Stolen heat lamp! Chilly chicks?

[JillsChicks]

My chicks are now two weeks old, but the person who pays the electric bills and does not love chickens snitched my brooder light! He says chicks don't stay at 90 degrees when they are raised by a hen - our 65 degree house should be fine! I have to admit, they seem to be ok - (they LOVE to be held against my polar fleece shirt now though).

Will this lower temperature hurt them or stunt their development? I do cover their dog kennel with cardboard and blankets at night but am trying to give them as much day light as possible so don't want to cover them too much. Helpful advice appreciated!

 

[tiffanyh]

Hmm...he is probably right...but chicks are successfully raised at 80-85 when they are two weeks. Although, realistically they can "handle" lower, Im sure.

How about comprimise....just on at night????

 

[Poison Ivy]

My two & three week old chicks have been outside with night temps as low as 52* with no heat lamp. I have a pile of hay and a enclosed area they can sleep in. They have been fine I think it helps them in the long run. I've had chickens before living in a 3 sided coop and it 28* outside they did fine too with no heat lamp.

 

[hinkjc]

Tell the electric bill payer that a mother hen body temp is actually 106 degrees and that the chicks, when raised by her, actually snuggle up against her warm body to stay the proper temp. They cannot control their own body temp at this age, especially without a mama hen and stuck in a cold brooder.

I'm sorry, but this is just cruel to those babies. Tell them when the babies die from the cold, its going to cost more to replace them.

Jody

 

[momma's chickens]

Gee, I get cold at 65 degrees. I really think those babies need that heat lamp, if nothing else perhaps you can hang a 100 watt light over over the chicks. At least for one more week.

Also observe the chicks behaviour and if they start huddling together and chirping loudly the light really must go back on.

 

[silkiechicken]

A 3 day old chick can run around in 40 F hazy sprinkling weather with a mother hen... but that's only because as soon as the chick get's cold, mother hen will hunker down and baby chick will press right up to momma hen burning hot and heat up before the next 5 minutes of fun.

65 at 2 weeks old is probably pushing your luck in the long run.

 

[Cetawin]

Tell the CHEAPO that stole the brooder lamp that I will pay the 2.00 or 3.00 bucks it costs to run that heat lamp for a month. Good grief how juvenile! Not to mention the fact he is uninformed and incorrect...mama hen keeps the babies warm.

My bill only went up 1.78 for my heat lamp (250 watt) running 24/7 for a month!

 

[Break an Egg]

Do you have a heat lamp in the bathroom, or one of those heaters in there? You could move them in there, or if you have a space heater you could get that out and just set it near the brooder, enough to warm up the room.

Jeez, what a jerk! You can tell him/her I said so!

 

[Rafter 7 Paint Horses]

I agree that they still need some kind of heat, maybe not the 250 watt heat lamp, but at least a 100 watt light bulb to warm up a place in the brooder for them to get warm. You really don't want to have to deal with medicating and possibly culling sick chicks.

Jean

 

[rooster-red]

Tell him that you'll just have to play mother hen and snuggle them up in bed with you, this means he'll have to sleep on the far side of the bed, can't have him getting close and squishing a chick.

Wonder how many nights it would take for that heat lamp to be put back in place?