Panting Chicks

[Rubyroo1]

My chick is panting & I raised the heat lamp so I m starting to get a little concerned. Do any of u guys know what the problem could be

 

[mithious]

Yeah, chick is too hot!!! It's summer. Take a temp reading and perhaps change out the heat lamp for a regular light bulb. What is your current ambient temp? If it is near 80-90 degress, you don't need to raise the temp but a few degrees. The heat lamp could be making the poor thing too hot!

How old is the chick?

 

[mithious]

also, go by the chicks behavior and not the "set standard" for temperature they say on here. Since it is summer, they will need wayyyy less added heat from people. Momma chick would have them out from under her...and they would stay out, as they don't need to be cooked under her, or by us using a heat lamp in the middle of the summer...

Mine never did like the "set standard" from day one and I had to raise my light...they went out to the coop a day short of 3 weeks old!!! They are doing fine too and loving the room to fly around and play! Mine are also almost fully feathered out! So were a bit hot in their coop yesterday...we had a very hot, humid day!

If the chicks are running around, eating, drinking, sleeping, pooping, the temps are fine, panting and staying far far away from the heat source, they are too hot, huddling under the heat lamp, too cold...watch your chicks, they will tell you with their behavior!

 

[Texas Chickens]

Well I put my hatched chicks out in brooder house day 2 and since it gets so hot here in Tx and the brooder house. The heat lamp only goes on at night around 8 pm.

During the day I ck the temp in the brooder house to see how hot it is getting in there and around 85 degrees I run the hose on the floor as the cages are up in the air. I do this around 3 to 4 times a day depending on the temp in the brooder house.

The water cools the place down to where everyone is comfortable and running around eating, drinking and in each other's faces. The floor is sand so the water sinks right in and doesn't sit there.

Am also freezing small water bottles and putting them in their cages to help with the heat here.

So far we have not lost 1 chick to the heat yet.

 

[Rubyroo1]

The chick is a week old & she is sharing the brooder with a silkie bantam. The SB is'nt panting, so do SBs need more heat? My chick just keeps panting even though it seems to be perfect temp. She is an Easter egger.

 

[Rubyroo1]

She's eating & drinking & running around 2??

 

[Fred's Hens]

It is summer. Brooding doesn't take much, if any, additional heat during these hot days. Maybe a touch at night, but that's about it. I completely agree with the idea of watch the chicks, not the thermometer.

My "heat lamp" now has a 75 watt bulb. That's it. I can only turn it on from midnight to 7 am. That's the only time the chicks want any added. We're heading for a high of 91F and a heat index of 94. Too hot for chicks and way too hot for me. LOL

 

[SobbaChickens]

I never used a thermometer, a chick will tell you what it needs if you pay attention to the signs.

Where is your brooder? Inside or out?
What kind of bulb are you using? Heat bulb 150w or 250w? Or regular 60-75w?

 

[Rubyroo1]

I'm using a 250 watt bulb

 

[mithious]

It is summer. Brooding doesn't take much, if any, additional heat during these hot days. Maybe a touch at night, but that's about it. I completely agree with the idea of watch the chicks, not the thermometer.

My "heat lamp" now has a 75 watt bulb. That's it. I can only turn it on from midnight to 7 am. That's the only time the chicks want any added. We're heading for a high of 91F and a heat index of 94. Too hot for chicks and way too hot for me. LOL

LOL, me too Fred...spending additional, multiple, times in a cool water shower after doing chores, I am changing out their water every couple hours with cold water. That seems to help.

My flock is 3 weeks 3 days from hatch and in their coop, almost fully feathered already!

At one week, my large breed, BR's, didn't need but a 40 watt bulb, in the house brooder, for a few days ( they never did have the temps at what is said to be the "right temp" for chicks, nor a 250 watt heat lamp on them) I had to go by their behavior, especially since it is summer!!!...I would bet my last dollar that chick is too hot!!! Don't know about bantams...only had two in my whole life, and got them a month old, so they went right out to their own little coop when I brought them home.

Today is supposed to be even hotter than yesterday!!!! IMHO a 250 watt heat bulb is wayyy to hot, this time of year for that chick! Try a lower bulb, or NO light at all and see what the chick does! Good luck!

I might add a fan in the window of their coop today also!!!