Should heat lamps stay on all the time?

[AnimalMommy]

Do chicks need dark time or should I keep the heat lamp on them all of the time? I have a 125 watt lbulb on them and it seems awfully bright for them to sleep. They didn't have the infared bulb at our co-op.

 

[cjeanean]

How old are they??? Until they get their feathers (or unless it's super hot outside) they need to be under the light at all times. The general rule is to keep the brooder at 95F, then back it down a degree each day (which is impossible LOL, so I just raised the light a few inches or so each week). If the chicks huddle together they're too cold, if they stay as far from the light as possible they're too warm. Usually, depending on whether the breed is a fast or slow maturing bird, 5-6wks from hatch is good to leave the light off.

They will be able to rest even with the light, but if your brooder is close to where you sleep and you don't want a light shining in your room or your chicks are picking at each other you might want to try to find the red bulbs. Hope this helps!!!

 

[Judy]

I think they do better without white light after the first few days; I think they rest better. You might try to pick up a regular light bulb that is red or blue to replace the 125 watt one. The infrared ones are often too hot for them anyway, unless you are brooding outdoors in cool or cold weather.

 

[cmom]

Light doesn't make a difference to chicks. Originally I left their lamp on 24/7. At 5 weeks old I changed to a 15 watt night light I still leave it on 24/7.

In the beginning they eat, sleep and poop all day and all night and they sleep in the oddest positions regardless of the light.

 

[eggsrcool]

My quail and chickens are happy to be under the lamp all the time. I might take the chicken chicks outside for the day if its warm, otherwise its on all the time.

 

[Agricola]

My chicks are almost four weeks old. After the first the week they really didn’t care much for the heat lamp even after I moved it further away and put a lower watt bulb in. But it has been hot around here. Inside the coop (which is where the brooder was) the temp was usually In the mid to upper 80s during the day. So I have only been putting their light on at night when its cool, and even then they don’t go under it much.

I have read the light doesn’t matter for sleeping. But the first time I turned their lamp off when they were just over a week old, I checked on them a few minutes later and most of them were passed out.

 

[cassie]

I use a red heat lamp. Got it at the hardware store. Any hardware store should carry them. I leave it on all the time. My chicks can get away from it if they want.

 

[AnimalMommy]

They are around a week and a half old. I live is Mississippi and its super hot here. I have them in the basement room and they are in a plastic tote under the window. I have a stick thermometer inside the tote and it says 90 degrees. I guess they are fine. I just worry a lot about all of my pets!!

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
I agree.
Watch your chicks. Huddling under the light, too cold. As far away as possible from the light and too hot. At a week and a half old, 90 is the max number you're aiming for.
If they are getting natural light during the day, then IMO it's best to use a red light for heat. That way they get used to the natural cycles of daylight and night.