raising chicks inside coop during heatwave?

[Sauerkraut]

So, long story short, i'm getting my first batch of chicks on Monday. I planned to brood them in the coop because it seemed like the weather would be nice. Well, It looks like the day the chicks get here it's the high of 95. My question is, should i brood them with a heatlamp or not? My coop is actually insulated, so it will be slightly cooler, although i do have a window i can open if necessary. Any thoughts?

 

[MarlaMac]

So, long story short, i'm getting my first batch of chicks on Monday. I planned to brood them in the coop because it seemed like the weather would be nice. Well, It looks like the day the chicks get here it's the high of 95. My question is, should i brood them with a heatlamp or not? My coop is actually insulated, so it will be slightly cooler, although i do have a window i can open if necessary. Any thoughts?

Are they day old chicks? If so, yes, you will need an additional source of heat for them. If the high will be 95, then the low will be cooler than that. 1-7 day old chicks need a brooding area that is 90-95 degrees. They need an area that is big enough to allow them to get to cooler areas and then run back to the "brooder" (think momma) if they get cold.

I am currently 2.5 weeks into brooding 6 babies in the extension to my coop. The days are hot (95-103 - feels like temps) but the nights cool down to 70 ish). They always find their way back to the brooder plate at night.

Since the days are hot, I usually turn the brooder plate off during the day after the morning cool burns off. Back on when the evening temps drop to a range for their age according to the chart.

The following pictures are our set up (day and night). The picture of the babies sleeping outside of the brooder plate when they are about 9 days old (notice two are under the plate). The other picture where they are mostly under the brooder plate is at 5 days old. High temps have been in the 90s since we got them.

The temperature on the chart are ground level temp requirements.

 

[DobieLover]

My question is, should i brood them with a heatlamp or not?

I would not. I would use a brooder plate only in the coop. And you won't need it during the day in those temperatures.

so it will be slightly cooler, although i do have a window i can open if necessary.

I would keep the window open regardless. They NEED fresh air at all times.

Don't worry about monitoring the temperatures in the coop. Keep an eye on the birds and take action based on what their behaviors are. If they're active running around eating and drinking, they're good.
If they're chirping loudly, they're cold.
If they're panting or laying about with their wings open, they're hot and you need to cool them down.
Ideally they will have one place where they can get warm and the rest of their brooder area, or the coop in this case, will be at ambient temperatures. Your ambient temperatures are quite high so I would monitor for signs the chicks are overheating.

 

[Sauerkraut]

Ok. So far, my plan is to not run the lamp until night the first two days. I'll switch it off in the mornings. I will do it all day for the rest of the week since the temperatures are lower until they can comfortably be in the lower temperatures throughout the day. I will monitor frequently each day to make sure they're not scattering, huddling, panting, or chirping. Thoughts?