brooder temp question

[dancingflower68]

Hi everyone!
Well, I have 4 baby's coming on April 23rd from My Pet Chicken, so I have my brooder all set up and I've been testing the temperature. Directly under the light is reading 100 degrees, but it's pretty good size (42x22) and seems to have several different heat zones ranging from 80, 95 and 100 when I move the thermometer around. Is this OK, or should I try to bring down the temp a bit? I do have it partially covered, so I can play around with that, as well as raising the lamp. What do all you chicken experts think?? This is my first time with chicks, and I don't want to fry the little sweethearts!! Thanks!

 

[applefalls]

Haha! No, you don't want to fry them.

My thermometer also reads 100 right under the lamp, but that is how I left it.
Once you get the chicks in there, they will tell you more than the thermometer. If they avoid the area below the lamp, go ahead and raise the lamp slightly so that there is less heat on them. If they huddle under the lamp, they are too cold.

It sounds like you have a large enough area to allow them to move around and make their own decisions about how hot or cold they are. You are doing everything right so far.