Is a Heat Lamp really necessary in Florida, summertime?

[cheecharrones]

Everyone's giving you good advice. I'm in western West Palm Beach and when I get chicks I'll keep them indoors for a few weeks in a big box with just a desk lamp on one end. I've done this often enough that I don't bother with a thermometer, just watch the chicks and let them tell me if they're too hot or cold. Once they get big enough to be really stinky I'll put them outdoors during the day in a bottomless cage on the grass, but still bring them indoors at night until they get bigger & feathered. If they seem cold indoors I'll put the desk lamp on for them, otherwise I let them be.

Hi neighbor! i’m in loxahatchee i have 5 chicks that are 3 weeks old and i‘ve been thinking about removing the heat lamp and moving them to my garage, which is quite warm all day since the temp outside is still hovering around 80. what do you think about that?

 

[drinkoj]

Hi neighbor! i’m in loxahatchee i have 5 chicks that are 3 weeks old and i‘ve been thinking about removing the heat lamp and moving them to my garage, which is quite warm all day since the temp outside is still hovering around 80. what do you think about that?

Rather old thread but I'll try and help out. Looks like the weather in Loxahatchee has daytime highs of 90 and lows of 73. At three weeks you wanting them to stay around 80 degrees on average, so if you can maintain 75-80 degrees in the garage at night it sounds good.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I do not believe in that 90 to 95 the first week and drop if it by 5 degrees a week.

But this might be fun.

0 to 6 days - 0 weeks - 90 to 95
7 to 13 days -1 week - 85 to 90
14 to 20 days - 2 weeks - 80 to 85
21 to 27 days - 3 weeks -75 to 80

So even by this extremely safe conservative "rule" they are ready.

In a heat wave with temperatures over 110 F during the day and into the low 80's at night I turned daytime heat off at 2 days and the nighttime heat off at 5 days. I was brooding outside in my coop, not in any climate controlled area. They were glad to get away from all that heat.

I don't know how low it gets in that garage at night but I'd have them out there.

 

[cheecharrones]

Rather old thread but I'll try and help out. Looks like the weather in Loxahatchee has daytime highs of 90 and lows of 73. At three weeks you wanting them to stay around 80 degrees on average, so if you can maintain 75-80 degrees in the garage at night it sounds good.

yeah haha, i just joined byc yesterday so i’m

I do not believe in that 90 to 95 the first week and drop if it by 5 degrees a week.

But this might be fun.

0 to 6 days - 0 weeks - 90 to 95
7 to 13 days -1 week - 85 to 90
14 to 20 days - 2 weeks - 80 to 85
21 to 27 days - 3 weeks -75 to 80

So even by this extremely safe conservative "rule" they are ready.

In a heat wave with temperatures over 110 F during the day and into the low 80's at night I turned daytime heat off at 2 days and the nighttime heat off at 5 days. I was brooding outside in my coop, not in any climate controlled area. They were glad to get away from all that heat.

I don't know how low it gets in that garage at night but I'd have them out there.

thanks for your response!! i moves my 3 week olds out there and within 15 mins they were panting. didn’t want to risk anything so i brought them back in. according to a thermometer it’s about 92° in the garage at this point of the day, so i toyed around with the idea of moving my brand new (1 day old) chicks in there, but i’m afraid of the heat being too much even for them! the brand new birds seem quite happy indoors, as they’re not huddled up by the heater at all.