Heat lamp necessity

[Sportsman94]

I am planning to order my first chicks in the next week or so. Is a heat lamp necessary this time of year in middle Georgia? The temps when they come in will most likely be in the 80s-90s during the day and high 60-70s at night. Thanks!

 

[TheDuckGuy]

I am planning to order my first chicks in the next week or so. Is a heat lamp necessary this time of year in middle Georgia? The temps when they come in will most likely be in the 80s-90s during the day and high 60-70s at night. Thanks!

Yes it is

 

[JaeG]

They need a very warm spot that's around 95 degrees in the first week and you can slowly reduce the temperature by 5 degrees each week, so you'll definitely still need a heat lamp. Just ensure they can move away and be cooler in other areas of the brooder, but they still need that extra warm spot.

Once they are a couple of weeks old you could start to turn off the lamp during the hottest part of the day but keep an eye on them and any peeps of distress means they have become too cold and need the lamp on again.

 

[CluckerFamily]

Heat lamp or a brooder plate will be needed for the first couple weeks for sure.

 

[Cecisflock]

I am planning to order my first chicks in the next week or so. Is a heat lamp necessary this time of year in middle Georgia? The temps when they come in will most likely be in the 80s-90s during the day and high 60-70s at night. Thanks!

Yes. Most definitely.

 

[Sportsman94]

Awesome! Thanks everyone. I’ll pick one up

 

[Sportsman94]

I have a roughly 5 x 3 box I was planning on being my brooder box. I plan to have 10 meat birds and 5-8 other egg layers. Would my box be big enough or do I need to get a second brooder?

 

[Cecisflock]

I have a roughly 5 x 3 box I was planning on being my brooder box. I plan to have 10 meat birds and 5-8 other egg layers. Would my box be big enough or do I need to get a second brooder?

I would definitely suggest a second one. Perhaps separate the broilers and egg layers?

 

[NatJ]

I have a roughly 5 x 3 box I was planning on being my brooder box. I plan to have 10 meat birds and 5-8 other egg layers. Would my box be big enough or do I need to get a second brooder?

Common space estimates:
1/2 square foot of space per chick for the first two weeks
1 square foot of space per chick until age 4 weeks
2 square feet of space per chick until age 8 weeks
4 square feet of space per chicken after that (even as adults)

So if your box is 5x3 feet, that's 15 square feet, which is enough for:
30 chicks (first two weeks)
15 chicks (up to 4 weeks)
7 chicks (up to 8 weeks)
3 adult chickens

(Actually, it will hold a few less after you subtract the space taken up by the food and water, but that's at least close.)

If you want 15 to 18 birds, you could brood them all in that box for the first two weeks, but it will be a bit too small by 4 weeks.

You might want to separate the meat birds and the layers after the first few weeks, so that would be a good time to add a second box.

 

[The Crow]

I am planning to order my first chicks in the next week or so. Is a heat lamp necessary this time of year in middle Georgia? The temps when they come in will most likely be in the 80s-90s during the day and high 60-70s at night. Thanks!

Yes they will need that lamp for consistent 90’s the first two weeks then 80’s…but only for about 4-5 weeks in my opinion. I think with nice high temperatures like that they can be outside with out added heat once they get their actual feathers. My 5 week old chickens have been outside for a week now. High of 92 and low of 58.