No lamp but still surviving

[kv1211]

My 4 chicks are a week old now and I feed them 24/7 starter feed and water and they are doing fine.
My only problem is that I have no lamp above 60 watt for heat so I decided to leave it off. My chicks seem healthy but are they really? They like to cuddle at a corner and sleep together.
They are currently located in my garage, it is quite hot there because outside it is normally 25-30 celcius, so it should be hotter in the garage.
Should I continue doing this or get a heat lamp even though my dad doesn't like it because it waste energy and fire hazard.
P.S- If I continue without a lamp are they gonna have any defects or disease later on?

 

[Jloeffler]

The lamp is used to supply the heat a momma bird would to keep them alive. Like human babies baby chicks have a hard time regulating their body temperatures themselves. A sixty watt bulb in the current weather would work just fine to provide that heat especially if you can shine it down on them, like a sun. If your chicks wander around most of the time and just huddle to sleep, odds are they are warm enough. BUT, if they are huddle up quite a bit of the day, then they are too cold. This can kill them. a red heat lamp is often used because the chicks are kept someplace cooler than our current 90 degree temps. A 60 watt bulb heats my homemade incubator up to a toasty 100 degrees so it would work for your chicks. And a 60 watt bulb doesnt use as much energy. You only need it for the first 3-4 weeks, not sure which off the top of my head someone else might be able to be more specific. By then they can handle temps on their own.

 

[Jloeffler]

Hope that helps, and Good Luck!

 

[Wolftalk]

that should be good! congrats!

 

[Wildflower_VA]

I got chicks two weeks ago, and since it has been so hot, I never had to use a heat lamp at all. I have had a fan going in the room to keep them from being too hot. Too hot is way worse for them than too cool. Chicks always sleep in a pile, some even when they are full grown. They like to cuddle together. If your chicks were cold they would be cheeping loudly and cuddling even when not sleeping.

 

[Imp]

I believe 30*C is like 86*F, plenty warm enough. If it is indeed warmer than that in your garage, than you may be getting too warm.
If they were getting chilled they'd peep loudly.
And it will not cause any defect or disease.

Sounds like you are doing well

Imp