Heat lamp advice needed

[Kharris75]

Our two chicks are about 4 weeks old, they hatched the weekend of March 23. The heat lamp is registering at about 80-85 degrees and occasionally the chicks sleep on that end of the box, but have been spending more time towards the middle of the box and hanging out on the roosting pole. My house is kept at about 72, and the outside temps are ranging hi 75 low 46 at night but in Louisiana continually warming up. Is it ok to leave the heat lamp off during the day at this point? When should I discontinue use all together?

 

[ChickenGirl555]

Stop use around 5-6 weeks, or when they can live in your house temperature. But I would not recommend keeping them outside until they have all or most of their feathers grown. You can speed up the feathering process by making it slightly colder than what's needed, but not too much that they will die. They can use their friends for any extra warmth too, so keep that in mind. But that doesn't mean take away the heat lamp now.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Hi, hope you are enjoying BYC!

I discontinue all together around those temps and age. Definitely starting during the day time if you aren't yet comfortable. And within a few days at night as well.

They should also be making daytime trips to the outdoors by now since your weather is good. Short trips to start so they get exposure to the microbes on your soil and build a little resistance before going out full time. I use a huddle box inside a pen to start off with. Alternatively if you haven't brought in any soil for them yet.. a nice plug of dirt/grass is a great enrichment tool and provides some exposure to ground.

 

[Kharris75]

Thanks! They will go to a friends coop eventually, once they are a little bigger. Think I can turn off during the day?

 

[Kharris75]

Hi, hope you are enjoying BYC!

I discontinue all together around those temps and age. Definitely starting during the day time if you aren't yet comfortable. And within a few days at night as well.

They should also be making daytime trips to the outdoors by now since your weather is good. Short trips to start so they get exposure to the microbes on your soil and build a little resistance before going out full time. I use a huddle box inside a pen to start off with. Alternatively if you haven't brought in any soil for them yet.. a nice plug of dirt/grass is a great enrichment tool and provides some exposure to ground.

Thanks!! We bring them outside here and there but I need a pen!! Will get one today!

 

[EggSighted4Life]

You can speed up the feathering process by making it slightly colder than what's needed, but not too much that they will die.

I think this is a myth... do you have ANY scientific evidence that being colder causes faster feathering?

Being colder just uses more energy to stay warm instead of growing feathers as far as I can tell.

 

[ChickenGirl555]

I think this is a myth... do you have ANY scientific evidence that being colder causes faster feathering?

Being colder just uses more energy to stay warm instead of growing feathers as far as I can tell.

I'm sorry if it's incorrect. I've never seen it happen, but many people say it's true. I don't have many chickens, only 6 pullets and 4 chicks, so I'm not the best for advice, so I usually help people by looking around the site for better answers from experienced users. When I asked about polish and how long it takes to feather out, one person answered and showed their broody-raised polish chicks running around with almost all their feathers at a very young age.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Thanks!! We bring them outside here and there but I need a pen!! Will get one today!

My house never gets above 60. Most my chicks, even Silkies are good at the temps and age you describe. By paying attention to their behavior, just like you are... you can read their body language and adjust accordingly. That really is the best way. Everything that is put out is GENERAL information as a guideline. But I don't use the 250 watt bulbs that they swear you have to buy at the feed store. Those are meant for outdoor farm buildings with huge amounts of birds. Once my brooder hit 120 degrees F and that was as high as the thermometer would go. Luckily I didn't lose chicks that time. But it did teach me that you should ALWAYS get a second opinion about ANYTHING you are told by a feed store employee!

 

[EggSighted4Life]

I'm sorry if it's incorrect. I've never seen it happen, but many people say it's true. I don't have many chickens, only 6 pullets and 4 chicks, so I'm not the best for advice, so I usually help people by looking around the site for better answers from experienced users. When I asked about polish and how long it takes to feather out, one person answered and showed their broody-raised polish chicks running around with almost all their feathers at a very young age.

It OK, we are ALL here to learn and share the info we have and help others to the best of our ability and when we learn something new we switch it up. I learn something new almost every day even after raising chickens for about 9 years now. It's a wonderful adventure.

I have broody's raise chicks too... and have watched and see no difference in the feathering rate between the two.

Also see people claim corn will keep chickens cold in warm weather even though a calorie is a calorie and that's what a chicken uses AS energy to stay warm regardless of where the calorie comes from. And even though our feeds are mostly corn anyways.

So I just try to reason things out. Scientifically speaking... you cannot make feathers develop faster by making a chick "cooler" (that I know of). You can provide good nutrition which WILL make a huge difference in the feathering rate AND quality. A formulated chick ration is great for example. But if you went with scratch you would be missing a LOT of protein, vitamins, minerals, and amino acids. Feathers are made from 90% protein and the amino acids it contains. Of course there is a point at which the needs have been met and extra will just be excreted as expensive waste.

Some people also don't share that their fast feathering birds *may* be selectively bred for many generations and not hatchery stock with so much varying genetics that there is no true uniformity. Also with NO comparison of the same chicks being brooder raised, I just feel the whole story isn't being told. Sorry, I'm an attention to detail and then over think it a hundred and 50 times type person.