soon as they have learned to eat chick starter and not bedding, it is safe enough for them to have a bite or two of something else. But because they are so small, it is very easy to overdo the treats and then they don't eat enough chick starter to get what they need nutritionally. So be very careful about the quantity. A general rule of thumb for adult chickens is that treats can be up to 10% of their diet, with the other 90% being their regular food. If you try to apply that rule to chicks with their small appetites, you find that almost any amount of treat may be too much. But anything that is safe for adult chickens to eat, should also be safe for chicks in suitably small amounts per day.

Chicks usually enjoy a clump of sod, although I'm not sure if it's more of a treat or a toy. They eat little bits of the grass blades, and scratch the dirt and roots apart in search of bugs, and eat little rocks for grit, and play on top of it, and generally have a grand time. It seems to be generally safe, in the sense that they still eat enough chick starter because grass is fun but not appetizing enough for them to overdo it.

If they are going to be eating things other than chick starter, they need grit in their gizzards to grind it up. A clump of sod or a shovelful of dirt can provide grit, but if they don't have that, you should provide them with grit.