no more heat....am I cruel?

[featherz]

I must be REALLY cruel. LOL I put my fully feathered five week olds in my barn with no heat. It even dropped to the 20's (F). They were fine and it was probably 30ish in the barn. Roosting, not even huddled. Then again, they were brooded in an ecoglow, not a heat lamp. Just taper the heat down a little and they'll be ok soon with no heat at all.

 

[miraclz5]

I think you have to watch your chicks...they will tell you what you need! I live in NH and even though they have been "telling" me all along what they need....I am NOT ready to put them outside anytime soon! On April 20 yesterday it didn't get much past 30 during the day! Crazy New England weather! Good luck!

 

[ECBW]

I bought mature birds in the past but relented and bought some chicks this year for the kids. I read all about the care the little ones need, but guess what? Doing and reading about it are two different things. I found:

They double in size every week in the first few weeks. Lucky I used cardboard box brooder because I had to get a larger brooder every week!

Never mind to measure the temperature in the brooder. Mother hens don't. I tried to regulate the precise temperature with a thermometer, but gave it up. I used a heat lamp, felt the heat with my hand and adjusted the wattage and height as I observed the reaction from the chicks.

Had to move them out to the "adolescent" coop at about 4 weeks because of the smell. The outside temp ranged from 60's to 30's, day to night. Continued with the heat lamp for another 1-1/2 week. By then I saw them sleeping away from the surrogate mama. Why waste energy? The lamp came out.

Now the temperature is milder with 40's at night, coupled with the feathering out of the chicks, at 6 weeks old, they no longer sleep on the floor. They all hop to the high roost just like the big sisters next door.

It has been a whirl wind of constant changes. I just try to imagine what it was like in the old days for farmers raising livestock in barns with no electricity.

 

[TreeHugger]

Mine are 6 weeks & have been without a light for about a week. It got chilly here last night & I checked on them this morning and they are fine. I felt bad for pulling the light, but they weren't sitting around it at night and I figured they didn't need it anymore.

 

[stonykill]

Deb, both my 4 week old Sumatra's and my 2 day old Sumatra's will sometimes peep like crazy. I truly believe they are communicating or playing. Because all of a sudden it quiets down. Try adding a dimmer switch to your heat lamp. Lower the temp 2 degrees a day.
I don't know what breed you have. My Sumatra's at 3 weeks old weren't feathering out enough. They were still indoors in a brooder. I turned off the heat lamp. They were fine. And are fine. Feathering out nicely.
I'm afraid...as you probably are, if you don't stop babying them, they will forever live in your living room. Try adding a dimmer switch. Or move them into a room where you aren't listening to them constantly.
My Broody Sumatra, currently hatching chicks, will in the next few days take her brood out for a walk. It won't matter if it is 60 or 30 degrees. She will take them out, and they will be fine. At only a few days old.

 

[IndigoJaguar]

I so agree that it is necessary to stop babying them!

Mine went outside a week and a half ago. It has been cold and rainy ever since (50-60 day/30-40 night). I have been super lazy about pulling their heat away....I need to gradually wean them off, but I have been so lazy that I haven't pulled it all together. However, they have been going without light at night since they were three weeks old....they are now five weeks. They screech everytime I turn off the light for the night, but I just ignore them and walk away. They are perfectly fine......don't let them get to you when they screech like that.

 

[definetlydeb]

Quote:

I know right!!! I have a mixed flock of which is (from what I am told)...SLW...big girl....Golden Comets, and RIR's....I totally understand what you are saying....and I have let them go, yesterday for ex....i turned out the light, sun was blarin into brooder....they were fine.....sun started to go down....they started in....huddling and carrying on, like crammed all in the corner of the brooder, peeping at the top of thier lungs...so I knowing they couldn't possibly, really be cold, put the small 25 watt bulb in, thinkin' maybe they were having a hard time seeing???.....Well, that was 8ish.....finally it was close to 11 pm, the peeping didn't stop, they were all huddled in the corner....on top of one another, adjusting, squeezing....so I gave in, put the big heat bulb in, and within 5 min, silence, all spread out....sleeping....just that quick.....not a peep....nothing.....!!! I know they need to get adjusted, as they are so going outside, they are really to big for my living room....and I will try the dimmer thingie, however, I am intending on them going to the coop this weekend....with the light.....for now....and I won't be able to hear them!!! They have just got to grow up and give me some eggs already!!!!!!
Thanks for your opinion, I trully do appreciate it, and understand all your concerns.....and I will def try the dimmer thingie!!! Have a great day!!!

 

[Fowl Intentions]

I'm totally new to this, but it makes sense to me to move them outside once they have their feathers. People have raised chickens successfully for hundreds (thousands???) of years without heat lamps in the coop! Good luck!!!

 

[creepinturtle]

oh you guy's gonna crucify me then, after 3~4 days, because i have chicks hatching daily, i take mine from under the lamp and they are fine ... but they are in a nice climatized house in SC

 

[CluckyJay]

I threw mine out at I 'think' 4 weeks. No heat, just good shelter and lots of hay. There are 25 of them and they do wonderfully. I was like you, really worried they would freeze!Its been in the 20's and 30's on several nights. Good luck!