BABY CHICKS

[happychicks]

WHAT IS THE IDEAL TEMP I HAVE A 100 WATT WHITE BULD IS RED BULD BETTER JUST GOT 25 BABY CHICKS TODAY NEWBIE AT THIS

 

[MRNpoultry]

I have used the red and white bulbs, I think the reds get a little hotter but that might be because I did not get a cheap brand in them. The reds will reduce pecking to.

Goodluck with them

 

[happychicks]

THANK YOU I;LL TRY THAT THERE HUDDLING UNDER THE LAMP I THINK IT'S TOO COLD FOR THEM

 

[nikkichicki]

I know everyone says if they are cuddled under the light it is to cold in the brooder but my temps are at about 89-105 and they still huddle....

Even the group of chicks that are 2 1/2 weeks old. they play and run around and the the rouge chick will run across the box and dive in like a mash pit and mix them all up again.. I could watch them for hours.

But still all of mine huddle even when I put the light lower and got the box to 114 they didnt leave that side... I am stumped...

 

[SeaChick]

Is it drafty or cold in the room they are in? That might be causing them to huddle under the light. Try bringing the brooder into a warmer area, and definitely must be draft-free.

If the chicks are huddling under the lamp all the time, they are too cold. They should be ranging around the brooder at different times of the day.

How big is the brooder? if its in a cold room and the box itself is big, then they might be huddling under the lamp because it is the only warm spot available. If the brooder is big, maybe try partitioning it off for a while to help contain heat a little, or add something solid over part of the top for the same purpose. Or if you want to keep it big, maybe add another heat lamp. Or lower the one you already have.

Whatever you do, they should NOT be all huddled under the lamp all the time.

General guide is 90-95 degrees ay "chick level" just to the side of the heat lamp area, and lowering the temp by 5 degrees every week. But the behavior is a better guide.

Drafts are very bad.

Red light bulbs reduce the possibility of the chicks pecking each other. I also think it allows a more natural adjustment to daylight, personally.

Good luck!

 

[MissPrissy]

happychicks, just wanted to let you know that when you type in all caps it makes it harder to read. Online typing in all caps comes across as SHOUTING at the people who will be reading yours words. It is so much easier to read if you will type in lower case please.

I use a red heat lamp bulb 250 watts. The red light helps keep down the pecking and picking chicks will do to one another. For the first week the heat should be around 95 degrees and then spreading out to cooler temps so the chicks can move away from the light if they get too hot and are able to better regulate their own body temps. Each week you can lower the temps by 5 degrees until the chicks are fully feathering out. By 8 - 12 weeks they will be feathered out enough that they can keep themselves warm without much need of the heat lamp. Some breeds take a lot longer to feather out than others.

Welcome to BYC.