Are they feathered enough to go out with a heat lamp?

[Saveria]

I've always bought cheap heating pads but we test them thoroughly (on ourselves) before using them for chicks. They need to be stored fairly flat, folding or bending them can damage the wiring inside which could lead to problems.

Yeah, that is a great idea.

 

[junior67]

I don't have any indoor-brooding experience to compare to, but I'm told that brooding outdoors makes them feather out faster.

I brooded indoors last year with a MHP and in the coop from 1 week this year with a MHP. We had a cold streak and some cold nights so they did keep the MHP a bit longer this time but were off of it ummmm around 4 weeks I think maybe 4.5? indoor they were off around 3.5 weeks. I think the coop raised ones may have feathered slightly faster but not much. I do believe the MHP had something to do with that though since it doesn't heat a whole area so they run under when they want to warm up but the rest of the area is much cooler (like a heat plate).

I have 3 week old chicks that have been raised by a broody. 1 has a TON of feathers the 2nd one just has some wing feathers and just starting to get a few tiny tail feathers (thinking this one is 100% roo mainly based on that!)

 

[kodster]

That depends entirely on the degree of feathering and the temperatures.

For me, in my climate and with the breeds I've raised, 6 weeks was the MAXIMUM time before I took them off heat. They've gone into the main coop without heat as early as 3.5 weeks -- because they were well-feathered were sleeping in the far corner of my outdoor brooder away from the heat plate.

The one time I left a little heat on them -- just a 40W bulb -- until 6 weeks was when I had a couple cockerels with the slow feathering genes who were still fairly naked at 4 weeks.

Well, minimum and maximum is the sweet spot, then, isn't it? It all depends on the time of year, as well, the temps outside, lots of variables. Not an easy, pat answer, as the situations even vary day-to-day! Don't you agree?

 

[3KillerBs]

Well, minimum and maximum is the sweet spot, then, isn't it? It all depends on the time of year, as well, the temps outside, lots of variables. Not an easy, pat answer, as the situations even vary day-to-day! Don't you agree?

Yes, very much.

I live in a mild climate and am mainly raising fast-feathering, early-maturing breeds and I brood outdoors -- where I'm usually worrying more about them getting too hot than getting too cold.

Each batch has been different.

 

[Blooie]

I use nothing but Mama Heating Pad, and raise my chicks outdoors from the start, even here in Wyoming where our springtime chick season temps can be in the 20s, dipping into the teens, and we can see snow in June. In fact, it snowed here this past weekend!

As for fires, any electrical appliance from a coffee pot to a phone charger, can start a fire. I’ve been using the same heating pad for 7 years now. It’s checked carefully before we set it up, and it’s never folded or rolled up for storage between batches of chicks. It gets warm, but never dangerously hot. I use this as an example - grab a running heating pad. Now grab a running heat lamp. Yeah. Which is more likely to cause burns or start fires? There’s always a risk…I don’t minimize that. But it’s far safer than that hot heat lamp!