So i just got my chickens today, they had about and hour ride back to my house and i had the heat on in the car. But when i put them into my brooder i have they all seemed to huddle together slightly away from directly under the 150w Red heatlamp i have. They are now sleeping and around eachother. I dipped their beaks into water and threw a lil of their food (ground oats and lentils) at them, the pecked at them a lil and now they are just sleeping together. Is this normal? Is this b.c of shock? The are aprox 3-5 days old barred rocks. The temprature is around 82-86 F. I know this is not ideal but my 150w is pretty close to it and the thermo might be a little off. But is going to kill them if it is about 10-15 degrees lower then their optimal temprature? I have LOTS of pine shavings as bedding so i think that will warm them up a little. (I know cedar shavings are bad) Thank you for reading & helping me out !
No this will not kill them, matter of fact, if they are huddling away from it, they may be a little warm. It is normal for them to just lie around and sleep for the first week or so so don't be so worried! I hope this helps! PM me with any questions you may have!
They like to huddle but they shouldn't ALWAYS be huddled. The temp is a bit cold (they shouldn't be below 90 right now) and yes, it is dangerous to not have the temp correct. Overheating or chilling can kill. You don't want your lamp closer than 18" to the bedding (fire hazard) so if it is low, go buy a higher wattage bulb.
