Are my chicks gonna get too hot???

[3girls1momma]

We just 3 easter eggers this weekend & I'm not sure how old they are. They have some feathers & some fuss. Questions is it's supposed to be at least 97 degrees for the next few days. The lady said they don't need a heat lamp anymore but are they gonna get too hot? They are in a metal rabbit cage on our deck in the shade but it's still HOT.
Here's a link to a page where you can see how big they are & the cage. http://3girls1momma.blogspot.com/
Any help is appreciated! We're very new to this~

 

[KDailey]

Is that cage going to be their permanent home?

It's usually recommended to have about 4 square feet of space per chicken inside their coop/hutch and about 10 square feet of space per chicken in an outside run.

As for the heat I think they'll be alright if they're in the shade. Just keep and eye on them. If they're panting and have their wings held away from their bodies then they're too hot and you might want to put a little fan by them. If they're all huddle up together then they're too cold

 

[3girls1momma]

My husband is building a coop for them so they won't be in there very long.

They huddle up together when they go to sleep. Is that normal or are they cold???

 

[KDailey]

Well they'll cuddle up sometimes anyways but if they're really scrunched together under the heat lamp then they're probably a little cold.

When i say really scrunched together I mean bodies as close together as they can possibly get, heads on each others backs or tucked under each other.

Also if they are still as little as they are in the pictures then they actually should still be under a heat lamp. When they're 1 day to 1 week old they should be at 95 degrees. 2 weeks old- 90 degrees. 3 weeks-85 degrees and so on for about 5 weeks. They don't look all that old in the pictures but I'll take another look

EDIT: They look like they might be just a tad younger or the same age as my 2.5 week olds and I still have them under a heat lamp. We're in the process of building their coop as of yesterday and today and just as soon as my younger chicks get a few more feathers then they're all going outside. We usually have somewhere are 100 degree temps here in east texas. The main thing is that they have a lot of ventilation so they can get a good breeze if it's really hot out. If it gets too cold out at night you can maybe throw a towel or blanket over the cage to contain their body heat

 

[GardenState38]

Cute pictures! Can't wait to have my own little chickies!

I'm a novice (due to get day-old chicks next week), but after reading many books and this forum for over a year and studying brooder set-up, I've read nothing that says a heat lamp is an absolute necessity for chicks over 1 week, during high summer temperatures. Although a heat lamp would be needed if the brooder were kept in an air-conditioned room or a cool basement or garage, or during nights with temps under 85, it seems a bit extreme (and wasteful) to be using a heat lamp on chicks several weeks old, when they're on a deck with ambient temperatures in the high 90's. Add a heat lamp, and throw a blanket over the cage, and you'd have all the makings of an oven!

Everything I've consistently heard and read is that Chicks should be kept at 95 degrees week one, then down 5 degrees each week.
I have a heat lamp and a Brinsea ready for my chicks' arrival and probably the first few days, but I'm wondering how long they'll be needed once I'm able to get them outside and summer temperatures start to top out into the high 90s? Once the chicks are over a week old, my thinking was I'd probably just need heat maybe on a few nights if temps dip down?

Naturally, I will be keeping a close eye on them any signal of discomfort--distress chirping and piling--but this time of year I'm actually more concerned about them being TOO hot and becoming over-heated. I have electrolyte powder stocked to add to their water, and a mister to cool the run area if the heat gets REALLY extreme when they're older and fully feathered.

 

[KDailey]

Quote:
My meaning was that if they are inside then yes they need a heat lamp. But that the heat outside shouldn't bother them because it would be the same as if they were under a heat lamp. The blanket is only for if the temps drop at night. I don't know what her weather conditions are like in her area. Some places are hot during the day and drop rapidly once it gets dark. This is what I was referring to.

 

[chicken girl 01]

my chickens are outside in a coop and i put them out a pool with about 2 in. of water but they wont get in. any ideas of what to do.

 

[cary 1973]

MAKE SURE THEY HAVE COOL WATER TO DRINK! THAT IS MOST IMPORTANT. KEEP OUT OF DIRECT SUN BUT LIKE YOU SAID THERE IN SHADE SO THAT SHOULD NOT BE A PROB. IF THEY START TO SHOW SIGNS OF OVER HEATING MAYBE ADD FAN ONTO THEM. RIGHT NOW IM IN VEGAS AND WE ARE UNDER HEAT WAVE (THAT SAYS A LOT FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR) WE ARE HITTING 125 IN TOWN AND HOTTER IF YOU CHECK TEMP OF GROUND AND BLACK TOP) I HAVE MY GIRLS IN WE HAVE AIR ON AND ITS STILL HOT THERE MOUTH BREATHING YET STILL CUDDLING TOGEATHER THERE A LITTLE OVER 3 MONTHS OLD I THINK THEY FEEL SAFER CUDDLING EVEN WHEN HOT. AS FAR AS RECOMMENDED TEMPS I SAY WATCH THE BIRDS AS MY CHICKS WHERE VERY UNCOMFERTABLE AT HEAT SUGGESTIONS THEY LIKED IT A BIT COOLER SO GO OFF WHAT YOUR CHICKS ARE SHOWING YOU. YOU CAN ALSO HELP THEM COOL OFF BY GIVING COLD FRUIT LIKE WATERMELON (THIS WILL MAKE THERE POOP REALLY RUNNY BUT THIS IS NORMAL) HOPE THIS HELPS.





*IM WRITTING A PAPER RIGHT NOW SWITCH BACK AND FORTH FROM THAT TO THIS THAT IS THE ONLY REASON ITS ALL IN CAPTIAL LETTERS I KNOW SOME MAKE COMMENTS THAT ITS YELLING IF YOU TYPE IN ALL CAPTIAL SO IM NOT YELLING JUST BEING LAZY,

 

[gickelvolk]

just an fyi.....

PLEASE turn off your caps lock when writing....... All CAPS indicates "YELLLLIIINNGGG".....

 

[cary 1973]

ITS ALL IN THE PERSON HEAD THAT IS READING IT. AND IF YOU WOULD OF READ IT ALL TEH WAY DOWN I DID EXPLAIN WHY IT WAS ALL IN CAPS.