A friend who also has baby chickens asked me if my chicks are warm outside in their coop at night this spring. I’ll share my answer here, in case any of you are raising chicks and are wondering the same thing.
*First off, let me get the disclaimer out of the way: I am a first time surrogate mother hen. I have no idea what I’m doing and am guided only by a strong sense of trust in the natural world.*
That said, are my chickens warm enough at night? I think so. It’s been in the 30’s and 40’s the past few nights. I woke up this morning to find ice in the birdbath, so it must have been chilly last night. I think of chickens as I think of tomato plants: they prefer it warm and sunny, with nighttime lows in the upper-40’s at the lowest.
My chickens are in a hen house with a door that closes at night. The floor is covered with a few inches of pine shavings for warmth and comfort. The 250 watt red heat bulb hangs from the ceiling, aimed at a corner.
At this moment (about 10 pm) it is 62 degrees outside. I checked on the chicks and almost all of them are huddled in a big mass. An hour ago, it was a tight mass, away from the heat lamp. I knew it meant they were too hot (not that they don’t have enough room to spread out if they’re too hot… why do they stick together so?). Just now, they are still in a mass, but it’s a looser formation and some of them are drifting toward the heat lamp. By the time dawn breaks, when it is coldest, they will be loosely gathered under the lamp. At that point they will be neither too hot nor too cold – they will be comfortable.
I placed the heat lamp so that it sheds warmth on one corner and should keep the chicks warm even if the temperature drops considerably at night. If it’s warmer, the chicks have a nice, big hen house to spread out in. In the morning, when it’s still chilly outdoors, they venture out of the house to greet the day. Their door is always open during the day, and the heat lamp is always on for them. If they want it, it’s theirs. I have found though that they often do not seek it out. They are feathering out nicely. Surely that has something to do with it.
Are my chickens warm? I think so.
Baby Chickens
For Sale Near Me in
Engadine, Michigan
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Engadine Michigan,
including Sussex Chickens, Welsummer Chickens, Turken Chickens and more.
Be sure to check out the Bargain Specials, as you can combine different
egg layers in smaller amounts and buy as an assortment. Engadine
Michigan also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in
Engadine Michigan, bantams for sale, ducks for sale, geese for sale,
turkeys for sale, guinea for sale, peafowl for sale, pheasant for sale,
chukar partridge for sale, bobwhite for sale, many different breeds of
baby chicks for sale in Engadine MI.
Baby
Chickens Hatchery in
Engadine, Michigan
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Engadine Michigan
catalog is a yearly traditions in many houses. My kids and I eagerly await
the Murray McMurray Hatchery catalog. We love looking at all the cool and
different chicken breeds available. Catalogs are free so head on over to
their site and request one if you are interested.
Typically hatcheries online offer both standard breeds
and bantams. Bantams are fun hardy little chickens, they lay tiny eggs
that kids especially love collecting. Bantams typically weigh less than 2
pounds when full grown. Just like ordering anything online there are pros
and cons to ordering baby chicks online. Pros of buying baby chicks in
Engadine Michigan * Big Selection - If you are wanting a large
variety of different chicken breeds and egg colors, you will find the best
selection at an online hatchery. * Both Bantams and full sized chickens
available * You get to choose what sex you want. If you want a mixture of
both male and female then choosing a "straight run" will save you money
and you will get a mixture of male and female chicks. You can also choose
all males or all females too. * Weekly specials. Hatcheries have sales on
chicks, you are likely to get a good deal if you are flexible with the
breeds you are wanting. Cons of buying baby chicks in Engadine
Michigan * Order early to get the best selection. Certain breeds sell
out fast, sometimes as early as 6 months in advance of shipping! If you
are wanting a certain breed it's best to order your chicks in the fall
before their orders sell out.
