Go into lockdown

[Marigold]

No don't risk chilling them, keep the lamp on if they notice the lack of it so fast. As I said,you must decide what they need, based on observing their reactions. I wouldn't leave them for 3 hours without heat unsupervised, if they got cold after ten minutes.

 

[Seal36]

Everytime I turn the heater off in the brooder the chicks flap around the brooder for around 10 minutes then after that they all huddle together. Is this normal or are they still not ready for the lamp to be turned off. Thanks from Tom

 

[Marigold]

They will be ready for a reduction in heat by now, in fact as they're over three weeks old they should be nearly off heat, but the problem is that with your setup there's no way to gradually acclimatise them, it's all or nothing.
If they're well feathered and indoors in the brooder, in a room where the temperature is around 18C, you may have to persist in turning off the heat in the warm part if the day and just let them get used to it. An alternative might be to fit a less powerful bulb. If you're using a 60W, maybe a 40W? What is the actual range of brooder temp with the lamp either on or off? You definitely don't want to chill them, but are they gathering on the far side from the lamp when its on, suggesting they might be finding it a bit hot? If not, then probably they're OK. Chicks behaviour is the best guide to what to do.
Sorry I can't help you this time, as I've always used an overhead lamp which is more flexible as you can move it up or down to gradually change the temperature. How well feathered are they? How long have you left them with the lamp off? Do they settle back to feeding etc after a while huddled together?

 

[Seal36]

They are pretty well feathered up and at the minute the longest they have been off of heat for is 1 hour but they are coping with it much better today for some reason so tomorrow I am going to try and keep them off heat for longer. They don't feed or anything like that when the lamp is off they just sit on the ground but they are not clumping together as much now. They do gather on the side furthest away from the lamp when it's on.

So tomorrow i am just going to turn it off and leave it off so that they can get use to a cooler temperature, I am off work tomorrow so I can observe there behaviour but as you say they need to start getting use to cooler temperatures especially as they are going to there new homes on the 30th of June.

Thanks for your help from Tom

 

[Seal36]

Also I have a thermometer on the outside with a probe on the inside so what temperature should they be at now. The temperature at the cold end at the minute is 31.5 Celsius, thanks from Tom

 

[Marigold]

That sounds much too hot at the cold end at this stage. It should be room temp. About 18-20c max I think.

 

[Seal36]

Ok so what I'm going to do tomorrow is turn the brooder lamp off in the morning and see what the temperature does during the day and as long as it stays around 20 Celsius at the cold end of the brooder they will be fine. Is that correct.

So between 18 to 20 Celsius is what I'm aiming for as my indoor thermometer says it's 26 Celsius in the room the chicks are in so could I turn the brooder off at night time too if it stays around 18 to 20 Celsius during the night.

Thanks for all your help from Tom

 

[Seal36]

I turned the brooder off last night and the temperature during the night did not drop below 24 Celsius and that was with my window open. It stayed off all night and it is still off now. A couple of questions

1.The birds seem fine with this but the temperature is still around 24 Celsius so what can I do to cool it down even more or is that an ok temperature.

2.Also their poos are much whiter now than they were before is this a good sign because last time there poos were a dark to light brown but now they are light brown and whitish.

Thanks for your help from Tom

 

[Marigold]

24,is OK for them, much cooler than with the lamp, and I expect they're just adjusting. So long as they are active,feeding and drinking, with no runny poos or blood in poos I expect they're OK. They will need to adjust to a lower temperature before they go to a home where they will be left in an outside cage overnight. Is there anywhere safe you can put them out of doors in the shed where it might be cooler? If not don't worry, they're pretty tough little birds and will be OK if not actually on heat. Sounds as if you did the right thing by turning off the lamp. You could try them with a lettuce leaf or two to nibble if you liked, and a few dried mealworms if you have any.

 

[Seal36]

Do you mean a outdoor shed that I can put the brooder in with the chicks inside or a outdoor shed where I can let the chicks out of the brooder.

