Can I turn my brooder light off?

[london08]

I have 6 baby chicks in a brooder i made from a clear tube. They just turned 5 weeks old today, and they haven't gotten all of their feathers yet they are still growing. The lady at the store said their temperture should be between 70 and 75 degrees in their brooder. Well with their light on and this summer weather in our house the temp. with the light on floats between 80 and 101 degrees. Am or should i just turn the light off and let them be in the dark? Would that be okay or should i keep it on, I dont want to roast them.

 

[nurse_turtle]

Leave it off and watch the chicks. If they are bunching up in a pile, then they are cold. If they are trying to lay far form the light, then they are hot.

 

[stephensc7146]

Try raising the brooder light. When I first got my chicks I had them in a normal sized tote, and I had the brooder light attached to my opened closet door. That way during the day when it was warmer I could raise it up higher to take some of the heat off of them, and at night I could easily slide it back down after it got cool in the room.

 

[Delta2 23]

Five weeks is usually old enough for them to have grown enough feathers so that you can stop using the light. Our chicks went outdoors into the coop at around this time, and they still had bits of fluff showing through the feathers.
It all depends on them though, whether or not they show themselves to be cold or not.
Also, if you turn the light off at night, they might be a little unaccustomed to the dark at first and peep. That's pretty normal.

 

[cva34]

I have 6 baby chicks in a brooder i made from a clear tube. They just turned 5 weeks old today, and they haven't gotten all of their feathers yet they are still growing. The lady at the store said their temperture should be between 70 and 75 degrees in their brooder. Well with their light on and this summer weather in our house the temp. with the light on floats between 80 and 101 degrees. Am or should i just turn the light off and let them be in the dark? Would that be okay or should i keep it on, I dont want to roast them.

If there in temps like 101 they will not feather out properly(too hot for feathers).I agree with lady at store..cva34

 

[Apyl]

Personally I would turn it off. IF they started to huddle and look cold then I would turn it back on but raise it.

 

[RonC]

I put a night light near their brooder when I turned the heat lamp off. Only way I could sleep at night they made so much racket. Put a small light in the coop the first few nights they were in there also.