Do Baby Chicks Really Need a Heat Lamp
Currently, we live on 40 acres of country in an off-filigree RV. When we decided to become chickens, nosotros knew that we wanted to raise them from chicks. There's a huge difference between raising chickens from chicks and purchasing them when they're adults. Personally, I don't desire to judge how the chickens were raised by someone else for the first 3 to 9 months of their lives; I desire total control over that.
The issue nosotros ran into was not being able to supply a heat lamp for them — given that nosotros alive off-grid on solar energy alone. While we do take an onboard generator, it's impractical to run information technology for a month straight simply to power a rut lamp. At this time, we only have iv batteries which supply around 210 amp-hours (AH) of usable energy. A heat lamp takes 250 watts to run on our 12-volt batteries, resulting in the apply of 20.8AH of energy.
By the to a higher place math, if we were to run the oestrus lamp for 10 hours straight, it would consume all 210AH of energy nosotros have. But of course, we accept other things that employ our energy, and completely draining batteries actually isn't a good idea. Plus, chickens demand the heat lamp for longer than only 10 hours a day. Even if we only ran it at night, that'south nigh 10 to 12-ish hours of needing to run it full fourth dimension. A estrus lamp just wasn't going to piece of work.
I knew there had to be a manner to raise chicks without a heat lamp. What did they practise dorsum in the day when estrus lamps weren't an choice (let lonely electricity)? While the hen was usually the become-to source, many hens reject their chicks or are but too broody to raise them properly.
Also, I was already skittish nigh using a heat lamp. Nosotros used a rut lamp on chicks that we had raised in the past before moving to full-time RV life. I day we went to the grocery shop and returned to a business firm total of smoke because the heat lamp had fallen and caught the pine shavings on burn down. The smoke inhalation killed iii of our chicks. Information technology was not an experience I wanted to relive.
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As I dug into the possibility of not using a heat lamp, lo and behold, I discovered a wide number of people non using heat lamps for a diversity of reasons, simply mostly because it just wasn't necessary and at that place were amend options.
Chicks don't actually need a heat lamp. A heat lamp is easy because yous just set it upwardly, turn it on, and walk abroad. But they don't need it. In fact, the lamps are actually a scrap besides hot for chicks.
Chicks demand to exist kept at a temperature between 70 and 95 degrees Fahrenheit during their first few weeks of life. There's a big debate on the actual temperature that chicks need to be at, but through our experience and enquiry, lxx to 95 has been perfect. Effectually six weeks, their feathers have grown in and they're set to be moved outdoors.
There are so many options to go on your chicks warm without a oestrus lamp. Let'southward take a look at a few.
Line The Box With Mylar
Line the outside of a box with mylar (like the mylar from emergency blankets) or reflex. Place a large bedding of straw, feathers, newspaper, or other types of natural bedding materials.
Set your chicks in the bedding materials and place the insulated box over the chicks. Make sure there'south enough of air holes and that they even so have admission to their food and h2o. They should exist able to walk around freely and huddle up as needed.
Hand Warmers
Mitt warmers are another option, though this could be expensive as hand warmers will only last for so long.
Sock Filled With Rice
Make full a few socks with rice, warm them up (in the oven at a very low temp or in a microwave) then identify the sock in their box. They'll huddle around it and volition remain warm.
Hot Water Jugs And Fleece
Get a plastic gallon container. Fill up it with warm water that isn't besides common cold or too hot. Some use tap water. I use humid water then just mix it with half room temperature water and then information technology usually comes out to a perfect temperature.
Cut upwards some strips of fleece and drape them on the exterior of the container. The chicks snuggle up between the fleece and the container and admittedly dear it. I re-warm the water every iii hours or so.
Hot Water Handbag And Fleece
Place some warm h2o in a bag, wrap information technology in fleece, and place it in their box. They'll snuggle up around it.
Tin Can And Fleece
I use this option for night time only, just it could really be used for daytime as well. Make a small pigsty in the top of an empty, clean, tin can can. Wrap it with fleece. Fill the can can with boiling hot water, then identify some cardboard around the can, and place information technology inside the box. Information technology radiates A LOT of heat and the chicks absolutely love it. It as well retains a lot of the heat, particularly if it's in an insulated box.
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The inside of our RV during the twenty-four hours is usually eighty-plus degrees so they're very happy during the daytime with the gallon jug of water. We keep a temperature approximate inside their box and check information technology often to make sure it'south within the right range.
You lot will know when your chicks are not happy. They will be very vocal about it and will show signs of not eating, not playing, and not acting like chickens should exist acting. They should exist scratching, pecking, playing around, and having a good fourth dimension. Also, make sure to cheque their butts. If you see any crusted poop on their feathers, make clean it off immediately equally it can clog them up, and somewhen accept their life.
This is how we've raised our chicks and they're all happy and healthy. People have been raising chicks off-filigree without a heat lamp for many years, and not just is it condom, but it'due south also effective.
Do Baby Chicks Really Need a Heat Lamp
Source: https://insteading.com/blog/how-to-raise-chickens-without-a-heat-lamp/