Temps for 2.5+ Week Old Layer Chicks?

[ElioraImmanuel]

My outside brooder is just about ready. DH just has to put a tarp--roof/windbreak over their "play area".

They've been in the garage since they arrived. I've had to turn the heat lamp on and off in relation to their behavior and the temps.

Right now, it is only 66 degrees and windy here. Tomorrow night it's going down to 47 and then it'll be steadily in the 60's at night.

So...will a plain white light bulb keep the brooder warm enough at night? Will the heat lamp make it just too hot? Or should I leave them in the garage? How warm should it be during the day before they're outside?

Our meaties have been outside in the paca trailer for 8 days, but they're fat and sassy. Although, I've not let them forage today because it's toooo windy/chilly. They're not the brightest bulbs and won't go back to the heat lamp.

 

[Salve&Fluffer]

We made sure all our chicks had the heat lamp until they were well over than a month old, maybe even three. But by that time, they were almost always panting from the heat. Depending on how many chicks you have, they might be able to keep warm just by huddleing up. A few times, the light bulb went out because it broke or there was something wrong with the electricity. Almost every time, one of the chicks did not huddle up with the others and died. If I were you, I'd keep them with the heat lamp.

 

[ElioraImmanuel]

My biggest concern is the chick house getting dangerously hot. I'm thinking it would be a good idea to keep the birds in the garage until Tues morn when the temps will be more acceptable, esp at night. The chick house has a 4o watt bulb. That coupled with the birds own heat should keep them warm enough when the temp goes to 60 at night.

 

[pkw]

I have some chicks that are now 5 weeks old. They haven't used a heating lamp for nearly 2 weeks now. Mine are almost completely feathered out. The last time I had a heating lamp in their brooder for them, they stayed as far away from it as they could.

I don't know how feathered out your chicks are. Here where I live, it is 105+ degrees in the day and in the mid to high 80s at night. I was keeping at least 2 heating lamps on it the 1 and 2 week chicks brooding area and not even my little chicks with hardly any feathers is wanting to be under even one heating lamp but I still keep at least one going just in case. I really don't want them to huddle and pile up on each other because I usually lose one of my turkens.

Since my husband installed a window swamp cooler it gets 84-86 degrees inside so I keep a heating lamp on for the 1-2 week olds. If it is cold and windy, I would keep a heating lamp on for your chicks if they aren't fully feathered out. If it gets warm in the daytime you could always turn it off.

 

[ElioraImmanuel]

My chx will be 3 weeks tomorrow or Weds. They're not completely feathered out, but getting there. It's between 65 and 80 degrees during the day and between 45 and 65 at night. It's been very windy here for a few days. Tomorrow starts a warming trend that will continue for the rest of the season. So, the layers are going outside with a 40 Watt bulb tomorrow morning. From there I have to figure out when to let them free range.

This batch is going out just in time. I'm due to get 20 more chx on Weds!