# Brooder outside in Texas summer



## Kristyn (Jul 7, 2020)

We are brand-new to raising chickens for egg laying. We are expecting our baby chicks in the mail in the next day or two. As the temperature is expected to rise to 100+ soon here in Texas, I was wondering about having the brooder in our newly-finished coop as we have limited space inside the house and no garage. Are there any thoughts as to keeping the baby chicks cool? We were reading about adding ice to their water or frozen water bottles in the brooder for them to get close to if feeling too warm.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Until they're fully feathered I wouldn't offer them anything cold. Their baby bodies can't regulate body temp well before then. 

Do you have power to the coop? You're probably going to need a light to keep them warm at night for a while and you can run a fan during the day. Don't aim the fan at them but against a wall or ceiling to keep the air moving.


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## Kristyn (Jul 7, 2020)

robin416 said:


> Until they're fully feathered I wouldn't offer them anything cold. Their baby bodies can't regulate body temp well before then.
> 
> Do you have power to the coop? You're probably going to need a light to keep them warm at night for a while and you can run a fan during the day. Don't aim the fan at them but against a wall or ceiling to keep the air moving.


Thanks. We do have power, so we can run the fan.
Any other thoughts/suggestions greatly appreciated!


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

I can't think of anything but someone else will more than likely come along and point out a glaring omission on my part. I'm not much on big pictures. My focus can be a bit narrow.


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## Sylie (May 4, 2018)

First and foremost, keep them out of the sun, that will kill them in a matter of 2 hours or less even. I am a little worried about your situation. You will need a hot zone and a cool zone in the brooder. 
What are your low temps at night? 
You can put a small fan on the brooder with a frozen water bottle in front of it but keep it on one end so they can come get in the cooler zone if they need to.

In a brooder inside of a house, you would typically have a heat lamp on one end and nothing on the other end, the chicks know when they are too warm or too cool and move to where they are comfortable but the temps on both ends needs to be constant, it should be the same temperature on the warm end all day and all night. You won't have that option with your brooder outside.

How many chicks are you getting and what size of brooder are you using? Also, what is the brooder made of? 
I'll be able to give you more and better advice when I have the answers to these questions.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Sylie, most of that isn't necessary. I raised many chicks out in the coop during the heat of Summer. They did just fine with the air movement and supplemental heat at night.


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## Sylie (May 4, 2018)

Okay, it's just what I would do but I'm over protective, I've had too many die on me because of extreme temps in both directions.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

For chicks I never worried much about the heat beyond the fan. I worried more about the cooler nights. That's where the bell lamp came in for warming. 

Now that I think about it, Silkies being Silkies, they hatched year round. That includes the dead of Winter. A bell lamp with an incandescent bulb is all they had for heat when Mom was doing stuff.


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