are my chicks in puberty and hormones raging

[france4862]

As soon as I finish the walls. I will continue to provide red heat lamp until they are 8 weeks old. Maybe after 8 weeks I'll switch out lamp to light bulb.

 

[france4862]

They will be in coop as soon as my walls are put together. It is all framed up just need insulated walls. Won't take long but I need my husband's help. Hopefully tomorrow

 

[ChickenCanoe]

After 8 weeks they won't need anything as long as they've been exposed to ambient temperatures.

Just make sure it's predator proof before you put them in there.
I'm sometimes over anxious. I have to restrain myself from jumping the gun.

 

[france4862]

That amazes me.I feel like I have to give them some light it maybe a bit shaded in there.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Chickens, like all living things need a dark period and at night they are blind.

Why do you think they need light?

 

[france4862]

Don't they need light for 14 hrs a day? And are they really blind at night?

 

[Ridgerunner]

It’s not the length of light that is so important. It’s days (actually nights) getting longer and shorter that makes a significant difference. By lighting your coop you are not allowing their nights to get longer.

Of course it is never that simplistic. A longer day allows them to eat more which can have an effect on egg laying. I’m sure other things contribute for different reasons. But the significant effect is the nights changing length.

They don’t need 14 hours of light. If they are close enough to the equator they’ll never see 14 hours of light in their life if you depend on the sun. Anywhere on the globe, about half of the year they won’t see more than 12 hours of light, pretty much between fall and spring equinox.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Don't they need light for 14 hrs a day? And are they really blind at night?

Yes they are blind in the dark. That's why I can pick my wild penedesencas off the roost at night. They can't see me coming. That's also why they need a predator proof coop because they're 'sittin' ducks'.

They don't need the extra light unless you want to force laying through the short days. But yours aren't old enough to lay anyway.
I give hatchlings 24 hours of light for the first week and then drop them to 8-10 hours or ambient light.
I rarely provide layers with extra light any more.