Do older chicks need 24 hour access to food?

[fatcatx]

Our 5 week chicks are in their pen/coop with the heat lamp on at night in the coop. We've been moving their feed and water dish in the coop at night and back out to the pen for the day. At what point can they do without food and water during the night until we let them out in the morning?

I was thinking that as long as we had the lamp on inside they would need food since they may be active at night. Our nightime temps will be warm enough to take out the lamp in another week. Can they do without nightime access to food at that time? Is there an age range that they always need access to food?

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

I was thinking that as long as we had the lamp on inside they would need food since they may be active at night.

This is correct- when they are around 6 weeks they can sleep at night if fully feathered and since it will be dark they won't eat or drink. IF you aren't letting them out at daylight though then they need food and water in the coop.

 

[fatcatx]

Thanks for confirming that I was on the right track! So does 6 week mark the magic number or do I keep them with their food as long as I have the lamp on at night?

We got chicks late this year so temps are pretty warm. Had we got them in March (which I plan on in the future) I would need to keep the lamp on until 8 weeks or so.

 

[Den in Penn]

By six weeks most breeds are fully feathered and able to to take fairly cold temperatures. At that point the heat source is put away around here. I usually get mine in March, and the nights in late April around here still get below freezing outside the coop. Inside they huddle if they get cold.

 

[fatcatx]

WOW - I thought I had to keep the lamp on until the nightime ambient temp was consistant with the what they were at (adjusting -5 degrees each week.) Had no idea they could be that hardy that young. I guess having the heat lamp in there right now is overkill since our weather is so warm here.