How long do I need a heat lamp for?

[PurpleChicken1]

My chicks are approx 4 weeks old. I have been using a red heat lamp and reducing it each week by 5 degrees. It is always around 72 degrees in my house so can I completely turn off the lamp and never use it again or shall I keep it on?

 

[OrganicFarmWife]

They are a month old and should have their adult feathers. So yes you can turn off the lamp.

 

[mrv19]

Mine are only 17 days old and the lamp is off. They tolerate 70 degrees, and thats room temp in my house

 

[MoffatChicken]

If they have feathers its not a big concern.... they have their down coat on

I would turn off the light and leave them for an hour or two and if they are all huddled in the corner on top of each other then you will know they are chilled.

 

[Blooie]

If they have feathers its not a big concern.... they have their down coat on

I would turn off the light and leave them for an hour or two and if they are all huddled in the corner on top of each other then you will know they are chilled

Agreed - they are big enough to go without the light.
Do be aware, however, that chicks will also huddle for more reasons than just warmth. You - you big bad human type person you - have come in and turned off their light!

They gasp, they shudder - they are used to things exactly like they are and chicks are no different than adult chickens in that they don't like change. So chicks will huddle for security. If you make a change in a coop with a flock of older chickens, or move them to new surroundings, they'll either hightail it away or stick close together in a group, eyeing the unfamiliar. Chicks in a box can't get away from the change, so they group. And if the sun goes down and there's no light, you're likely to hear about it! They will protest most vehemently! And like 2 year old kids, they know how to make you do what they want!

At 4 weeks old and being inside, there is no reason you can't turn off the light. Mine are fully integrated with the adults in the flock and totally without any heat source by 4 weeks old, but I raise them exactly where they'll be spending the rest of their lives - outside in the coop and run, or playing in the yard. So I don't really have to acclimate them to cooler temps and natural day/night cycles.

 

[teria]

I agree, I have two chicks that are about three weeks old now, and they are hardly ever using their brinsea ecoglow brooder, only when they sleep and it's at it's highest setting, so, really acts more as a cave than a warmer. Their feathers are pretty well grown in, and they spend most of their time playing and roosting with no heat. I also have 6 Cornish cross chicks that are a month old, and they gave up using their ecoglow several days ago. They all seem fine, and are feathering nicely.

Now, when I was using a heat lamp, it seemed the chicks I had raised with it became dependent on it more than the ecoglow brooded chicks, so, maybe focus it on just part of the brooder and see if they huddle under the lamp side or if they don't seem to want to be under it.

 

[lightchick]

I had my chicks outside at 3.5 weeks and they did great!

 

[PurpleChicken1]

Thank you all so much! I left it off and they seem to be doing fine!

 

[Rosemtnar]

Hello all, my first post and I do hope it is in the right spot. Still learning the site.

I have a heat lamp question.

Eggs are in the incubator and my plans for a brooder are real simple. A cardboard box with a 250 watt heat lamp. It seems to me that the 250w lamp may be a bit much, is it?

How far away should the lamp be from the top of the box? From the bottom of the box? Being a cardboard box, is there a fire concern?

My Aunt used this method successfully, but with a 100w bulb, good luck finding one these days!

Now I need to figure out how to subscribe to this thread so I can find it again to read replies.

 

[Blooie]

Welcome. By posting on the thread, you are now subscribed to it! Next time you sign on, you'll see a number in the right corner. Those are your subscriptions with replies. You can also subscribe to a thread without posting to it. When you're on a thread that you'd like to follow, look just above the first post and to the left. There's a tab that says "subscribe" and you click on that.

I can't answer your heat lamp question in good conscience because, well, personally I detest everything about them. But that's just me - others who use them regularly and successfully can help you with wattage and bulb type choices so I'll leave that in their capable hands. I have been using a heating pad cave system and won't ever go back to the way I used to do it it with a lamp of any kind.

Good luck with your hatch and chicks. And again, welcome to BYC. Hope to see you around the forum!