24hrs of light or not to 24hrs of light?

[BlindLemonChicken]

I usually brood on the back porch or in the garage depending on weather. The first couple weeks I leave a red heat lamp on all the time but move it farther away as time goes one. At night if in the garage I shut off every other light. On the back porch night does that and then I put a blanket over them for added night time. This last batch of chicks I was very lazy about the heat lamp and they had it on over three weeks. I just got them outside last night in their own baby coop. No real weaning off light and they are just fine. Nature knows best and when I am being a good chicken owner I try to mimic it

 

[Aunt Angus]

I'm afraid that I can't agree with that.

Perhaps *less* risk of fire than from an improperly secured, improperly used heat lamp, but even a heating pad without a shutoff was not designed for 4-6 weeks of continuous use and any time you're using a piece of electric equipment in a way it was not designed for you have a fire risk.

Heating pads do start house fires periodically.

A lot of people here are using the heating pad cave successfully, but it shouldn't be taken as a no-risk situation.

I know. I was making a generalization. I gotta stop doing that online.

 

[My Very First 6 Chickens]

If the chicks have just arrived in the mail, it's advisable to leave the lights on for 2 or 3 days to keep them eating around the clock to recover from the stress of shipping and then switch them to normal day/night cycle. This is why I prefer not to use red lights but just ceramic heat bulbs or a brooder plate.
Chicks hatched at home can immediately be left with a natural circadian rhythm. That's what the broody hens do after all.

Dobielover, Thank you for your support here on BYC. your experience, knowledge, and ability to share all of that with new chicken owners is a gift. didnt mean to redirect the OP, but thats how i felt after i read your input. thankU

 

[Lubthechickchicks]

First of all, pay attention only to experienced people. Anyone can read something and feel like an expert and portray it as such. Sometimes someone will recommend something they heard or read that they haven't bothered to fact check, and it can sometimes lead to disaster and heart ache.

You are already on top of this issue by reasoning that a light on 24 hours a day would seem a lot like torture. Yes. You are right. It is.

If you know the basics about how a broody hen cares for her chicks, that should tell you that baby chicks sleep in the dark under the hen all night without eating. The sun rises, it gets light naturally, and the hen and her chicks awake and eat. They are all active during the day, and when the sun sets, the chicks crawl back under the hen and everyone sleeps.

Hens and chicks have been living naturally in this manner for thousands of years. It would seem logical that chickens wouldn't have made it this far as a species if chicks starved to death by not having a light on at night so they can eat.

You don't need a light in order to keep baby chicks warm. Years ago many of us here discovered the heating pad method of brooding. It requires no light at all, only natural light and natural dark. This method resembles a broody hen in that the chicks crawl under it to get warm, and yest, they sleep soundly all night and they do not starve. Here is some reading for you. https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...and-start-raising-your-chicks-outdoors.71995/

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...d-in-the-brooder-picture-heavy-update.956958/

Question about having 24 hours light. My girls are about two weeks old. I currently only have a heat light, I live in the mountains so my lows can still dip in to the low 40's in the side of my house is probably around 60. Is have a 24 hours light on? Not sure how I could fix it without buying a different heat source? What are your thoughts.

 

[DobieLover]

Question about having 24 hours light. My girls are about two weeks old. I currently only have a heat light, I live in the mountains so my lows can still dip in to the low 40's in the side of my house is probably around 60. Is have a 24 hours light on? Not sure how I could fix it without buying a different heat source? What are your thoughts.

Is your lamp red? They make ceramic heat bulbs. You can get one that is 100 watts and replace the red lamp with it.

 

[Lubthechickchicks]

Is your lamp red? They make ceramic heat bulbs. You can get one that is 100 watts and replace the red lamp with it.

No it is just a regular white light lamp... Should I switch it out for a red one? It is a halogen I think... LoL not sure right now cuz it is almost 4 am and I work nights so I not home yet

 

[DobieLover]

No it is just a regular white light lamp... Should I switch it out for a red one? It is a halogen I think... LoL not sure right now cuz it is almost 4 am and I work nights so I not home yet

Switch it out for the ceramic heat bulb that I linked for you.