Body temp

[NCclucking]

I have 10, 10 day old cornish cross chicks, when I move them them I notice their bodies seem very warm to the touch is this normal.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Chicken body temperature ranges from 103-107, so they will feel warm to the touch. If they are getting too hot they generally will pant and hold their wings away from their body.

 

[1TurkenLover]

x2

 

[azygous]

Yes, what the others said. The reason your chicks feel "hot" is because their body temps are a bit higher than ours, and their down isn't shielding that heat from escaping. It's why we need to provide a heat source for them to replace that body heat that's escaping through the thin down covering.

As they grow real feathers, they are much better at keeping the body heat from escaping, and your chicks will start feeling cooler when you're holding them. By the time they're around four weeks old, they will have most of their feathers and may only need a heat source on very cool nights.