Reverse Cycling Chicks

[MotherHen75]

They sleep all day, and party all night. It actually gets really annoying, we have a small house and you can hear it from the bed rooms. 7 chicks, one 2 weeks older then the rest, oh my word does she make noise. She’s a silkie and she sounds like a hippo sat on her. Extremely dramatic chicken.

They sleep all cuddled up under a heat lamp during the day and they scratch and peck all night. Is this normal?

 

[Redhead Rae]

With a heat lamp, that is kinda normal. I prefer having a heater plate (or mama heating pad) and putting them on a day/night schedule.

 

[anderstr196]

My silkies were like that at night so I bought one of the reptile heat bulbs for nights.

 

[baby-blue]

I have 7 Silkie chicks living together with 5 other bantam babies (Cornish, Brahma, d’Uccle, etc.) and they tend to wake up/go to sleep pretty strictly with whatever light is on. The Silkies, aside from one, all turned 4 weeks yesterday. The second the sun rises, they’re up and flapping and hopping and eating. The second it goes down, they’ve tucked themselves under their MHP and they’re sound asleep. Any light on near them will wake them up and they’ll have a ‘midnight snack’. Is there a chance that their brooder is lit up at night? Outside lights, night lights, etc.?

EDIT: They turned *three* weeks yesterday, my bad! I got their b-days mixed up. There is one Silkie in there who turned a month yesterday, the rest of the Silkies are three weeks. There’s also a Yokohama and a standard Barred Rock who are a few days younger than the rest.

 

[aart]

They sleep all cuddled up under a heat lamp during the day and they scratch and peck all night. Is this normal?

It can be....one of the best reasons for using a plate or pad for heat instead of a lamp.

 

[SueT]

If it's dark at night they will sleep all night. You can put a reptile bulb (ceramic heat emitter) in your current clamp light fixture in place of the heat lamp bulb, (cheapest option), or as others suggest, you can use a heat plate or heating pad set up so they can go under.

 

[aart]

If it's dark at night they will sleep all night. You can put a reptile bulb (ceramic heat emitter) in your current clamp light fixture in place of the heat lamp bulb, (cheapest option), or as others suggest, you can use a heat plate or heating pad set up so they can go under.
View attachment 1736199

What is the brand, model, wattage of the emitter you use @SueT ?

 

[MotherHen75]

That you for all the advice, will try out the reptile light. We have 7 chicks in the brooder, 4 bantams, a silkie, a amerecauna and california grey. The silkie is 2 weeks older then the rest which are two days old. When they get older it’ll be summer and no need for a lamp.

 

[SueT]

What is the brand, model, wattage of the emitter you use @SueT ?

I don't know the brand or model, I bought it on Ebay 2 yrs. ago. It's 75 watt and was $6.99 which includes shipping. They cost more at pet stores.
75 watt was good for my small number of chicks, 6 one year, 5 the next. I'd say it isn't quite as hot as a 75 watt incandescent bulb but it is too hot to touch, fixture has to be securely anchored. I kept it lower in the beginning, much lower than a heat lamp as you can see in pic. The thermometer was always under it to monitor temps. I used this bulb from day one, it only keeps the area under the lamp warm. I raised it higher and higher as they grew.

 

[debid]

My first batch of chicks were in a brooder box on the porch and had a heat lamp. Not only were they awake at all hours, the bugs were attracted to the lamp so they were more active at night catching insects. Thank goodness we have decent windows and no close neighbors. Second batch, I built a MHP and I don't think I could be convinced to use a lamp again. So much easier.

If you are able to move yours into their coop with their lamp, that's another possible solution without any added expense. They'll still be having a party all night but you won't have to listen.