Baby Chickens Sale in
Engadine, Michigan
Quantity - you must order a certain number of chicks. Typically hatcheries
will require you buy a minimum of 25 chicks at a time. The number is
necessary for the chicks survival during shipping. All 25 chicks are put
in one small box without heat. They are crowded in the box and produce
enough body heat to arrive in good shape. * The wait - If you choose to
buy chicks from a feed store you will have them the same day but if you
choose to go with a hatchery you have to wait until they are ready to ship
and then wait for the chicks to arrive. Ordering baby chicks online in
Engadine Michigan is easy and has always been a very pleasant
experience of me. It can be a little frustrating waiting for the chicks
but it's so worth the wait. When the post office calls and you hear all
those little "cheeps" or "chirps" in the background you'll know the wait
was worth it! How to Care for your new baby chickens in Engadine,
Michigan Baby chicks are quite
charming and also
tough to withstand,
but it's ideal to prepare for their
arrival before you get them. Prepare initially
by collecting not just the
right materials, yet
also the proper
knowledge to take care of
them. Raising baby chicks is fairly
straightforward, you simply should provide them with the following: A
clean as well as cozy
environment Plenty of food and water Focus and
love Environment Your environment could be a basic box, fish tank,
feline provider, or guinea
porker cage. Line it with old towels as well as
blankets (with no loosened
strings!) to start, as well as after a few weeks make use of straw over paper.
Keep in mind: Avoid using only
newspaper or various other sandal
surface areas-- or your chicks legs can grow
malformed. You likewise need
something to serve up food and
water in, such as a chicken feeder and also water
meal from the feed store, or a pickle jar
lid for food as well as a pet dog bird water dispenser from a pet store. Also, as the chicks grow older you could present a perch
right into the habitat to get them
educated on perching. Heat To
maintain your chicks warm you need to
supply them with a heat resource.
This could be as easy as a 100 watt
light bulb in a reflective clamp style light from an equipment store, or an infrared reptile warmth
bulb likewise work effectively (my
recommendation). Chicks need this
warmth 24/7 up until their downy fluff is
changed with plumes (which could use
up to two months). The freshly
hatched out need a temperature level
between 90 and 100 degrees,
and every week this could
be minimized by
roughly 5 degrees approximately. The heat source must get on simply one side of the cage
to allow chicks a variety of
temperatures. The chicks are your best
thermometer- if they are hiding in the
opposite corner of your heat
light, you should
reduce the temperature. If
they are surrounding each various other under the
heat (not just curling up),
you should put some warmth.
Home cleaning
Cleanliness is key and also it keeps your chicks healthy. Make certain to alter
the bedding
usually and also
constantly give clean
food and also water Food and also water.
Chicks expand extremely fast
which needs a lot of clean
food as well as water. Offer
enough at all times and inspect
usually to prevent parched and
hungry chicks. Chick food is various compared
to adult chicken food, and also it comes
in both medicated as well as non-medicated ranges. Feed chick food for the
first two months, after that
change to a raiser food (~ 17 %
protein) for another 2 months,
then to a somewhat
lower protein feed or a layer feed
(if you have levels). Soil Some chicks prefer to get a running start on taking
dirt baths, while others won't take
up that activity till they are
older. If you have the space in your chick
room, introduce a tray of sand or
dirt for them to bathe in.
Focus and love There are a couple of advantages to spending quality time with your chicks. To start
with, they will certainly most
likely bond with you and
not escape as adults. Second, if you
examine your chicks daily as well as
watch their actions, you could
catch ailment or other issues earlier. Keep an
eye out for hissing, hopping, or
other harmful
indicators. Make sure to
additionally consider
their poop, as diarrhea can result in matted plumes and also obstructed cloaca.
Lastly, it is essential to look out
for social problems, such as the
littlest chick getting teased. Vacant nest disorder So your
chicks are currently fully feathered
and also its time for them to leave the
security of your residence
and also move outside into a
coop. Take a look at our
section on chicken coops to get more information
concerning coops as well as
appropriate cage environments.
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