light

[Mellowmalt]

Hi,
so unfortunately I am in a situation where I only have 1 baby chick that hatched. More should be on the way soon but this guy is all alone for now.

So I gave him heat, then I added a light as the box seemed a bit dark. I was going to turn it off at night but the chick started making the loudest racket ever. I left it but after 10 minutes I turned the light back on and the chick settled down again.

So should I leave it on 24 hours a day? He is 2 days old now. Once he's bigger he should have some company so its only for a week, I'm happy to leave it on, is that going to be ok?

 

[azygous]

What is the heat source? Chicks prefer to snuggle under something soft and warm and dark. If you replicate the warm, dark snuggly confines of being under a broody hen, your chick will be content in the dark at night. Natural day light is best during the day.

Are you ordering more chicks? They can go under the heating pad too, as soon as they come.

 

[thanai]

Oh, the poor guy must be lonely. You could try securely attaching a small mirror for him to admire himself in , and putting in a stuffed animal or something similar for him to snuggle up with until his friends arrive. As long as you keep his mind active, and try to be with him for a bit each day, he should be a-ok.

 

[Mellowmalt]

hey diva, yes I've already done that, he's got a mirror and a cuddly sheep his size. He's very happy with the light on so I will let him have it. Little baby likes his night lamp

 

[K0k0shka]

It's not that he likes the light. It's that he doesn't like the sudden plunge into darkness when you turn the light off. The natural progression from light to dark is gradual, as the sun sets, so his eyes have time to adjust and he can find a safe place to sleep before it gets too dark. Chickens have really poor vision at low light. He freaks out when you turn off the light because he's suddenly blind and scared (made worse by the fact that he's alone in the darkness). Try putting the light on a dimmer, and dimming it gradually. Or put the brooder somewhere close to a window, to allow him to experience the natural reduction in light as the sun sets. I know a lot of people use a heat lamp as the heat source and it's on 24/7, so their chicks don't have a night, but that's not really that good for them and it's not what they prefer. They need a normal light and dark cycle to the day like we do, and prefer to sleep in the dark - just not sudden dark, and not alone.

 

[Mellowmalt]

according to a guide I read chicks do best on 20 hours of light which gets reduced by an hour every week so that is what I'm doing, my chick now has 4 new chicks to keep him company and he is a week older but he is running away from them and hiding on a higher level only he can get to.
Not what I was expecting lol.