Brooder temperature......Help please =)

[rebecca10782]

My babies are three days old, I have them in their brooder of course. I have the 250 watt lamp pointed at one half of the tub so if they get to hot, they can go to the other side. I put the termometer straight across from the bulb on the opposite side of the tub so it will read the warmest temperature. When I position the lamp so that it reads 95 the babies bunch up in a pile on the cooler side and one or two are panting and holding their wings out, so I positioned it a little higher. I come back in and it read 85 and they were not acting hot except one was panting, so she walked over and got a drink. I put the lamp a little lower because they should not be at 85 until the third week or so. I come back and it is at 90 and they are bunched up and panting again.

HELP I don't want to kill my babies, this is my first batch so I am being very very careful. I am in there about twenty times a day peking in to see if they are all right. All ten of them are fiesty little suckers, all very healthy and energetic. I even put a towel down on the floor and the lamp over it so they could strech their legs for a little while and they all started running in circles chasing eachother as they flapped their wings

They are toooo cute! Can someone help me or am I being overly parinoid?

 

[the1much]

how many chicks?, and how big is your brooder,, and where is it?

 

[the1much]

and who says they shouldnt be at 85?? they should be at WHATEVER temp allows them to not be bunched up on each other,, and they bunch at too hot,, and too low ,, set the light till they spread out, once they cool off and spread out, then THATS where you want it.
until 2 weeks ago,,, NONE of my chicks went in a brooder,, they were outside in their own pen. the only reason they get it now is it has been in the 40's and 30's at night. they have a light at night, and none during the day once it hits 55 degrees.
i go through anywhere from 300 to 500 chicks a month,, and the only deaths i get are within the first 24 hours after recieving them,, after that none,,,,, well,,,, unless i step on 1

 

[rebecca10782]

Ten chicks,in a rubbermade tub full of bedding, it is two and a half feet long, 1 and a half foot wide and about 2 feet tall. They are in the bedroom in my apartment. They are moving to my parents coupe when old enough of course. Can you imagine living in a 700 sf apt with 10 chickens?

 

[rebecca10782]

Someone please help!

 

[the1much]

just lift the light till their comfy and spread out,,, its warm enough in your room for them not to die,,, the only reason cold kills them is that they "huddle" and suffocate the ones on the bottom,, if they start to huddle,, bring the light closer.
sorry im not giving you a temp,,, but the recommended temp is 95 ,, and as you see, thats too hot for your chicks.

 

[rebecca10782]

OK thank God, I thought my chicks were going to freeze to death at 80

I don't know, they are so delicate

 

[Tuffoldhen]

Get the light up til you find them comfortable. I only use a 75 watt reg. light bulb somtimes a 60 in my house when I brood chicks, a 250 watt can get too hot for inside a house. I brood mine in large plastic totes too.

 

[rooster-red]

Set it to where they seem happiest and observe them.
The reccomended temp of 95 is not written in stone.

 

[gritsar]

Rebecca,
My chicks never liked the 90/95 degree rule of thumb either.
It actually works better if you watch your chicks more than the thermometer.
As you've already seen, hot chicks will get away from the heat source as much as possible. Cold chicks will be huddled under the heat source.
Sounds like when you positioned the heat lamp higher you were doing the right thing.