Do my almost 5 week old girls still need a heat lamp at night?

[chickyboomboom]

We live in Coastal San Diego, so the weather is pretty mild. The lows at night have been about 62 degrees. I've got the heat lamp in there at night from 1030 pm to 6 am. My 5 girls seem to sleep away from it, so I'm wondering if they even need it? Should I shorten the time span? like from 12am to 3am just to cover the coldest part of the night? I'd love to be done with it if I can!

 

[NoseyChickens]

If they're outside I might keep it on for a week or so. If they are inside I would think you could turn it off.

 

[allieloveschickens]

They probably do not need it, I stopped the heat lamp with my girls around that age- it has been very warm here in SD, so they will be fine

 

[Ivywoods]

No, they shouldn't need it at those temps. Moving away from the light is a sign that it is too hot. If you feel more comfortable weening them down, put a smaller bulb in there, such as a regular bulb, rather than a heat lamp. I like to stick to the red colored ones. I think it decreases the amount they peck on each other.

If they are fully feathered out, they shouldn't need it at all.

Good luck.

 

[chickyboomboom]

Quote:
they're outside in their coop.

 

[BoltonChicken]

If the outside night time air temperatures do not fall below 55 degrees they do not need supplemental heat.