What age off heat?

[kimmom]

What age do you pull your layers off of heat? We only have them on at night right now and they are 5 weeks tomorrow.. Some are banties and frizzles. They are in a calf hutch with a wooden door over the front of it..

 

[gamebirdsonly]

depending on the weather. 6 weeks of age is the usually time I take mine off the heat lamps.

 

[kimmom]

its really hot right now so its been off during the day.. Its dropping to 54 tonight

 

[Aime137]

I keep them inside, with access to a heat lamp until they are 8 weeks old or fully feathered. Some of them seem to need it even longer. I live in Ga and the temperatures have been in the 60's during the day and no lower than 50's at night. I bought some 9 week old Cochins recently and put them outside in the coop and ended up with 2 sick birds. It might not have been weather related, but I now have a heat lamp out there for them anyway and they seem to enjoy having access to the added comfort.
A lot of people say that at about 5 or 6 weeks they should be fine as long as they are fully feathered. I'd rather be safe than sorry though!

 

[Aime137]

I've also read to decrease the temperature 5 degrees per week. Since the incubating temperature is around 100 degrees, by the time they are 8 weeks old then 60 degrees would be fine.

 

[ShellLea]

Mine were in the coop without heat at 4 weeks and night time lows of 40ish.

 

[Chicks Galore3]

What I do for my chicks is decrease the tempature to 65 degrees, and regardless of their age, keep it there until the general temp outside is that tempature, If the lows get below 60 I turn on the heat lamp. I do that until they are about 8-10 weeks, depending on how feathered they are.