chick temp??

[Savyjoy]

We have week olds in their brooder I’ve seen that at 1 week the temp should go down to 90? It’s currently 95 ish. Do I just turn off or raise the light, or watch the chicks? I turned off the light and it stayed 89 in the brooder but the chicks all went under where the light would shine. Does this mean they aren’t ready for the temp drop? Or just missing their light? Thanks guys!!

 

[Shezadandy]

We have week olds in their brooder I’ve seen that at 1 week the temp should go down to 90? It’s currently 95 ish. Do I just turn off or raise the light, or watch the chicks? I turned off the light and it stayed 89 in the brooder but the chicks all went under where the light would shine. Does this mean they aren’t ready for the temp drop? Or just missing their light? Thanks guys!!

If they're crowding together and giving what I call the peep of despair, they're cold. They might be hanging out by the light because chicks raised with the heat lamp don't enjoy dark places. Is the ambient temperature in their room in the high 80's or is it just right after you turn the light off? Either way ….

At their age, I definitely wouldn't leave them without a heat source overnight. As long as they've got an area to cool off and an area to warm up, they can find their happy medium … you can of course raise the lamp, just do it when you've got time to listen for the peeps of despair until you've got it where they're still comfortable.

Here's an alternative to the lamp:

You could also do an "MHP" which stands for "Momma Heating Pad" - there are as many MHPs as there are people who make them -- but it's basically a cave that mimics having a hen to duck under and warm under. They get used to the dark cozy space being where they get their heat as opposed to a heat lamp, and learn to tuck themselves in at night.

And as a bonus, it uses much less energy and is a much lower fire risk. If you have a heating pad that will run 24/7 (no auto-shut off at 2hrs -- or the ability to override the auto shutoff with a "stay on" feature), something to use for a frame - I used those racks you screw into a cabinet door for things like foil and plastic wrap, and bent the rack to slope down in the back - then the babies can choose how much heat they want. When they have an actual hen, the babies warm themselves by pushing up against her body, and the MHP allows them to do that as opposed to heating the air. Then a hand towel goes over the top and drapes a little over the sides- and a new clean one every day. I put paper towels under the MHP make it simple to clean under as well, just change the paper towels first thing in the morning and right before bed.

 

[rosemarythyme]

FYI there's no need to repost your question 3x for more responses, you'll get better progression of answers by keeping all the same type of questions in one thread.

 

[blujean]

How long do babies usually stay under the heat lamp. and how many months old should they be before they can go outside into the coop.