So .... Chickens go to roost as soon as the sun starts to fade. I have always wondered about chicks being raised with a heat lamp/light bulb always pointed right at them. Every time I check on my chicks they are awake no matter what time of day it is. Seems they don't get a good sound sleep that way. Even with a large contained area, they can't escape the light. I recently moved the lamp out all together and started with a heater. They slept like it was the first night of their little lives. I don't think I will ever do that heat lamp/light bulb thing again. I will just go with a heater. Course I don't buy in large quantities. And I have more options for where to keep them as a result. It will be interesting to see how fast they grow now that I know they are getting a sound nights sleep.
I've raised numerous chicks under heat lamps, both white and red lights. I now have EcoGlows. I do like that when I turn the lights out, they sleep and when i turn them on in the morning, they are awake. That said, after years raising them under heat lamps I've never found it to have a long-term detrimental affect on them. As soon as they transition out of the brooder and into the coop, they resume normal light/dark cycles.
They will just sleep on and off throughout the day and night. They just nap a lot so they get all the sleep they need.
