Red light

[Sherri1990]

My chucks are now 5 1/2 weeks old. They are in the outside coop. The temps in South Carolina are at 75 at night... so I thought great... no heat lamp now. The babies freaked out when I cut it off. They are terrified! I have a hutch a roosting bar. Clean bedding... they all ran into the corner all on top of each other. Soooo I cut it back on! They calmed down but now won’t go to bed! Help! Advice please! They are either going to be scared or sleep deprived. Will having the red light in hurt them? Will they out grow this??

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

The light becomes a surrogate mother to them. I generally slowly wean mine off it. People also use a small night light for a while too that supposed to help them stay calmer.

 

[Deenok]

At 4 weeks I moved my 13 pullets and 1 roo from the brooder to the hen house outside and I’m in West Virginia with average night temps around 70. I didn’t want to run a trashy extension cord out there so one day they had the heat lamp and the next they didn’t. They chirped for a couple hours the first night (especially one pullet in particular) but night two was better and at night 3 they all run inside their hen house at night ready for bed all by them selves. They are 36 days old and are wonderful. I say just like a pup, it will take them a day or so to get used to the dark but they will be fine.

 

[Sherri1990]

Ok. I checked on them several times last night. They had quite a party! I’m going to try the light off tonight!

 

[Ihavesomechickens]

They don’t need the red light and it is a problem if they get attached to it. A lot of things that they really shouldn’t go to have red lights, and it would really stink if they saw a giant truck going down the road and ran to it for comfort.

They may not like it off, but it won’t hurt them and it will help them not be attached to it.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I would just shut it off and let them scream. They'll get over it in a few days. They've become used to it so now being in a new environment without their familiar red "sun" is upsetting to them.