Do I need more heat?

[LizGled628]

My chickie babes are a week old today, and I've had a heat lamp on one side of the cage between 90-98 since they hatched. It's supposed to be humid and in the 90's here today, is it okay to turn the heat lamp off, so long as I turn it back on at night?

Thanks!

 

[kipper]

Yours are very young and I suspect you will have them outside. If you can monitor them to make sure they are not piling up to stay warm, I say you might be able to shut the light off during the day. I would also put a thermometer down at chick level. I would keep an eye on the temp and be sure they don't get a chill when evening comes. Good luck!

 

[LizGled628]

Thanks! They are in the house now, but I did have them outside for a few minutes today while I cleaned their brooder. They were a riot! They absolutely loved scratching around and fighting over leaves. Sooooo cute!

 

[gritsar]

Our temps. are running into the high 90s, low 100s here. Our nighttime temps. are still in the high 70s, but it's very humid so it feels much hotter.
I stopped using a heat lamp altogether when my chicks were 10 days old. I just check on them at night to make sure everyone looks comfortable. They are outside.

 

[pkw]

I have some chicks that are 9 days old and they haven't been under their heating lamp much at all this week. I have left it on for them since they don't have feathers yet but I am going to start leaving their light off during the day and turn it on at night since the nights gets cool sometimes. When mine are feathered out the heat lamps are off.

My other chicks has been off their heating lamps since they were 2.5 weeks up to 3 weeks old. By then they are pretty much feathered out (at least mine are).

If your chicks are piling or staying under the lamp all the time then its a good idea to leave the lamp on but if they don't seem to be staying near the lamp then turn it off.