Well I just joined and already have question lol. The temps here in Ga. are near 80, my chicks are in garage with heat lamp. The temp says it's 73 in the garage. And the thermometer in brooder is near 90. They can move to the other end of brooder and most have, they are 6 days old. My question should I leave the lamp on or turn it off for a bit? I moved it back some so it's not right on the brooder.
I brood my chicks when it's warmer outside so I can move them outside during the day in a temporary pen. Something you might to do. I put a 5 gallon pail on it's side which warms up in the sun and acts like a brooder. Always provide shade as well. At 2 weeks your brooder should be closer to 75-80 degrees. So raise your lamp up or switch to lower watt bulb. I like the 125 watt ones. In another week you may need to only plug the light on at night. Your chicks will feather out faster if not kept so hot.
Hi Newbie here ......I was just going to post same question! I just got my chicks today and I am in Florida and was worried about them being to hot or to cold. They are two weeks old though not day olds. Thanks for posting the question!
If you watch their behavior you'll know if it's too hot or too cold for them. Too cold, they'd be huddled up under the heat lamp or as close as possible to it. Too hot, they'll stay far from the lamp as they can and from one another, hold their wings away from their bodies, and maybe even pant. I didn't have a thermometer in my brooder so I just watched the body language of the chicks and adjusted accordingly, using the recommended temperature for the age of the chicks as a general guide to start.
