Raising chicks without a heat lamp

I just bought some random mixed breed chicks from a guy the other day. They are a couple weeks old I'm guessing. They have feathers on their wings. They were only $1 a piece so I bought all he had..20 lol. Anyway he had them in a pen in his barn with no heat lamp. I live in Florida and it's hot here! I think it maybe gets down to 70 at night. I have them in a 3x4 rabbit hutch outside now. Are they going to be alright without a heat lamp? I have one that I could put out there with an extension cord, but I have 6 buff orps and 6 barred rocks coming from ideal probably tomorrow, so I'll need it for them. That's another question...I'll be brooding these ladies outside in a shed..that lamp on them coupled with how hot it already is outside is going to make them pretty dang hot isn't it? Keeping them inside is not really an option as I have dogs and cats inside, plus a 3 year old that would not leave them alone if I kept them inside. I brooded some other chicks in the shed, but it was wintertime so they were fine. I guess I'll just have to watch the thermometer and see how hot they are with the heat lamp on them.

They don't need a heat lamp this time of year in FL, especially if they didn't have one before. Mine stay in the shed for 1 week with a lamp, go outside for 1 week with a lamp, then I turn the lamp off. Otherwise they just pant anyways.

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I agree, we had 1 week inside with a heat lamp, then one week outside with the heat lamp. The coop gets pretty warm during the day, so after the 2nd week I took the heat lamp away. They are doing just fine. We too are in FL and then I worry about cooling down the coop. Box fans are good for that.

Thanks for the help ya'll! I figured the older ones would be ok without the lamp. I'll put the new ones under the lamp in the shed for a week and them move them into one of my A-frame coops outside with the lamp for another week, like was suggested. They should be here in the morning. Can't wait for the call from the post office .

I'm in Texas, and I use a heat lamp only at night, and up high, and only for about a week or so. Then at 2-3 weeks they go outside to the large brooder. It's hot here!

i dont use a heat lamp at all i have 1 pekin bantam chick 3 days old and i keep her in a large hamster cage with a blanket over it at night but have a box with a mop head hung in the cage so it can go sit inside if its cold but i tried a lamp for an hour and it made no difference at its about 10 degree C at the moment but its warmer inside it just cutches up inside at night. heres a link of a the type of mop thing. http://forum.backyardpoultry.com/viewtopic.php?t=7955683 heres how i have done it and it works well: