5-6 weeks old, 3 Leghorns, do they still need aheat lamp?

[wvchix]

They are in a cage in my family room, and the temp is in the upper 60's at night, and a little warmer during the day. When can I stop the heat lamp?

 

[bj taylor]

for me the answer seems to be when the chicks tell me they're through w/the heat lamp. mine are in an extra large dog crate w/cardboard around the sides in their sleeping area only. it is in a barn type structure w/a 'chicken corral' outside. it has been chilly today so I left the heat lamp on over their favorite sleeping spot. they ranged in & out all day. it was as though the cold was fine as long as they could go to a spot & warm up. tonight we're having record lows, the heat lamps will be on all night in their sleep den, but there's always room for them to move to a cooler spot. mine are largely feathered out & have far greater tolerance for the cold than in the earlier days.

since I've made a few changes, I can't readily see the thermometer anymore, so I just rely on how they're behaving

 

[cafarmgirl]

They are in a cage in my family room, and the temp is in the upper 60's at night, and a little warmer during the day. When can I stop the heat lamp?

At this age, and still living indoors... you can definitely turn off the heat lamp! With those room temps plus a heat lamp it would be very easy to overheat them.

 

[wvchix]

for me the answer seems to be when the chicks tell me they're through w/the heat lamp. mine are in an extra large dog crate w/cardboard around the sides in their sleeping area only. it is in a barn type structure w/a 'chicken corral' outside. it has been chilly today so I left the heat lamp on over their favorite sleeping spot. they ranged in & out all day. it was as though the cold was fine as long as they could go to a spot & warm up. tonight we're having record lows, the heat lamps will be on all night in their sleep den, but there's always room for them to move to a cooler spot. mine are largely feathered out & have far greater tolerance for the cold than in the earlier days.

since I've made a few changes, I can't readily see the thermometer anymore, so I just rely on how they're behaving

At this age, and still living indoors... you can definitely turn off the heat lamp! With those room temps plus a heat lamp it would be very easy to overheat them.

Thank you both for the advice. I'll unplug it in the morning and just observe them throughout the day to see how they're doing.