Does anybody give their chicks "Night-time"?

[LoneCowboy]

I read that you should give chicks that are under heat lamps some time with all the lights off, so they get used to night-time and it doesn't freak them out when they are done brooding. Does anybody else do this?

 

[LinckHillPoultry]

no

 

[Katy]

I always use a red light which I think is less disruptive to them. When it's dark out it's pretty dark in their brooder too.

 

[Xtradust]

The more I brooded chicks, the more I thought about it.

Ya ever see those chicks at the feed store with one big 100w bulb at chick level in the middle of the chick cage. Yikes.

The lady at the feed store told me last month that she got some chicks that had genetic problems because they went blind after about a week. Yeah, they were genetically unable to look directly at the sun 24/7.

But, most seem to do fine.

I use a 60w red glass light bulb in a hanging clamp light in one corner of the brooder and I have one of those little spiral flourescent bulbs on a timer on the otherside.

The flourescent comes on from 6am-6pm.

They seem to like it. They get up on their roost (yes a brooder roost) about ten minutes before the white light goes out.

They were all from under a hen, so none of them eat or drink all night, but that's another topic...

Matt

 

[silkiechicken]

Nope, they get light 24/7 till about 6 weeks old... then... light gone. A week of lining them up on a roost every night keeps them from smothering one another and they get used to it pretty quick.

 

[WriterofWords]

I have the heat lamp over the cage during the night but I put a towel over half the cage. It's a rabbit cage actually,,, plastic bottom and really big too. But the towel gives them a shaded area that is darker than where the red light shines. I've noticed that out of the 8 babies 5 of them go for the dark immediately, the others sit under the light for a bit then go to the dark area. It's their choice where they want to be, they have the option of darkness or the light offered by the red heat lamp.

 

[fallenweeble]

has anyone tried one of those ceramic, non-light emitting infered "bulbs?"
i was thinking of trying one of those in tandem with the red infered.

(sorry lone cowboy, i hope this doesn't constitute going "off topic" - i think it's along the same lines . . .)

 

[newchickmom]

I put my red heat light on at night and the regular heat light during the day. I just thought it would be better for them to sleep.

 

[ebonykawai]

Quote:
I plan on using one when I get my chicks next month. I hate to think of them in the light 24/7. It seems too unnatural to me.

 

[Tuffoldhen]

I don't do the light off either...they can chill too easy....24/7 on a light and growing out chicks...