Thanks for your help from Tom

 

[Marigold]

Ideally they would be having a few hours out in a small covered run with shelter from wind and rain, and able to get some sunshine, then back in at night for a week or so, or shut up in a coop, more or less what they will be given when they move home, but this might not be possible for you. Remind me how old they will be when they move on to their new home? You may want to discuss this with the new owners, it will be fine for them to go at any time from now on so long as the new person realises that they will need a period of acclimatisation to outdoor conditions, and shelter from wind and rain. I can't really advise you on this as I haven't seen them, just use your common sense, make sure the new owners will be able to achieve the happy medium between chilling them and baking them!

 

[Seal36]

They will be 5 weeks old when they go to there new homes and I don't have a run or a coop/ hutch for them but I could let them out in the outdoor shed.

1. If they do go to the outdoor shed do they need to come back in to the house at night

2. If they did go I into the outdoor shed could I then catch them up and put them in the brooder outside the shed so they could see natural sunlight.

3.' When they go to there new homes do they still need to come inside someone's house at night or will they be fine in the coop/hutch

 

[Seal36]

Have stuck my max/min thermometer out in my outdoor shed to see what the temperature gets to at night in there and will post the results I will also try and get a picture of it to show you but if I did move them out there I would cover the whole floor with wood shavings and then have a bedding area with some straw for them to snuggle up in does that sound ok from Tom

 

[Seal36]

The thermometer said the coldest it got to last night was 15 Celsius so is that an ok temperature for the birds to be out and tonight is I'll tell you how warm it got to during the day. Also if they went in there they would have wood shavings and straw to keep them warm. I have attached a photo of the shed it's attached to my house so should not get too cold and it's 6ft long and 7ft high.

 

[Marigold]

I think the shed is unsuitable for them because I can't see any windows and they need as much light as possible to grow. One idea would be to see if you could find a big cardboard box and cover the top with wire mesh so they can't fly out. This would give them more air than the enclosed brooder and probably more space as well. I don't think you need to worry at all about night time temperatures at this time of year, it's just a case of trying to bring them down a bit gently from the very high temperatures in the brooder. Is the brooder getting a bit small for them by now? They do make a terrible mess, don't they?

 

[Seal36]

although there are no windows the 6ft roof is made from the corrugated hard plastic which is transparent see through so the light comes in from the entire roof.

the brooder is getting a bit small for them now and yes they make a lot of mess.

thanks for your help from tom

 

[Marigold]

Real sunlight is best because it helps them make the Vitamin D they need to grow strong bones. The shed would be fine at night I expect, a good transition from the brooder, but you would have a job catching them once they were loose in there, wouldn't you? Once again, though, you're in charge and you know what conditions are actually like, I'm sure whatever you decide will be fine for them. More space would be good, especially as some of them will be coming up to sexual maturity and then the boys will get a bit troublesome to the girls. Amazing rate of growth isn't it?
You've done really well with these chicks, Tom - not only a 100% hatch but raising them all so carefully and successfully. Can you please take some photos to post before you send them to their new homes?
Have you any plans to hatch another brood?

 

[Seal36]

I have attached a picture of the roof to show you that the roof does let sunlight in and it got up to 24 Celsius in the shed during the day and the weather has been awful. Do you think that they will be ok during the day in there and I have since cleaned the roof so that the moss is no longer on the roof. I could catch them up if I needed to but I think that the shed will be a good place for them to go.

I have attached some pictures of them to this post and at the minute I have not thought about another batch just yet from Tom

 

[Marigold]

They would certainly have more space in there, so long as you can open the door without them escaping! Is there any ventilation in the shed? Probably more air than in the brooder, I would imagine, even if it hasn't got windows. On balance this would possibly be better for them than in the brooder, for a week or two until they go elsewhere. You'd have to watch th temperatures, though, as a shed without windows and with a plastic roof could get very hot if we get a heat wave or it was in full sun for even part of the day.

 

[Seal36]

Ok I am going to move them in there and there is some ventilation holes around the shed to let fresh air in. Also it will be much better for them in there as it get cramped when they are in the brooder and it gets them used to the temperatures outdoors without exposure to wind and rain. It only got to 24 Celsius today and the weather was alright today but it's suppose to not be too warm but not cold for the next few weeks anyway. I will post a picture of them in the shed when I let them out tonight.

Thanks for all your help from Tom