No more light/heat......

[anotherusername]

My chicks are about a month old. We kicked the stinkers out of the house to the coop a week or two ago and have been running light & ceramic heater to keep them warm at night. I figure I can slowly taper off the heat now, but was curious how cold should I let it get in the coop while they are still this young? They have feathers, but as this is the first time I've had chicks I am still learning.

 

[countrygirl345]

typically, you figure the temperature they need by starting at 90 degrees and then subtracting five degrees every week. At four weeks, they should be fine in 65-70 degree weather.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

It's all about how feathered they are and how cold your region is. Over the years and especially after having hens brood chicks I've learned they are quite a bit tougher than we give them credit. When young if cold they certainly do need a place to warm up but can handle quite chilly temperatures in between those warm up times. As they feather and grow the frequency of going near heat source lessens- be it hen or lamp. With a group of chicks they become their own heat source and huddle together hunkered down in the litter on coop floor. Snug as a bug. I don't know your nightly temps or how feathered you birds are but i will say early spring my birds are weened from heat at 4-5 weeks weather dependent and put out coop without added heat. The weather turned this week so from here on out I can put birds out at 3-3.5 weeks. My lows for the next ten days are 37 F, highs mid 50's to 60's. Just to give you an idea of what I do. Definitely ween from heat sources over course of few days not all at once. I do that prior to them going out. Will have heat off days, on nights then off completely for few days then out they go. We brood in unheated garage.

 

[RonC]

I moved my first flock out at 5 weeks when they got feathers on their heads. Lows were mid fifties at night with no additional heat in the coop. They were in the house prior but the house heater was already off. Cut their brooder heat about 3 days before the move. Yes at night they huddled in the floor of the coop but did fine.

 

[anotherusername]

Thanks for the input. That tells me I have been babying them a bit too much. I thought that might have been the case. I'll wean them off the heat and toughen'em up!!

What about lighting? Do I need to wean them off slowly with a dimmer over a few nights instead of just turning off the light one morning and going to a standard day/night thing?

 

[RonC]

When they start sleeping away from the light or not using it at all then turn it off unless a freak cold snap comes through. Mine stopped using the light after about 3 weeks. I'm going to play mama hen till they are a little older but they are not staying in the house for 5 weeks. Been there done that.