How long do they need heat lamp?

[catchick]

Our chicks are about 2 weeks old and we still have a heat lamp on them. They are in our bathroom and it is already hot in there. We live in TX so it is in the 90s at least. Do they still need the lamp? There is no airconditioner in the bathroom.


Thanks

catchick

 

[ozark hen]

I moved my two week olds outside to the coop but in the brooder room. It is 8 ft long by 2 1/2 ft wide or so. It is covered in chicken wire and has a lid. I put the heat lamp fixture out there with a sixty watt bulb for the first week out there. It is up to the 90's here now also. The brooder is divided into two sections about 75/40. I put some one week olds out there under another sixty watt bulb for 1 week and then raised the light to about five feet from the floor. Now I shut off the light at night. Nights are very warm and I put a sheet of plastic over the front so they wouldn't get a draft. They seem to be all thriving in it. No losses and they all have been out there for a couple weeks now.
so there are two age groups in the two sections out there. There are also two windows just covered in wire in the brooder room.

 

[coltsrox]

i put a 60 watt balb on them until week 8 and they were in our house. which has air conditioning so i don't really know.... maybe check their behaviour when u have it on if their hundle under it then they needd/want it. or if their louder when its off they need it ad vice a versa! sorry could't be more hellp!! good luck!

 

[Heather J]

At two weeks old 90 degrees is plenty warm. if it cools down at night, you might want to add heat during the cooler hours (I think the temp starts at 95 degrees at a week old and goes down 5 degrees every week from there.) When mine were two weeks old I had them in the coop, and only turned on the light at night.

 

[gritsar]

Heather is correct. At two weeks old your chicks don't need it to be warmer than 85 degrees or so. I live in the very sw part of Arkansas, so I know the type of temps you are dealing with in Texas. I would say no heat during the day, as long as they are in a draft-free spot, and a lamp at one side of their brooder to use at night. More important than watching the thermometer is to watch your chicks. Cold chicks huddle under the heat source, hot chicks pant and spread their little wings to cool off. They also get pretty noisey when they're hot or cold. You want to see your chicks moviing around freely, without concern about where their heat source is. Just have a heat source that they can get under at night should one of them feel a chill and they'll be fine.

 

[catchick]

Thanks so much you guys are a big help.



catchick