how long to light my chicks?

[christinaJ76]

My chicks are going on nine weeks old. They have been in there coop for a couple weeks and I still have the light on them. How long do you all keep the light on your chicks? Should I just keep it on at night or do I even need it then? Temps have been good 70 -80 degrees during the day cooler at night of course. So I was just wondering what everyone else does.

 

[chicmom]

I've always been told that, once your chicks are fully feathered out, they can go outside into the coop. The, weather permitting, you won't need a heat lamp for them. Sounds like your weather is fine, as long as your young'uns have all their feathers.

 

[chickp]

Not to hijack but approximately when do they get fully feathered? Total newbie here with 3 week old chicks.

 

[Dingleberry]

Sounds like your girls don't need a lamp any more. at 9 weeks they should be fine. If you are still worried about them put a heating pad in for them. Let them choose if they want to sleep on the warmth or not.

 

[Doodle_Doo]

I only leave them for 4 weeks keep a normal light in the brooder and they decide if to get near or far once they are four weeks old and I see that the feathers on the wings cover most of the body only the head to feather out..but every breed is different only my saipans and shamos take two months to get off the light because they feather out very slow..

 

[gritsar]

The part of the five degree rule that always seems to get missed:
90 to 95 the first week, decreasing by five degrees a week, until they are done to 70 degrees (end of week 5) at which point they should no longer require supplemental heat. So look to 70 degrees to be your cut-off point.
Due to our extremely hot June temps. - 90s during the day, 70s at night, I took my now three week old chicks off their heat lamp a week or so ago. They are doing absolutely fine in their outside brooder. If we had a coop ready for them they would have been out there from the start.