Nights in the 70's -- Chicks 3 Weeks Old Still Need Heat?

[3KillerBs]

If you start at 95 and back off 5 degrees per week I'd be going down to 80 tomorrow after 3 full weeks (delivered to farm store from hatchery June 26).

It's so warm out that I've had to go down to a 40 watt bulb, which is white and keeps them up all night. I've only been using it at night and at the maximum height I can set it and they're not clustering under the lamp. I'd like to get the lamp out because the Brahmas, who are two weeks older, are starting to try to jump up on it (launching from the top of a box I gave them to hide in).

The Brahmas, the California White, and the Blue Australorps are noticeably starting to feather but the "Assorted Wyandottes", the smallest chicks, have no visible feathering yet. Assuming that the 7 of them snuggle up to sleep, will the big girls keep their little sisters warm without the lamp?

This was one of the Brahmas on Monday. The California White is equally feathered with the Australorps a little behind.

 

[dai2dao996]

If you start at 95 and back off 5 degrees per week I'd be going down to 80 tomorrow after 3 full weeks (delivered to farm store from hatchery June 26).

It's so warm out that I've had to go down to a 40 watt bulb, which is white and keeps them up all night. I've only been using it at night and at the maximum height I can set it and they're not clustering under the lamp. I'd like to get the lamp out because the Brahmas, who are two weeks older, are starting to try to jump up on it (launching from the top of a box I gave them to hide in).

The Brahmas, the California White, and the Blue Australorps are noticeably starting to feather but the "Assorted Wyandottes", the smallest chicks, have no visible feathering yet. Assuming that the 7 of them snuggle up to sleep, will the big girls keep their little sisters warm without the lamp?

This was one of the Brahmas on Monday. The California White is equally feathered with the Australorps a little behind.

View attachment 2246160

That's a tough one. If you can check on them occasionally and see what they are doing. If they are snuggling all the time without a lamp, then I would put it back on. I've read that chickens regular temperature it 107 degrees, so 70 my be pretty good to them.

 

[Ryguy3684]

When mine first went out to the coop, my runt was still pretty small. They still slept together, huddled in the corner, and the runt always made sure to snuggle under the biggest chicks. They didn't seem to mind. I put my heat plate out there for a couple nights, but removed it because they never used it. I would pull the light and check in them after dark, to see how they are acting.

 

[3KillerBs]

The forecast is for 73 tonight. I'm just not sure what I ought to do.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I'd normally advise pulling heat between weeks 3-4 but if you feel some of the chicks are too sparse in feathering, I'd probably push it out to week 4. If forecast looks about the same at that point, should be good to remove all heat at that time.

 

[Ryguy3684]

Keep in mind that the inside of the coop is probably going to be warmer than the outside temp.

 

[Parront]

If you start at 95 and back off 5 degrees per week I'd be going down to 80 tomorrow after 3 full weeks (delivered to farm store from hatchery June 26).

It's so warm out that I've had to go down to a 40 watt bulb, which is white and keeps them up all night. I've only been using it at night and at the maximum height I can set it and they're not clustering under the lamp. I'd like to get the lamp out because the Brahmas, who are two weeks older, are starting to try to jump up on it (launching from the top of a box I gave them to hide in).

The Brahmas, the California White, and the Blue Australorps are noticeably starting to feather but the "Assorted Wyandottes", the smallest chicks, have no visible feathering yet. Assuming that the 7 of them snuggle up to sleep, will the big girls keep their little sisters warm without the lamp?

This was one of the Brahmas on Monday. The California White is equally feathered with the Australorps a little behind.

View attachment 2246160

This chick does not look very feathered out. Is there any way you could put up a cardboard divider of some sort in your coop, to have a warm area and a cooler & darker area for the older birds? Since it is lighted, they will be able to move to where they are most comfortable. Cardboard is one of my favorite brooder building materials.

 

[3KillerBs]

I'd normally advise pulling heat between weeks 3-4 but if you feel some of the chicks are too sparse in feathering, I'd probably push it out to week 4.

The Wyandottes are definitely the smallest and the slowest to feather.

Keep in mind that the inside of the coop is probably going to be warmer than the outside temp.

No, it really isn't. Since I'm in a hot climate my metric for deciding that I did or didn't have enough ventilation was if the temperature inside was no hotter than outside. That's why I added the additional window in the coop remodel:

Is there any way you could put up a cardboard divider of some sort in your coop, to have a warm area and a cooler & darker area for the older birds?

They're noticably more feathered now than when I took that picture -- except for the Wyandottes. I made them a wooden box and have it positioned between the heat lamp and the low window. I could angle it to more purposefully separate the areas.

 

[3KillerBs]

Photos from this evening.

The Brahmas have the most feathers:

The Wyandottes the least feathers:

It's still almost 80 out so I will wait until I'm going to bed to put the light on. Shortly after I took those photos they snuggled themselves into a hole they'd dug in a corner and started going to sleep. They'll get a little sleep in the dark, at least.

 

[3KillerBs]

It's not going to get below 75 tonight and down that low only about 5am or so. Therefore I'm leaving the light off tonight -- I'll check them to make sure they don't seem chilled when I'm up for the wee hours bathroom runs.

We've got a major heat advisory tomorrow so they'll be getting an extra waterer with the chick electrolyte before we leave for church.