Chicks outside

[LaurenRitz]

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Are any of the chicks runty or unusually feathered (i.e. Silkies)? If they're all standard breeds, with those temps I'd be working to start move them outside, now. They can handle those temperatures just fine at 4 weeks when properly acclimated. That means cutting off heat indoors for starters.

Yeah, I took their heater away a few days ago. We'll see how they do tonight with the heat lamp. If necessary I'll bring them inside, but we'll see.

 

[SandyRiverChick]

Although there is no fire risk with a sand floor, having the light on all night isn't healthy for them. They've long since outgrown the chick heater, even at its highest position.

Can you get your hands on a ceramic heat bulb? You're right that light all night is no good. So a ceramic bulb provides big time warmth with no light. OR find a creative way to raise up the chick heater.... I've draped a heating pad over a wooden box for 4 week olds. It's right at that time where any day now they won't even want the heat....

 

[rosemarythyme]

Yeah, I took their heater away a few days ago. We'll see how they do tonight with the heat lamp. If necessary I'll bring them inside, but we'll see.

Bring them in at night if needed for the first few days but no heat should be needed at all indoors. You need to fully wean them off heat and get them acclimated to the range of outside temps so you can move them out of the brooder before the new batch arrives.

 

[LaurenRitz]

They've been without heat inside for a little less than a week. Last night they still screamed constantly but they weren't clustered under the lamp as before. Only one seems to even use it. I think it's the light that's bothering them.

 

[rosemarythyme]

They've been without heat inside for a little less than a week. Last night they still screamed constantly but they weren't clustered under the lamp as before. Only one seems to even use it. I think it's the light that's bothering them.

I'm still confused - if there's no heat provided why is there a light on at night? They do not need light at night but optimally you want to dim it gradually so they can settle down and go to sleep.

The light is a LED bulb right? Even incandescent adds heat. Asking for clarification because earlier you mentioned:

We'll see how they do tonight with the heat lamp.

 

[NatJ]

I'm still confused - if there's no heat provided why is there a light on at night? They do not need light at night but optimally you want to dim it gradually so they can settle down and go to sleep.

The light is a LED bulb right? Even incandescent adds heat. Asking for clarification because earlier you mentioned:

Maybe there is a heat lamp in the outside pen, but the chicks were used to no heat when they were indoors?

That might explain why they are reacting that way to the heat lamp: it is different than what they are used to. So they are trying to figure out what it is, and yelling that it is new and different.

 

[LaurenRitz]

I have not provided heat when they are inside for about the last week. I started to transition them to the outside (greenhouse during the day, inside at night, no heat), then when their coop was ready I tried to put them out there at night with a red heat lamp beause it's colder at night than they are used to. So they are not used to either light or heat at night.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I have not provided heat when they are inside for about the last week. I started to transition them to the outside (greenhouse during the day, inside at night, no heat), then when their coop was ready I tried to put them out there at night with a red heat lamp beause it's colder at night than they are used to. So they are not used to either light or heat at night.

Gotcha. So they're out full time now, then? If they're in the coop and haven't had heat during much of that time, you might as well try going without heat in the coop now as they shouldn't need it if they've been acclimating fine without it.