Heat

[Deer lane farm]

My chicks are ten weeks old. I have been gradually making the heat lamp shorter over the last week or so. But now the temps are going to drop into 40's at night. Should I stop heat now before it gets any colder (NJ) or still leave it on less and less time? They all roost together at night (6).

 

[Judy]

Definitely stop the heat now; they don't need heat after 5 to 6 weeks, or whenever they are fully feathered. 40 degrees is not cold to a chicken. People keep chickens in an unheated coop at minus 40. But it needs to be well ventilated to get the humidity and ammonia out. Here are a couple of good articles about keeping chickens in the cold, written by a Canadian. You will find many, many threads on here about heat and chickens, too.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/winter-coop-temperatures

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/...-go-out-there-and-cut-more-holes-in-your-coop

 

[Deer lane farm]

Thank you very much for the info. I have turned the heat off. Now it is pitch black in there. I read a bunch of posts about leaving the lights on all night and there are very different views. Right now it is pitch black. I'm thinking about leaving on a small nightlight. But I read they need total darkness or they don't sleep well. But also they don't see well in the dark so if something happens I'm nervous they will fall off the roosts .

 

[Judy]

They don;t need a night light, but they do need natural light. Your coop should have a window or other opening, even if it doesn't open. They should be able to see natural dawn and dusk. Unless they are ill or attacked, they wont fall off the roost. Chickens dont eat and aren't active at night.

 

[Deer lane farm]

There is a window in the front and one in the back. Not a lot of light gets in because of all the trees but enough to tell what time of day it is.
I really hope they are never attacked. I don't see how anything could get in but you read about it happening so much.