Hot Chicks In Brooder

[DanEP]

Hi
We Are New To Raising Chicks So Were Trying To Be Extra Careful About Food And Temps.
Yestarday Checked On Chicks And Found Them All Spread Out In Brooder Laying Down With Their Wings Spread Out Kind Of Panting A Little .it Seemed Like A Little To Hot For Them So I Checked The Thermoter And It Said 90 Degrees,oh Chicks Are 10 Days Old.checked Against Two Other Thermators All Were Within Two Degrees. I Decided To Cool The Brooder Down A Little And Watch The Chicks. At 82 Degrees The Chicks Became Active Feeding And Drinking And Playing .when I Raised The Temp Back Up At About 87 The Chicks Started To Lay Back Down And Spread Their Wings Again.
I Have 16 Bo In A 3' X 4' Brooder Box And We Give Them Clean Fresh Water At Least 3 Times A Day.

I Guess My Question Is Shouldn't I Let The Chicks Tell Me When The Are Comfortable And Not The Thermoter As Long As Their Dry And Out Of Drafts?

 

[wolftracks]

Quote:
If mine are comfortable thats what I go by.

 

[tygab]

the general recommendation is to lower temp every week by 5 degrees, so it could be yours are a little warm. But, yes if they are huddled together it's too cold, and if they are laying about panting then it's likely too warm. They do sometimes stretch out for a nice nap, but they would still be breathing normally.

 

[mom2jedi]

You did the right thing by cooling it down. Chicks can overheat so you need to adjust the temp based on their behavior. The temps are a rough guide based on my experience. Depends on how high your light is, how many chicks you have, how much room they have, etc. 3'x4' should be enough room at least for a while but if they are avoiding each other like the plague, it's too hot for them. If the brooder was bigger you could have a "warm" zone and a "cool" zone so the chicks could adjust as necessary. Good luck with your babies, you're in for a treat!

 

[PunkinPeep]

Quote:
Absolutely.