Micromanaging heat...aren't chickens smarter than us?

I've always loved reading that. Cause you know, momma hen turns down her body temp every week as she's brooding those babies!

I do as you're saying. It's closest to natural. Broody hatched baby chicks spend most of the first days under momma, then come out for increasing times as they age. But if the weather's at all nice, they spend good parts of the day out from under her at whatever the ambient temp is. So I keep a light, like momma, where they can warm up and fall asleep standing up--so funny!-- and a cooler space, where they can move around.

I think lots of folks use too small an area and keep the chicks too warm, mistakenly thinking they need to be broody warm 24/7.

I agree donrae, but maybe our hens need to read the books...lol

I have broody hens with chicks and in the warm weather they never even go under then hen.

Hey, right now I'd be thrilled if my broody hens read a sign that says "stay on your own stinking nest! And no egg stealing!"

Yeah, I'll hold my breath on that one......................

It just hurts to see all the posts about folks losing chicks and you know they're inadvertently cooking them.

More space in the brooder is needed. People are cooking there chicks. I've done it when I use to use heat lamps. I could never get the temp right.No more I now brood like this. I hated worrying about cooking my chicks:

I had 3-day-old chicks leaving their mother to explore when it was 35 degrees outside.  When they got cold, they went back under.  I've learned more of the practical points about raising chickens by watching chickens than I have by reading about chickens.

Yup you got it right, as long as their is a large cool down area, and under the heat lamp iit is around 85.... maybe a little warmer the first week but after that, just leave it at 85.... as they get older they will just spend less and lesss time under the lamp.... BTW am I the one that told you that? Because I just told someone I just dotn remember who lol... If you do this the chicks will feather out MUCH quicker then micromanaging them... Usually in less than 4 weeks =]

Yep, I use an ecoglow too. And the chicks are rarely under it except at night and the first few days of life. I've got broodies right now and it's about 50 outside - those chicks are running around with no heat at all for the most part (but they have it if they need it, under mom). No more cases of pasty butt either since ditching the heat lamps. They really do NOT need as much heat as peeps think.