Do 7 and 10 week olds still need a light?

[MakNat]

I have a group of 10 week olds and a group of 7 week olds sharing a brooder cage with a light at each end. The cage is 4 by 8 and 4 feet tall... They run around in the barn all day. The younger group really seems to stay under the light whe they are in the cage.. But do they really need it at this age?

 

[gritsar]

IMO, the ten week olds most definitely do not. You can start weaning the 7 week old chicks off of it by decreasing the bulb wattage over a few week's time. If they look like minature chickens and not fluffballs anymore, they are more than likely feathered out enough.

 

[pasofinofarm]

Depends on the conditions. If they are in a heated space (or in nice weather) I turn lights off at night right from hatch and they are off all the time by week 3.