Are my chicks warm enough?

[Hanie]

My five day old chicks have a 60 watt bulb over them in one corner of their brooder. They seem to spend a lot of time cuddling under it and I'm just concerned they may be too cold. They do move around their brooder regularly and are happy to go over to their food and water which are at the other end of the brooder. They will also sometimes sleep or cuddle a few inches away from the lamp. Any insight would be great!

 

[TOOCLOSE]

I always used a chill chaser in a silver dome on my baby chicks. It's a 250 watt bulb. Keep it high enough so they don't get too hot, but low enough where they are comfortable and warm. You can tell if they are comfortable, cold or hot. Just watch where they hang out the most!

A black light is extremely hot too. I've used them a bunch too. Especially at night when they are supposed to be sleeping.

I fixed several feather dusters to hang in a corner too. The chicks loved crawling underneath it, thinking it was their momma!

TC

 

[ChickenLegs13]

It's normal for chicks that age to spend a lot of time under the light. If they are too cold they will pile on top of each other and cheep loudly, then you need to lower the light a bit. Ideally, they should form a loose circle under the light, not packed like sardines but not spread out all over the place trying the escape the light either.