Teaching older chicks night and day sleeping cycle?

[hoorayfortulips]

Do I need to worry about teaching chicks to wake and sleep during the normal day/night cycle when they're almost ready for the outside coop but are still inside? They don't get a lot of natural light in their brooder location (a bathroom), so I'm wondering if I need to fiddle with the lighting once they're done needing a heat source.

(I have searched on here and haven't found the answer I was looking for - first time in months of reading! If its already posted, let me know.)

 

[Aeropennchick]

Hm I am not sure if anyone has had problems with this, but I certainly didn't. We left the heat lamp, which was red, on all the time (of course), but turned off the big lights at night just like we always did before chickens. When they moved out to the coop without the red heat lamp, the very first night at dusk they went in the coop and went to sleep.

Hope yours are easy like mine!

 

[hoorayfortulips]

I've since read the OT's "Rockin' Chair" thread. I realize this is a dumb question now (yes, I believe there ARE dumb questions). Wonderful thing about the internet... all your learnings are floating around the ether forever. Lots of "extra" stuff in here to skip over, but the 1st 20 pages are worth it. More sprinkled throughout if you can stick with it.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...l-up-a-rockin-chair-and-lay-some-wisdom-on-us

 

[ChickiesInUtah]

I don't think it's a dumb question, I've wondered myself actually!

Thanks for posting the link to the Rocking Chair thread, I've subscribed and am working my way through it.

 

[crescentloft]

I have experimented with this too, and found the following really helps them sleep for night cycle and be active in the day.
I would turn off the heat lamp for about an hour, the chicks would cuddle together in a corner and sleep in the dark, I would then turn on the heat lamp again but they would remain sleeping. Mine were in a screen porch so they did get to see darkness and natural day light besides the glow of the infra red heat lamp.
What is more important is that they get some perspective of distance and changing scenery. I used a weed fabric, very see through and made a run in the porch about 8 feet long and 2 feet wide, they could see me approach or the dog or cat. I also made an obstacle course for things to climb onto things to peck at and changed it regularly with new objects... this allowed them to explore, exercise and stimulate their vision and curiosity.