A small confusion with chick behavior

[Fe1od1or]

After recently buying chicks, I've noticed that they have some peculiar behavior. From what I am told, chicks stay together, under the lamp when cold, and apart, away from the lamp when hot. HOWEVER! My chicks seem to sleep together away from the lamp! They are not complaining, so the temperature should be right. Is this a behavioral thing?

(small note: My 3 easter eggers are in one group, while my one austrolorp is usually separated)

 

[loveourbirds]

im guessing your lamp is to hot and they are trying to escape the heat. of course this could be wrong - if you have a thermometer it wouldnt hurt to check the temp in the brooder.

 

[3chickchicks]

Chickens want to sleep together rather than by themselves. I would take it as the lamp is too hot.

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

Your lamp is too hot. A lamp that is right will have chicks somewhat scattered all around the brooder and not bunched up at any one place. They tend to fall asleep where the stand, kind of like puppies.

You don't really need a thermometer in a brooder. Just watch the chicks. If they huddle under the lamp, lower the lamp. If they huddle in a corner away from the lamp, raise the lamp. If they fall asleep in a circle around the edges of the lamp, raise the lamp. If they are using all the available space, sometimes under the lamp and sometimes not, you're probably fine. In fact, having your lamp on one side of the brooder so that they can get away from it if they want to is better for them. You don't think that Mama Hen bothers to make sure that her chicks are kept at an exact temperature, do you? Her chicks will scoot about in the snow, pop under Mama to warm up, then go back out to play in the snow and wind after about a week old. They don't need to be a specific temperature all the time, they just need to be able to warm up when necessary. One of these days I'm going to get a pic of week-old chicks playing in the snow just to prove to people on here that chicks aren't the fragile things people think they are.