How long do 3 day old chicks need heat lamp?

dg14

Chirping
5 Years
Dec 1, 2014
128
2
79
I got my last chicks when they already had feathers on them so I didn't need a heat lamp I know the lamp has to be on 24/7. I know you start at a certain temperature then go down 5 degrees every week? im not positive. there all still alive and well so I must be doing something right.
 
*Ignore the temperature up and down don't know where I was going there lol*
 
They need heat in decreasing measure as the other poster said above until they are about 4 weeks old
and/or their breasts have been fully "zipped up" with feathers.
Best,
Karen
 
Make sure there is a cooler area in their brooder to go to, in case the thermometer temp is too high. By 6-7 weeks they should be fully feathered and read to gradually go out in their coop.
 
Ah okay, theres a cooler area to go to. the way my brooder is set up is I have them in a storage container the the lid cut out with wire with the lamp safely above it. there very active.. sometimes it freaks me out cuz they'll be so loud for a few minutes but then they'll go silent and im like please don't die please don't die. Hahaha. while were here. opinions on Wyandottes? Im pretty new here. I am experienced this is just my 1st time raising chickens from near birth.
 
I have my first Wyandottes this year. They're really great dual purpose breed. My hens lay really large brown eggs almost daily. They arent very friendly, however.
 
Curious what kind of storage container? Got pics?

Here's my notes on chickheating:
They need to be pretty warm(~85F on the brooder floor right under the lamp) for the first day or two, especially if they have been shipped, until they get to eating, drinking and moving around well. But after that it's best to keep them as cool as possible for optimal feather growth and quicker integration to outside temps. A lot of chick illnesses are attributed to too warm of a brooder.

The best indicator of heat levels is to watch their behavior:
If they are huddled/piled up right under the lamp and cheeping very loudly, they are too cold.
If they are spread out on the absolute edges of the brooder as far from the lamp as possible, panting and/or cheeping very loudly, they are too hot.
If they sleep around the edge of the lamp calmly just next to each other and spend time running all around the brooder they are juuuust right!

The lamp is best at one end of the brooder with food/water at the other cooler end of the brooder, so they can get away from the heat or be under it as needed. Wattage of 'heat' bulb depends on size of brooder and ambient temperature of room brooder is in. Regular incandescent bulbs can be used, you might not need a 'heat bulb'. You can get red colored incandescent bulbs at a reptile supply source. A dimmer extension cord is an excellent way to adjust the output of the bulb to change the heat without changing the height of the lamp.
 
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