Do chicks need the heat lamp constantly?

[rc4u]

heck grampa ust to make a tent about 6 inches high and cover it with straw and leave an opening for them to go in and out..and many still do this today...and that is all the chicks had..heck there was no electricity on many farms at first...jeff

 

[LindaB220]

Thanks for the tread. I am new at this and have my first batch of 8 little darlings. They are so cute. They are 4 days old and are all over the place. I still have the heat lamp on them and I opened the window to their room yesterday because they started to smell a little "fowl". LOL. anyway, I am thinking of putting them in an outside brooder today with the lamp on. It is a nice 70-80 here in Kenefick, TX. I am going to use an old rabbit hutch. Do you think they are alright to move outside? The hutch is under a covered patio. All feedback greatly appreciated.

PappasMomma

Yes, by all means, get those babies outside. I'm close to Shreveport and my babies are fine with no heat lamp at all in my storeroom. I'd leave it off during the day and light it up at night while the temp is under 50. After that, leave it off.

 

[hitchiechicks]

Our brooder is outside on the carport a and it has an outside and inside section. They have plenty of room to go from warm to cooler. Heat lamp is always on. We tried checking the temperature and keeping it just right but found we were fighting a crazy battle. All 12 chick's are about 3 weeks old and doing great.

 

[PappasMomma]

Thanks for the feedback..I was going to put them out today but apparently were in for some pretty bad weather the next few days, so I think I will wait until the weather clears up. I really like the straw tent idea...

 

[Glos Girls]

Thank you for all of your advise I have found on this site. (newbie here) Our peeps are four weeks old and as cute as they are I am ready for them to go outside. We will be putting the heat lamp in the shed for they will have it if needed. I will be checking back often for any advise I may need.

 

[stevexxx]

I keep my chicks on heat until they start getting their feathers, then about a week after they go to the outside brooder coops. They have always done fine doing it this way and ive raised about 300 chicks over the past 10 years or so and havent lost but a few here and their. I agree with what a few other folks have said and the chicks are alot hardier than you might think they are.

 

[little henery]

Week and a half, our chicks are no longer with a heat source... 70 degrees in the house... Waiting for 50+ degree outside weather and they are goin to their new coop

This is our 5th batch of chicks.. We have had 0 chick deaths and only predator related adult deaths

They are built to survive and they will.. They are much tougher than people think... Not to menton they feather out faster with less heat provided... Conversely they take much longer getting ready for the world with steady heat...

Heat them all you want, but its not necessary... 100% chick survival in both spring and fall with our less is more way of doing things

You seem to have a handle on raising chicks!! Would it be OK to put a 1month old chick in a coop with a 6 month old roo and. Two three month old hens?

 

[Edwardthefarmer]

How many months should I keep them under a heat lamp?

 

[realsis]

How many months should I keep them under a heat lamp?

you keep the heat lamp for a few WEEKS. at hatch the temp is around 95. you need a warm and COOL area in the brooder. .they go from warm to cool as they wish. The second week drop the tempature down by about 5 degrees. next week drop another five, continue until you reach room temp in about 4 weeks. There are other ways to brood as well (read heating pad thread) hope this helps.

 

[bjprichard]

My baby chicks are a week old, and of course under the heat lamp in the garage. We are in for a major wind/rain storm today and we almost always lose power. I'm worried that if our
power is out for 2 or 3 days they may get too cold. We live in the country, so we seem to be the last on the list to have power restored. Any suggestions just in case?