How long to use heat lamp

[cowtown chick]

My chix are approx 3 weeks old, i have a heat lamp, was wondering how long am I supposed to keep them under it? Until they get all of their feathers?

 

[Judy]

You can probably remove it now, but it's best to do so gradually by raising the lamp. I've had chicks grow up in the coop who avoided any heat source at 3 weeks, in temps that ranged from 60F to 80F. Many old timers take their chicks outdoors at that age, if they raise them in a house or garage at all.

 

[Demosthine]

My chix are approx 3 weeks old, i have a heat lamp, was wondering how long am I supposed to keep them under it? Until they get all of their feathers?

I second Flock's response. Each week, you should be moving the lamp farther away, decreasing their temp about 5* or so each time. By week three, I usually try to have them outside with no heat lamp. They will feather out faster that way and be more hardy, too.

 

[Fred's Hens]

The need for serious heating is also greatly diminished this time of year. Temps are rising, days and nights, as spring settles in. The need for high wattage bulbs is greatly decreased. You can always lower the wattage, using just a 60 or 90 watt ordinary bulb to wean them off heat.

We brood out in the garage and sometimes right in the barn. Once you notice they aren't spending much time in the hot spot under the bulb, are 5 weeks old, and the ambient air is mild, the whole brooding thing comes to an end.

 

[pappy1264]

I was going to post a question, but since this is similar to what I was going to ask....I have been raising my heat lamp from the first week...and it still says it is 90 degrees in there. I am using the 250 watt red heat lamp, most of mine of pretty well feathered, except one of my little bantams is still pretty downy (they are a week younger, the older ones are 4 weeks, the younger about 3 weeks). What should I do? Should I get a regular red bulb to put in the lamp? I can't put it up much higher, afraid it will fall from the weight! Here is a pic I just took, so you can see how high up it is. It is temps in the 60's during the day here and they are in my living room (my house is warm too). What do I do? thanks and sorry for threadjacking. Btw, they are in a graco pac-n-play for a brooder, there are 8 regular hens and 2 bantams.

 

[lazy gardener]

You can change out your bulb for a lower wattage bulb, or you can buy a dimmer switch cord. The important thing is to have a brooder big enough that the chicks can get far enough away from the bulb to be at room temperature. When Mama hen broods, the only place that stays warm is directly under her. Watch the chicks behavior. They'll tell you when they're too warm or too cold, and they're tougher than the literature says.

 

[rita123]

We have a dimmer switch on our lights and it works great. Plus, there's no messing with moving the light up and down.

 

[SobbaChickens]

Dimmer switch lol awesome idea. We were 80* yesterday and today low 30* I still have my 3.5wk old chicks on a heat lamp for this reason (they are outside in my garage), our temps have been all over the place.

Katie

 

[lazy gardener]

Dimmer switch lol awesome idea. We were 80* yesterday and today low 30* I still have my 3.5wk old chicks on a heat lamp for this reason (they are outside in my garage), our temps have been all over the place.

Katie

Just be aware, the dimmer doesn't cut down on your electricity use! It just disperses some of that wattage through the unit. Definitely easier to regulate temps with it!!!