Baby chicks

[Chims3516]

Yes, baby chicks need heat. Depening on there age and feathering out. When they hatch from the egg they only have down on there bodies which will not keep them very warm. As they grow there feathers in you will notice they will stay away from the heat source more. When raised n
By a mother hen the chicks will huddle under her for warmth. The chicks will also need light to see to eat and drink. If they are compleatly in the dark, they could do neither.
Watch ther behavior. If they pile up under the heat source and are peeping very loud they are cold.
If they are escaping to the outer edges of there brooder and are panting, they are too hot.
Chicks are very fragile....did you not pick up a phamplet for there care when you purchased them? Its easy to kill them by mishandling. Read up on carring for chicks, this site has some goos instruction. Please let us know immediatly what is happening if you need help.

Thank you for the help. I had baby chicks last year, but used a heat lamp and decided to go with the heat plate instead this year. Just wanted to make sure no light at night wasn’t an issue and to make sure they were warm enough.

 

[808momof4]

Place a thermometer under the heat source and make sure it's 95°f if they are in their first week. Each week you can drop the temperature by 5 degrees f. Place their food and water outside the heat source so it doesn't get too hot and the chicks can learn to moderate their own body temp. We used a heat lamp for this, but you can use a heating pad that doesn't have an auto-off or you can buy a heating plate for brooders. We found the heat lamp with a red bulb to be cheaper. The red light stopped the chicks from picking at any injuries (chickens wont leave the color red alone).

 

[rosemarythyme]

Heat plates don't heat the air so don't worry about what a thermometer in the brooder says. If you touch the plate and can feel that it's hot to the touch, then it's working. With natural light coming through the windows the chicks will use it on and off during the day and sleep under it at night.

 

[Chims3516]

Heat plates don't heat the air so don't worry about what a thermometer in the brooder says. If you touch the plate and can feel that it's hot to the touch, then it's working. With natural light coming through the windows the chicks will use it on and off during the day and sleep under it at night.

Thank you!