Help with keeping baby chicks warm

[Ngayan]

Hi - I have 5 baby chicks that hatched 1 week ago. They are in the brooder cage with a heat plate that they were all sleeping under regularly until last night when I noticed they were sleeping all together in a pile near their food. I felt the heat plate and noticed it was very hot to the touch. Today they have continued to sleep together near their food and I am afraid they aren’t keeping warm enough. I was told to leave the heat plate as it is for the first couple of weeks without raising it, however, I am afraid they have stopped going under there because it is too low and their bodies are now touching the top of the plate so it is too hot. I can easily raise the plate and am leaning toward doing so since they have stopped going under there anyway. Any advice would be much appreciated. I don’t know if they can keep warm enough without it. Thanks.

 

[Cyprus]

Raise the plate

 

[Ngayan]

Raise the plate

Any idea how high it should be?

 

[Cyprus]

Any idea how high it should be?

I little higher than the chicks' back height

 

[Ngayan]

I little higher than the chicks' back height

Thank you!

 

[rosemarythyme]

If they still won't use it after adjusting it's also possible they're warm enough without it.

 

[slordaz]

mine were off heat by a week old as they had their little feathers, so unfortunately not much help to you on that one

 

[ChickenCanoe]

One has to constantly raise the plate so that they can easily walk under it.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

double post.