First night without heat lamp

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Jomini

Jomini

In the Brooder
5 Years
Jan 26, 2014
63
3
31
East Texas "Marshall"
My babies are 5 weeks old. It's only going to get down to 63 tonight. I don't think I will leave the heat lamp on for them tonight. Should I just put a regular light bulb in the coop for them and leave it on all night so they won't be in the dark, or just let them be in the dark?
 
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I'm no expert, but I'm one who thinks that they can't regulate their internal clocks without a true day and night cycle. Mine have been without light since their first night out in the coop when they were 6 weeks old, and average nighttime temps were in the mid-20s. I turned off the heat lamp in the brooder when they were almost fully feathered and left a window cracked open. They did beautifully and they have thrived. I have electricity in the coop, but it's more for me if I have to do my chicken chores later for some reason, and to run the exhaust fan. It's been almost 4 weeks with absolutely no problems, and we haven't hit a night in the 40s yet.
 
This made me giggle a little bit. Mine just turned 5 weeks old yesterday and they've been outside with no heat lamp for a little over a week and it gets down to the high 30's at night. Your chicks will be fine with no light :)
 
Oh well this is my first batch of chickens EVER.. Maybe im alittle overprotective.. Oh well they sure are some spoiled happy chicks.. Thanks for the replies... I guess it Did seem like a trivial thread starter after i see ya'lls chicks are doin fine at 30 degrees.. I have learned so much from this forum.
 
Jomini said:
Oh well this is my first batch of chickens EVER.. Maybe im alittle overprotective.. Oh well they sure are some spoiled happy chicks.. Thanks for the replies... I guess it Did seem like a trivial thread starter after i see ya'lls chicks are doin fine at 30 degrees.. I have learned so much from this forum.
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Never be embarrassed by asking any question. I'm not much more experienced than you are - got my first chicks in February. And don't let my cavalier answer worry you - truth be told I couldn't wait to get them outside. Then, when I did, I had a wireless remote thermometer in there and checked it constantly. When I went to bed, I figured I'd drift off into peaceful, no-more-chicks-in-the-house blissful sleep. Um, I didn't. The coop is not that far from my bedroom window - probably 15-20 feet just because that's how the layout of the yard demanded we build it here in town. I dozed off, then jumped up to check the thermometer and look in on them. I dozed off again, then got up to check once more. The last time I dozed off, and then I crawled out to check. As I shivered under the quilts trying to get warmed back up, I decided enough was enough. They were fine, and they'd be fine whether I froze my tushie off or not. And finally I dozed off and stayed dozed off.

The next batch of chicks will start out in the coop using the brooder outside method. And I probably won't sleep much that night either, but it will get easier.
 

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