Just brought chicks home, temperature and size questions?

[dkam]

I just brought home 5 new 2-3 day old RIR chicks. They are in a small plastic storage bin with a net top. The feeder and waterer takes up a lot of the room. I bought a 250 W bulb and am not sure if it is too much. They seem to stay in a group and huddle under the light and then walk together to eat and drink and then come back and so on. I have noticed they are pecking at each other a little so I don't know if I should move them to a larger cardboard box that I have. My concern with the box is that the strong bulb may burn it?

Please help and thanks!

 

[JerseyGiantfolk]

They should be at 95-90 degrees F right now. Every week the temperature should go down by 5 degrees F until you reach 65 F. Are you using a red light?

 

[dkam]

The light is not a red light. I moved them to the bigger cardboard box for now. They seem to be doing better. I'm not sure weather to change the 250 W bulb for a 60 W that I have. It's in the 80's outside here.

 

[Fred's Hens]

With ambient temps in the 80's they need very little supplemental heat. I'd use something around a 100 watts, I also LOVE red lamps, as it is darker and seems to discourage pecking activities of white light.

The brooder needs to be big enough for the chicks to self regulate. A warm spot? Sure. They'll go there if and when they need to warm up, but with 70-80 degree ambient air temps, they won't be there all that much. They'll move toward or away, using their own internal sense of being comfortable.

Chicks grow from hatch to reproductive adults in less than 19 weeks. The space they'll require, very quickly, is amazing.

 

[amyunderwood307]

i used a 250 watt bulb also. the first week keep it at 95 degrees and go down 5 degrees every week. my first time with chickens i used a pretty small box but like you said, the food and water took up alot of room! i actually had to change the box after a week becasue it was about 12x13 and they started getting squished. just be ready to get a few bigger boxes because you will be amazed at how fast they grow. especially after about two weeks i remember going to check on them and see differences from the night before! haha.

 

[dkam]

Thank you! I have replaced the 250 W with a 60 W because the temperature got to be about 102-105 degrees.

How do I put on the heat lamp GUARD. Is it necessary?

 

[ChickFarmer]

If the heat lamp guard is like mine it comes as two curved wires attched at the middle, and you need to spread them into an x shape and pop the ends into the wholes around the edge of the lamp. Yes they are important if the lamp falls they keep it from starting a fire. They also keep my arm from brushing against the hot light bulb while feeding and watering the chicks.