Ok to remove heat lamp?

[mwhisman]

I have just gotten into raising chicks and am well on my way with my first flock.

I have 8 ( isa browns, leghorns, 2 unknown at this time) chicks and they are 4-5 weeks old and are in their coop with 2 ducks I bought at the same time ( daughter saw the ducks so I was talked into the ducks). The temps are going from 60- 75 during the day to 40- 55 at night.

When I checked on them today the ducks appeared to be panting and the chicks appeared to be happy and playful.

With the outdoor temps where the are is it ok to remove the heat lamp? Are the ducks overheating?

I should mention that the coop is in direct sunlight and it is by my best estimate 75-80 degrees in there when I last checked.

Thanks for the help.

 

[yardraven]

I have just gotten into raising chicks and am well on my way with my first flock.

I have 8 ( isa browns, leghorns, 2 unknown at this time) chicks and they are 4-5 weeks old and are in their coop with 2 ducks I bought at the same time ( daughter saw the ducks so I was talked into the ducks). The temps are going from 60- 75 during the day to 40- 55 at night.

When I checked on them today the ducks appeared to be panting and the chicks appeared to be happy and playful.

With the outdoor temps where the are is it ok to remove the heat lamp? Are the ducks overheating?

I should mention that the coop is in direct sunlight and it is by my best estimate 75-80 degrees in there when I last checked.

Thanks for the help.

If your birds have a full comliment of primaries, they should be ok. As long as they are in sheltered area, draft free. At night you may still need to use the lamp. I would not trust the elements if they still have a lot of downy feathers, but lower the temp from 80 to get them used to generating their own heat. They are almost there. Scope out other opinions too

 

[gander007]

With the amount of chicks you have you haven't any reason to have a heat lamp this time of year ......

 

[Fancychooklady]

I would only be using the lamp at night now. Make sure that they can avoid the heat of the lamp to avoid overheating. I usually separate the ducks from the chicks at this stage as the ducks outgrow the chicks , are very messy and tend to ' fowl ' the water and feed up. Your ducklings should also have a swimming area that can be quite dangerous for chicks.

 

[donrae]

I was just out checking on my birds and my broody hen has babies half way out from under her...it's dusk and I'm thinking it's in the low 60s. The babies haven't been under her at all today that I've seen, and they're 2.5 week old silkies and 10 day old large fowl chicks. I'd leave the lamp off during the day and offer it at night for another week or so.

I'm wondering about your set up, do your birds have a run? I'm wondering why your ducks would have been so warm if they're out in their coop? I picture a coop as having enough room to get away from the heat.