6 week chicks.. can i turn off red heat lamp?

[88heather]

We have been working on the coop for 4 weekends straight.. should be completed this week.. Darn rain has really kept us going slow!

anywho.. we hope they will be in the coop today.. so we just turned off the heat lamp in their brooder.. Do you have to get them used to no heat lamp for a bit.. before sticking them in the coop and really dark over night? will the darkness freak them out? Our lows over night will be in the 40's and 50's.. the coop is insulated but we do have ventilation in the roof.. Maybe only put on the lamp over night for a bit?

thoughts?

thanks!

 

[cicene mete]

Well, if you subscribe to the 5° per week rule with 95° for the first week, your chicks would need a temperature of around 60° since they are in their seventh week. It's probably a bit warmer in the coop than it is outside, but lows in the 40s might be pushing it.

You could try a small heat lamp for a bit and see how it goes. A cheap digital thermometer can help you monitor things.

At eight weeks, I stop providing extra heat until the really cold temperatures of the winter. The other thing to consider is how early you will be able to get out there and turn off the light. If it gets warm during early in the day, you can get little rotisserie chickens

 

[lux_interior]

I put mine out at 4 weeks with no lamp, theyll be fine

 

[Judy]

I don't think they'll be too cold if the coop is closed up. They might be a little less frightened by the transition if you leave it on for a night or two, but they will get over it, either way.

 

[eggsited chickens]

They'll be fine. Mine crowd together, more because scared??? than heat. Our coop is insulated and I leave the windows open just a crack, and it stays at least 10-15 degrees warmer in there than outside. I do have 30+ chickens though too.