How cold is too cold

[alec120psi]

Hi folks, I'm new to chickens and to this forum. We have 4 Sizzle chicks (3 smooth and 1 frizzled) that hatched on Jan 15-20. It has been in the high 30's to low 40's at night and in the 60's to low 70's during the day. They are out in the coop with a heat lamp on at night. Keeping the coop pretty warm. That said they do not enter the coop on their own. They seem to prefer to cuddle up in a corner under the coop. When I heard them in they do stay until early in the morning when they leave for food and water and to do other chick stuff.

My question is do I need to continue to turn the lamp on at night and heard them into the coop or can I just let them be and figure it out on their own?

Thank you

Alec

 

[sherylreno]

That's still pretty cold for the little chicks. You need to keep the lamp going and put them in the coop if they won't go. They'll be fine once all their feathers are fully in and it starts to warm up more.

 

[alec120psi]

That's what I was figuring. Thanks for the confirmation.

What do you think would be a good nighttime temp before the heat lamp is turned off? I was thinking the50's would be about right since they are out and about early in the morning when it is still pretty cold. Does that sound about right?

Thanks again

Alec

 

[sherylreno]

Once they have all their feathers in then you will need to wean them. They're going to be used to the lamp and once you turn it off they're going to huddle again and be cold. I usually wean them a little at a time. It usually takes about a week or sometimes more depending upon the birds themselves.

No need to rush it. It sounds like you're doing great.

 

[alec120psi]

Sounds good. Wean away. Looks like all feathers are in. Is it best to wean with a smaller bulb or fewer hours of heat, I.e. using a timer to turn it on/off on a schedule?

Thanks again for your help.

 

[sherylreno]

It's much better to lower the temp by 5 degrees at a time. Keep the rest of your settings the same.

 

[4 the Birds]

We brood chicks in the garage where we can control the temperatures (4x5 ft. area). In the wild, hens know instinctively how much warmth to give. Without a mother, the chicks will need your help! The first week chicks need 90 deg (F) second 85 third 80 fourth 75 and the fifth week 70 degrees. We incorporate chicks into the coop after the 6th week. If the night temps get below 50 degrees then we add a brooder lamp in their area for a few weeks. We isolate them from the full grown chickens for about 2 weeks before they can run with the flock. Hope this helps!

 

[alec120psi]

All is very helpful info. I had left the brooding lamp on and left the chicks to their own devices. They had no interest in going into the coop where the heat was. I have now turned it off.

Thanks again