Heat and Chicks in Florida

[ZenHens]

I have four four-week old chicks--two Delawares and two Barred Rocks. All four seem pretty significantly feathered, particularly the Barred Rocks. They look like fat, fluffy mini-hens already.

I have them in a brooder converted from a Rubbermaid storage bench, so about 4 1/2 ft by 2 ft by 2'6" high. I have now turned the lamp off from 10am til 6pm. Even at night (low of 70) they seem to be congregating together, but away from the lamp.

We plan on moving them to the coop at six weeks. But should the lamp be off all the time now? They are on a covered porch so there's no real exposure to wind. My schedule is such that I could turn on the lamp at midnight and then back off at 6am, but I don't want to risk going against the whole "Five degrees a week" thing.

Any advice would be appreciated. I just don't know if I'm coddling them or if, they can go to the other side of the brooder, they should have access to the heat. I'm just constantly afraid of cooking my little future laying hens.

 

[Aeropennchick]

Hello and welcome!!

I moved mine outside at four and a half weeks with no heat lamp and they were fine. I started turning it off during the day at around three and a half weeks, and for the last two days before they moved out, I turned it off at night. They have done great! Seven weeks old now and loving their coop and run.

 

[ZenHens]

Hello and welcome!!

I moved mine outside at four and a half weeks with no heat lamp and they were fine. I started turning it off during the day at around three and a half weeks, and for the last two days before they moved out, I turned it off at night. They have done great! Seven weeks old now and loving their coop and run.

Thanks for the advice and welcome!

That sounds like a good plan and on course with what I've been doing. I had been planning on moving them to the coop at five weeks, but we're going to Disney for my son's birthday (just for a couple days) and I didn't want to expect the family member watching them to deal with any potential fallout from the move, etc. And we wanted to be there, obviously. I was afraid to move them this week (and with a lamp over the roost) because there's a lot of rain in the forecast. So I'll just keep it on at night for another week and then titrate the time overnight down for a week--then the move! Yay!

 

[Aeropennchick]

Hope it work out well for you, and have fun at Disney!!

 

[flgardengirl]

I am in NE FL and have some chicks outside the same age as yours. They will be fine.