Honestly, a thermometer is not the best way to measure. Watching their behavior is better. They should spend a lot of time eating, drinking, and running around. Chicks are busy creatures, they explore everything. They should take a lot of short naps at this age, napping directly under the heat source while touching their friends. If you see chicks that aren't feathered yet sleeping all over the enclosure, it's too warm. Too cold looks like frantically climbing onto each other in a pile but this is a rare sight, indeed, most people provide too much heat rather than not enough.
If you can get a brooder plate, you don't need a light. Just position the brooder in a room with a nice sized window so they can sense when the sun is setting and they'll load their crops up and go sleep under it at night like they would if they were being raised by a hen. This is good for their health.
If you can get a brooder plate, you don't need a light. Just position the brooder in a room with a nice sized window so they can sense when the sun is setting and they'll load their crops up and go sleep under it at night like they would if they were being raised by a hen. This is good for their health.
