Heat lamp question

[Hands On Dad]

It may be a stupid question, but here ya go.

I've got 8 Buff Orpington chicks. Almost 3 weeks old. I was using a large plastic bin in the spare room bathtub as a brooder. They've since out grown that and I just have them in the tub with a wooden frame on top covered with hardware cloth.

So I started them out at 90 degrees and have been dropping the temp by 5 degrees every week. My question is, since they are inside in a stable temperature environment (72 degrees), at what point do I take the heat lamp away completely?

 

[TwoCrows]

When you have lowered your heat to where they are now at room temp, then you can take the heat lamp away. Let them stay at room temp for another week and then the will be ready to start to move them outside.

Since you are in Louisiana, I would imagine your temps are pretty moderate. However depending on how cold your nights get, you might transition them to the garage or coop but take the heat lamp out with them for another week. Just hang it a couple feet off the floor so they can use it at night if they need it or not. They don't have to be overly warm at this point. You probably won't need the heat during the day. Leave the heat on at night for another week and they should then be good to go with out heat.