chicks huddling together even in heat

[chicktwins]

We have 27 six week old chicks that we moved to the coop on Wed of this week. It was unbearably hot yesterday and today and I have 2 box fans set up in their coop and have also been freezing sliced cucumbers and apples in water filled tupperware containers for them to nibble on as well as putting frozen water filled two liters on ground for them to lay around and ice in their water container. They have done surprisingly well so far (knock on wood) but at night they huddle together in a corner of the coop even though its still pretty warm. I put a red light bulb in their coop light fixture so they could still see and it would be just like their brooder box. I am thinking maybe they are scared and that's why they are doing this, what do you think? Should I change the bulb to a regular white bulb to light up more? Any opinions would be appreciated. I really don't want them crowding each other in an already hot situation. It really worries me. Thanks in advance.

 

[CapricornFarm]

Not to worry , that's how they sleep when they are young. Do you have perches up for them yet? They may start using them soon.

 

[pjknust]

Mine are almost 10 wk old and they still do that. Once in a while I'll see a couple on their little roost, but they always end up in a huddle and its HOT here. Its still 95` at 10pm.
I put a wet rug on top of their night time pen and drape it down the side and thats the side they pile up on, next to the wet rug. I also have a fan in the coop to occilate from old hens roosting to chicks in their lil pen.

pam in TX

 

[earnhardtlvr]

the first week i put mine out it was 100 during the day and about 85 at night and they insisted on piling up together on the floor. it's just a chicken thing...they will b fine. u r taking all the right precautions with the fans and frozen bottles! just keep a cautious eye, but what u r doing is good!

 

[CarolJ]

Mine are 23 1/2 weeks old - and although they roost at night, during the day - when it's 100+ degrees outside, they'll take dust baths and literally burrow under each other. It's the funniest thing to watch them all bundled up in a pile.

 

[bairo]

Quote:
pretty much sums it up I think. IMO I would remove the bulb period.

 

[chicktwins]

Thanks everyone for your replies. I starting turning the light on because they would start peeping so loud. I turned the light on and they stopped. Do you still think do away with the light? I was thinking I would leave it for another few days.

I do have perches and they do play on them, but most still like to just fall out on the floor sideways or face down.

I took the canopy frame off of our sandbox and put on the coop floor as perches. They also have a small step stool that one slept entirely underneath of on Wed night.

 

[burbankchix]

We put our 16 chicks out at 4 weeks old, too big for the box in the house (with a red heat lamp light) and plenty of deep pine shavings (6-8"). It's hot here during the day, but at night it's still under 70 degrees. They are now 7 1/2 weeks old and are doing beautifully. We had to put a blanket over the nesting box lids to keep the chill out, and I hung a blanket over a childs gate that we keep up in front of the double coop doors to keep the dogs away while we change food/water. Our chicks started using their roosting perches right away; they were already sitting on the water and food bottles, but a few would huddle in the corner of the nesting boxes or just in a big circle on the floor. They are doing so well, but I was personally worried about putting them out so early due to the cold. We still leave the heat lamp on every night. I think your chicks are just doing the pack mentality thing just like ours-they seem to take their cues from each other, what one does they all seem to follow, whether its sleeping or just huddling! Good luck, we're new chick owners too and it's very hard to not know exactly what we're doing!

 

[bobbieschicks]

Okay - now I understand why my 2 week old Leghorns sleep in a pile even with their brooder at 90F - it's a chicken thing.

 

[Alliefisher]

I have five, six week old sikies and they bunch together too, even tho its summer in Wiscconsin so it's pretty hot out. They are completly fine and now in there coop.