Whether you are living off grid or there is a power outage or you are just concerned about the fire risk of a heat lamp this post is for you! Here we cover how to keep baby chicks warm without a heat lamp.
Sometimes heat lamps just aren’t an option for brooding chicks! If you are off grid the light bulbs use a lot of power, or if there is a power outage how can you keep your chicks warm? Or maybe you are simply concerned with the fire hazard of having a hot light bulb that close to chick bedding. Whatever it is, here are some great ideas for keeping baby chicks warm without a heat lamp.
INsulate
What Ever else you do, INSULATE your brooder. This will save you big time when trying to keep baby chicks warm. Weather you use the normal fiberglass insulation or straw bales, you MUST insulate. If you decide to use fiberglass insulation be sure to put is on the outside of the brooder where the chicks can’t reach it.
Dig Your Brooder into the Ground
The temperature underground is more stable and steady then the temperature above ground, so if you dig your brooder into the ground a bit this can help soften the temperature fluctuations. We did it this way when we were living out of a travel trailer and didn’t have anywhere to put chicks, and it worked beautifully.
I might avoid this one if my ground was super wet, as chicks don’t like being damp. And I would line the walls with straw or Mylar.
Line Brooder With Mylar
This one is awesome! Mylar works through radiant heat and will reflect the chicks body heat back on them to keep them warm.
You could also take a cardboard box and line it with Mylar and set it in your existing brooder upside down with a flap up to let chicks in when they need to warm up.
You can find Mylar insulation at your local hardware store, or here is an option from Amazon. Be sure to get the right size of roll for your application.
Put a Chicken In with Them
Keep them warm the good old fashioned way with a hen! This can backfire because some hens will have nothing to do with the chicks and will peck them. So choose a gentle hen and watch her to make sure she is being nice. I put in a couple of nice silkies and they were just fine.
I would still keep my chicks in a brooder with the hens, otherwise your hens will just run away from the chicks.
Hot Water Bottles
This one works really well, though if you ONLY do this one, be prepared to baby sit it. The water will need to be changed every couple hours as they cool. I filled up quart jars and then wrapped it in rags to make it cuddly and keep it from burning the chicks.
Rice Heat Bags
Along the same lines as the hot water bottle, use rice/wheat bags to keep your chicks warm. If you don’t want to use your regular heat bags, just fill an old sock with rice as a makeshift heat pack.
Downsize Brooder
Downsize as much as you can, this will help keep you baby chicks warm without a heat lamp. You have to be careful with this one, because you don’t want the chicks trampling each other, but this one is quite effective.
Lower the Brooder Ceiling
Heat rises, so lower the ceiling of your brooder to trap the heat closer to the chicks level. Keep enough ventilation to stop condensation.
Feather Duster
Hang a feather duster and let your chicks come and nestle into the fluff. The duster will have some insulating capacity, and the heat from the other chicks should help keep them warm.
Move Chicks Inside
If it is possible for your set up, consider moving the chicks inside, next to a source of heat preferably. Obviously this one isn’t as practical for large batches of chicks, but if you only have a few it could be worth it.
Move INto GreenHouse
Put your chicks in the greenhouse! Granted, you will have to move them out or provide another source of heat at night or if it is cloudy, but it could be part of the solution for you.
Deep Litter Method
Deep litter is where you don’t clean your coop every time the litter gets dirty, you just add clean litter on top. This can help generate heat because it may start composting in your coop. It is also very good for the health of your chicks. You should do this whether you are trying to keep baby chicks warm without a heat lamp or not! HIGHLY RECCOMEND!
Let The Sun IN!
Use the best heater in the world, sunshine! If you have a window or a way to stick your chicks in the sun, do it. Again, this will require a further solution for night, but it can be a part of the daytime solution.
Get Chicks in the Summer
This option requires some forethought and planning, but could save you a lot of effort. I’ve raised chicks in the summer that I’ve never put a light on and are in the most basic of chicken coops. I’ve had a mother hen abandon some chicks she hatched, again in the summer, and they all made it.
Techinichally Not Off Grid, But still Good Alternatives
GAs/Propane Heaters
Lots of large farms use the gas propane heater option. I haven’t done this personally, but it is worth considering. The heaters themselves are a little pricy, but they don’t require electricity to run! This gas heater from Amazon looks like a good option if you are interested.
Heating Plate
These heaters do use electricity, but have a low fire hazard and are a good option if your main concern is fire risk. Most of them also don’t pull that much power making them a good option for my solar and wind powered people out there. This one from Amazon looks like a good option if you are just doing 20 or fewer chicks. This one is larger and can do up to 50 chicks.
Ceramic Heaters
These look just like the traditional red light lightbulb, but they have a ceramic heater instead of a bulb. These aren’t as prone to breaking and aren’t near the fire hazard that the lights are. Here is one from amazon that is the complete kit, or if you just want the “bulbs,” there are some linked here.
HEat Pad
You can also add a heat pad to the floor to help warm those baby chicks! Here is an option from Amazon.
Mix and Match
Most likely you will need to use multiple of these options to keep your chicks warm. I had an off grid brooder that was dug into the ground, had two silkies in it, had a low ceiling and I put hot water bottles in it. Mix and match!
This post is all about how to keep baby chicks warm without a heat lamp.
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