Baby chicks and sunlight

[congdon476]

Hello all- total newbie here and wondering about sunlight and baby chicks? I know I keep reading a heat lamp, but a red bulb if possible so there's no picking... but what about sunlight? It'll be cold here in Feb. when I hope to get them, and would prefer to keep them in a small part of my finished basement where it stays a stable 70 degrees (plus the heat lamp for more). However, there is no window in this area. Is this an issue, or can I simply leave on the regular overhead light bulb as "sunlight"? Thanks.

 

[#1California Chick]

Welcome to BYC!! You will find lots of help here!!

I don't have any chickens just yet, BUT I have been following lots of threads here. It seems that the current wisdom is that the chicks need to be kept WARM for at least the first several weeks. Most suggest that you start them out at 95 degrees the first week and then reduce by 5 degrees per week. So it is the heat they need -- not light.

Again -- Welcome!!

Cindy

 

[Fresh Eggs]

Hi,


I am a newbie here tooo!!! My 26 girlies will be coming during the weekend of Febuary 2nd. The chicks need heat!

 

[MissPrissy]

70 is too cool and the chicks will chill and begin to die.

They must be kept in warmer temps starting at 95F the first week and working your way down by 5 degrees each week until you can wean them from the heat lamp.

 

[cmom]

I used an incandesant bulb in my brooder lamp. The main thing is Temperature. For the first week 95 degrees and reduce it 5 degrees each week. When they are babies. the bright light doesn't seem to bother them, they eat, drink and sleep whenever. I put a wireless digital thermometer in the brooder so I could monitor the temp. I kept my brooder in the barn and on really cold nights I covered it to keep the warmth in.

 

[silkiechicken]

With the right heating, they will do fine without access to sunlight for the first few weeks.

 

[Mahonri]

Start them out at 95 degrees and you can lower it by 5 degrees each week. Eventually you'll get down to 70 degrees and won't ave to woryy bout it nymore

 

[congdon476]

Sorry- didn't mean to confuse everyone... I know about keeping the chicks nice and toasty at 90/95 - it was merely the sunlight issue I was worried about. Seems they will be just fine under the heat lamp and with artificial light from the ceiling bulb for "daytime" hours.

 

[Akane]

I haven't noticed the lack of sunlight effects them any but it wouldn't do any harm to provide some full spectrum lighting. So long as you aren't getting them too hot you could run a daylight fluorescent on a timer with the heat lamp. That's what I do with my indoor quail. They always have a daylight compact fluorescent or full spectrum aquarium light strip on a timer for 8-12hrs and then a heat lamp for the quail chicks until a week or so old. Usually by the time I take away heat for the chickens I've moved them to the big pen by the window or out to the coop so it's not an issue.

 

[cmom]

Sorry I mis-understood. Sunlight is ok. With my brooder lamp on 24/7 initially for the first month they don't know if the sun is shining or not.