If chicks seem happy, does it matter if the temp isn't "what it's supposed to be"?

[yakitori]

same! I think the 95 recommendation is definitely good for first time chicken moms. after two or three broods I was comfortable enough with reading chick behavior that I was able to adjust according. These days I provide a small heated area using a $14 heating pad, and this has worked well for quail chicken and geese so far!

 

[Birdsonghill]

I usually start my brooder temp at between 90 and 95 and lower it 5 degrees per week. Absolutely, go by the chicks behaviors when judging their well being! I have had thermometers and humidistats register several degrees wrong, even expensive digital ones! Hatching eggs problems made me recalibrate and then check different devices against each other and found several degrees difference between them! Both the humidity and the temperatures were wrong on one device and recalibrating at 32F did not correct the discrepancy at higher temperatures! I had a poor hatch because of that device. The device on the incubator was wrong as well by 2 degrees.

 

[Ponypoor]

I use a brooder plate and the chicks come and go as they please under it; at one week I have them running around my barn with the brooder plate available if they want. Chicks are really tough I find, as long as they have a warm place available they are fine.

 

[Officalchickensnuggler]

My brooders are in my tack room, which is sitting at an ambient temperature of 74F this morning, it was 88F when I went to bed. I've got 2 heat lamps helping keep the room warmer and I have them lifted high because it was so hot last night/yesterday. I know chicks are supposed to start out with 100 degrees Fahrenheit for their brooders in at least a portion of it and I've been using a laser thermometer to check the temps at their ground level periodically and adjusting lamps higher or lower accordingly.

Currently most of the brooders are in the 80s.... but the chicks seem really happy. They were spread out all over sleeping when I came in, they're chatting happily and running around doing chick stuff. Should I base the temps on their behavior rather than convention, or should I lower the lamps and crank the temps? I know they can get pasty butt if too cold.

100% fine