About to get keets, heat question

[Foghorn Mike]

I am getting 10 keets tomorrow, they will be 4 days old. The building I have my brooder set up in, an 8x10 shed, is running about 90-98 degrees in late afternoon with this weather we are having. The brooder itself is the same temp without the light on. So in late afternoon, away from the light, they will still be in 90-98 degree temps. Is that ok? It will go down in the 70's at night but I will still have the light on in the brooder.

 

[rhoda_bruce]

The day time temp is fine, but 70 for something that young, is not well. Would it be warmer near the light? Because if the brooder is big enough to allow for them to move away from the light if it gets too hot, I would just go with something strong enough to keep a higher temp.
Mine hatched out on the 2nd and they are with no lights anymore. Just stabalize them for a week or so.

 

[robin416]

How big is your brooder? That is what matters when it comes to an answer.

My keets are in a 4X4 inside open pen with access to an additional 4X4 area in an outside pen. You'd have to see my Dutch coop to understand. They have a light for night time since it is still a bit too cool at night but with temps in the 90ls during the day the light is off.

It almost sounds like if your building is secure and no other feathered critters the keets could have the run of the building.

 

[Foghorn Mike]

The Brooder is 44'' x 22'' and yes the 8x10 building is secure. My main concern was that it would get too hot in the brooder. Away from the light, it's still going to be 90-98 degrees in late afternoon.

 

[robin416]

My suggestion if you were planning on letting them have the run of the building as they matured is to go ahead and let them have it now. What kind of light are you using? I use a bell lamp with a 65 watt red spot light hung about a foot off of the floor in a corner. The keets know where it is and when its time to warm up they gravitate to it instinctively.

Your keets will tell you if its too cool. They have a plaintive cry that is hard to miss. I heard them from inside the house last week when six escaped.

Mine are about two weeks old now. After the first week they were exploring the outside pen. Yesterday I found five of them having a ball in my veggie garden that's about 500 feet in an indirect line from the Dutch coop. So they are pretty good at escaping.

 

[Foghorn Mike]

"I use a bell lamp with a 65 watt red spot light hung about a foot off of the floor in a corner"

Same except 60 watt clear bulb. I will probably let them have full run of the 8x10 at about 3 weeks is my guess. I wanted to let them get some size to them.