Indoor Brooder attached to run - Help!

So, now that the Inlaws have left for the summer, I thought it would be convenient to put the Brooder (wire dog kennel with lamp attached) into that part of House-- also temps have dropped 20 degrees-- from 90-100 day temps to 60-70's with night time lows upper 40's, I decided to add a 4 x4 ft "Run " made from a cardboard box attached to it...

They love it-- settled right in, it has a thick bed of straw (sprinkled with DE) a trough feeder, and some tree branches in it for them to practice roosting-- they are 8 days old today and love flapping their tiny little winglets (there are 15 chicks)...

Heres the issue-- SO the lamp is on, at one end of the dog kennel which opens into the "run"-- they are all sleeping in the run however-- 2 groups of 6 and a threesome...

WIll they have enough common sense to go back up into the dog kennel and warm up by the light when temps drop into low 50's tonight ( I am guessing indoor temp, its the Inlaw Studio unit, would be not less than about 60 degrees and maybe alittle warmer than that d/t ambient heat in the cardboard "run") or do I have to chase them back into their ,,,Coop(?) I guess, at night so they dont get chilled? Any ideas? They are a week old, am I being neurotic and its not a big deal for them to tough it out for a few hours at night in the run if they dont go up into the dog kennel/ coop?

Opinions welcomed! THX!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sweetlilbaby 

If they get cold they seek out warmth from either a lamp or each other.  No worries, if they get cold they'll move closer to the lamp. 

Ok thanx for the reassurance-, SLB- I just checked on them-- its after 9pm, they had a period of eating and running around and now they are napping again, in little clumps one little loner is all by itself next to the waterer-- they certainly dont seem cold....

Hey update all -- the silly things ran around all night in their fun new playspace (ie the cardboard run) and took short naps in little huddles in it (Ok I admit it I slept next to them last night) -- they did not go near their heated brooder at all until..... about 10 am! Then a couple fell asleep on the ramp leading up to the brooder entrance and finally all 15 squeezed in and slept in their usual piles near the feather duster-

What is confusing me is all this about new chicks needing to be a 90 degrees, reduce by 5 degrees each week--- they are barely over one week old-- the temp 6ft away from the brooder lamp (and its only a 125 watt bulb) can in no way be 85 degrees? They did not sleep in that tight a pile ( always 2 groups, and there is usually a couple that sleep by themselves, I even had a couple precocious one "roost" on the tree branches I put in there- they look so funny they fall sleep and look like they are going to fall off the perch!)

So I guess I have accelerated chicks that can tolerate being at like 70-75 degrees at 9 days old?

Not sure will keep the lamp on but..

If anyone has had similar experiences I would like to compare notes...

Quote:

Originally Posted by NovaAman 

Leave the lamp in/on. You wouldn't believe what warmth the lamp can spread in a brooder. I'd say you may want to consider putting a 75 watt bulb in an outside brooder coop, and only turn it on at night. Use a red light or a black light. Thats what I do, and they stay comfy enough. Set it at one end, so they can move away far enough if they get to warm. But they will pile up to share their warmth with each other, if they are seriously dog piled, you really should give a lamp. In the low temps you are talking, they'd get under mama if they had one.

Yes thats a good idea- I was going to run an extension cord to my coop and put in a low level bulb( I was going to put a wire divider in the middle so the little birds could see the big birds) when the time came-- 3 weeks I guess and hopefully some heat will have come our way by then(70's today and it RAINED) ...

Although I dont know, I work out of town 2-3days a week and can see my busy family forgetting to turn off that bulb... I have 15 chicks, cant they dogpile on each other enough? Maybe I should get that Eco glow- it is looking better all the time, but pricey and the chicks will be almost a month old when it arrives ....(if I order it tommorrow)....

PS our big chicks are 5 weeks old(graduated to coop/run 10days ago-during our 104 degree heat wave)  and were outside in the rain all day perky and cheeping and active--  one flew up 4 ft to grab and ear of corn out of my hand those Jersey Giants eat like wolverines!