Hi! I got 15 buff Orpington chicks this morning and all are thriving and well, eating and drinking and having periods of play and rest, I did a lot of research prior to getting them and everything I read said to keep a part of the box at 95 degrees the first week, so I put a thermometer in there and when I put the girls in this AM it was about 93-94. At first they went right under there and warmed up but after the first 1/2 hour they spread out and mostly have been avoiding the area, so I adjusted the lamp and dropped the temp to just under 90 but they were still pretty much avoiding it. I just raised it again it seems like they are totally not interested. They mainly stay just to the outside of the light and some even stay at the far end of the box. They are in my living room and the room temp is 75. Just wondering if some chicks are just more comfortable at lower temps than prescribed or if I am doing something wrong. Thanks!
The chicks will self regulate themselves to what is comfy. Piling up to cold spreading out to hot. If they under the perimeter of the light they should be fine.
ALL healthy chicks prefer something cooler most of the time until they chill then go warm up and then back to roaming. IMO brooding chicks in a small tub keeping the whole thing at 90-95 does one's chicks a great disservice. A broody hen doesn't warm all the ambient air to 95. She just provides a warm spot when they need it.
I only have the light over about 1/3 of the brooder and I was measuring the temperature at chick level in about middle of the heated section. I was reading another recent post and I suppose I will just keep and eye on them and listen for distressed chirping- right now they are all chirping very quietly. They all seem to pile up at just the edge of the light and then one or two will roam to under the light for a few minutes. I guess I am just being a worried mother hen being as this is our first batch of chicks!
