4 Week RIRs / Temps

With the coolness of this past summer here in KY, we kept a light in the brooder/tractor until they were 10 weeks old. The tractor was large enough to give them a choice of heat vs: no heat.

 

At 5 weeks they still need an 75 degree environment.

They need to be 8 weeks old to be fully feathered, then introduced to lower temps slowly so they can adjust.

ETA: decrease temp by 5 degrees per week.

 

I have RIR's. I let mine out during the day. They will be a month old on Wednesday. I put them back in the nursery coop with a red heat lamp at night. It's been low 50's here but is going to be in the 40's the next few nights.

 

I have 6 Mille Fluers ranging from 3 to 5 weeks in a brooder with a heat lamp. It has been cold here- rainy, windy, 30's outside, low 50's in the garage. So they have are brooding in the house.
We let the thermostat go down to 64 at night so I have been keeping a red heat lamp on at one end of the brooder. The problem is they hardly sleep with the light on and they can be quite loud. Any ideas?

Also, when can they go out to the garage?

 

I'm no eggspurt but I would say they could go out to the garage NOW! (with their heat source at one far end) I have chicks that I am unsure of the birthdate but know they were hatched in September who are out in an unheated barn but contained in a large plastic tub with the lid on overnight withs small holes for ventilation and the nights have been in the 40's.

They all sleep as one large heat producing unit and so the extreme body heat is what they have for a heater. I also lay in fresh shavings each day so they can keep their feet warm, removing all the poopy top layer. There is no power in the barn so this was the best I could do.

I have no garage and needed more sleep that they were able to give me inside my house. They have been sleeping out for at least 2 weeks. I am just about to start allowing them to choose between their tub or the roosting spots with the bigger birds.