Five-week-olds-- No ability to raise lamp in brooder--shut it off for good?

[ZenHens]

Please don't laugh at what is probably such a n00b question.

My little girls are five weeks old now. I've had the lamp off in the daytime for the last week or so. We're in Florida and it's been toasty. I've still been leaving it on between 11pm and 8am. Lows are right around 70.

Can I just shut it off? Do I need to do it incrementally? They seem to be well-feathered. I know the math is right and they'd be at 70 now going by the five degrees a week standard. I just hate to take away their lamp suddenly, but my husband thinks I'm coddling them (I likely am) and didn't feel like running a chain along the ceiling tonight so I lift the lamp higher.

Ir'a not lower than 70 degrees. So they'll be fine, right? I even added extra hay, lol.

 

[jdavis]

At five weeks old my chicks are already outside in the holding pens and the temps at night around here get down to around 60 this time of year, they will be fine with no light at all, if you feel it is necesary just change the bulb to a 65 watt light bulb, but they will be fine either way.

 

[CarolJ]

My chicks have been in the unheated coop - with no heat lamp - since they were 3 weeks old. The weather here has been warm - and they are doing great. They stay outside in the run most of the daytime now - and only come into the coop to eat and sleep.

How many chicks do you have? If they get cold (not likely this time of year) they will huddle together and stay warm.