Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Poultry and Pets => The Hen House => Topic started by: retribution on June 18, 2011, 14:06
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just picked up 3 chicks, big thankyou to Lynda at Howlett hens in Huntingdon. Highly recommend her.
With all the excitment ofgetting them i forgot to ask the basic questions, we have a brooder with heat lamp and forgot to ask if it is okay to put down hempcore or wood shavings.
could anyone please anwser quick as trying to sort it now.
Thanks
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For the first couple of days I usually put down a clean old pillow case, or kitchen towel or I've got some of that anti slippy matting that you get from the cheap shops. Stops them slipping around.
Then after a couple of days when they go into the big brooder, they go on shavings, but that's only because hemcore is a bit expensive when you use a lot of it!
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thanks for that, its quiet funny watching them use the chick crumb as a dust bath.
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Just a quick one what temp should it be from the heat lamp where the chciks are ? i can take the temp and adjust the lamp accordingly.
Thanks
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No advice, I'm afraid. I just wanted to wish you luck with your chicks :)
Now how about some pics :D
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How many days old are they? The temperature varies depending on age as it should be gradually decreased from incy temp to regular temp.
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they are a week old and picture attached
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Advice from the Haynes Chicken Manual (yes, there really is such a thing!) states that after hatching the lamp should be suspended over the brooder to give a temp of about 34C when a thermometer is placed 4in above the floor and that should be reduced by 2C per week until the lamp can be removed (typically around 6 weeks).
They will let you know if it's wrong as they will huddle & cheep if temp is too cool/lamp too high, or sit beyond it, possibly panting, if the temp is too hot for them.
I've hopefully got to know all this for myself soon if a small clutch of eggs proves viable!
I hope this helps until someone more experienced comes along :blink:
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Thanks, just thought i had better say what bread they are :)
Gold lace orpington buff
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They are lovely :D
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Similar to the Haynes Manual, but I was told by the hatchery where we got our first day olds to start them off at 35.5C with heat lamp 9 inches off the floor, and reducing it by 2C each week, but if you haven't got a thermometer, then suspend the lamp, and if they huddle under it and the outer chicks climb over the others to get in the middle, they are to cold, if they spread out all over the outer edge of the brooder, they are too hot. Ideal is when they are under the outer edge of the lamp, but with a small gap in the middle.
You just raise or loer the lamp until it is just right for them.
Mind you saying that, Min200's chicks were in a brooder that had an even 35.5C heat, but they still spent a week huddled under the lamp! :D
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It isn't too critical as long as there's a temperature gradient they can move about in to find the temerature they are comfortable in. I usually start of with 37 deg C directly under the lamp and raise it it slightly every two days observing the chicks. Huddling under lamp is a sign they are too cold or moving to the extremities of the brooder too hot.
Wood shavings are best I think right from the off though I suspect hemcore is Ok (I have used it too) though it's a bit hard in my view.
Get them a proper chick feeder and drinker they can't climb on and don't compromise with jamjar lids and the like. Keeping the feeder & drinker clean and free from being contaminated with droppings is far easier with proper equipment. Keep raising both as to back height they grow.
HF
HF