Breeds of Chicken
Breeds of Duck
Breeds of Geese
Laying hens
Brooding chicks
Rearing ducks
Predators and control
Housing
Health problems
Great Links
Recipes
Who we are
Game birds
Butchering
Grazing
Pest Control
Homepages
Jokes and stories
Pictures of our birds
Sources of birds
Broody hens
Selling eggs and meat
Feeding
water
Exhibition
Turkeys
Guinea Fowl
Incubators
Salmonella
Moulting - feather loss
Eggs
Hybrids
Glossary
Books
Winter
Taxonomy
Pages collated by
Jill Bowis of
started November 1999
These pages are being made up from the wealth of practical and technical knowledge that can be found on the newsgroup. None of the topics are finished - they probably never will be - we always have something to learn. If there is something you wnat to know that is not here - get on the group and ask - they are a really friendly group and no question is too simple - and hopefully if it is complicated someone will be able to help find the answer. The group is made up from all walks of poultry keeping from 2 birds in the city to commercial egg and meat producers - and from all over the world.
CHICKS>I am getting chicks in a week or so and was wondering about a power
>outage scenario. It is Spring and we shall have T-storms and in this
>rural area it can mean the power goes off - it is also our sole heating
>source. The chicks will be in a laundry area with a red heat bulb. Any
>good ideas to keep them warm if I have problems - there is no window and
>a Kerosene heater is not good. Can you keep them warm for awhile in a box
>(like used for shipping) so they can keep each other warm?
>Thanks,
>Karen
Yes I know the feeling I live at the end of an a rural electricity supply and panic not only about brooding with electricity but incubators as well. One thing that is well worth getting or getting someone to make you is an alarm system that sounds if the power goes off, (you should be able to get them for freezers etc...) this means that if it goes off at night when you are asleep at least you know to take emergency action.
Chicks can be raised in haybox brooders with NO heating at all. Now I havent tried it myself with chicks but I have done it sucessfully with ducklings a few years back and raised all of them with no losses. (of course ducks are a bit more robust than chicks but I am assured it works just as well with chicks I have got an old poultry book that explains all the principles of hay box brooding I will try to look it up and post it coz I'm sure it will be of interest to other people as well.
The way to keep chicks warm for a short while is the old fashioned "Hotwater bottle" or if you prefer it in this enlightend age you can use the the one with the gel inside that stays warm without risk of it leaking.
If like us, you suffer from regular powercuts, I know its expensive
but have you considered a small petrol powered generator?
Not only can you keep your chicks warm you can also make a nice cup
of tea and watch TV while you wait for the power to come back on!
Another thing that may work if there are not too many
birds is to use a
>hot water bottle, assuminging that you can heat the
water on a wood stove
>or other such thing.
>I haven't tried this with chicks, but I have
successfully raised kittens
>from 1 day old with this as their only heat source.
>
>Andrew
I use a one gallon waterer for raising turkey poults.
When the power goes off, the warmth absorbed by the water
radiates heat. You may also insulate around your brooding area.
In a worst case situation, a generator comes to mind. But if it isn't
that cold inside, and the power is only off for a few hours, the chicks
will probably just huddle together and be just fine. After about two weeks,
they can survive at normal room temperatures just fine.
Watch out for them huddling together too much. They can suffocate each
other
LINKS:
Metzer Farms Duck
and Goose Hatchery
K & L Poultry
Farm
Kintaline
Farm Poultry Centre, Scotland, UK