The brooder heater has no thermostat

[Hip Hillbilly Acres]

How DO people "reduce the temperature five degrees each week?"

 

[nuthatched]

That's really a loose guide, just keep moving the heat back or up every few day. since it's summer, they likely don't need too much fiddling.

 

[0range]

I think with the type of heater you have from seeing your new chick thread you just raise it up a notch as they grow. The 5 degree rule is more based on traditional heat lamps I think.

 

[Kiki]

What type of heat are you using?
Find that most people use a light bulb of some kind and to reduce the heat using a light bulb you just raise it up away from the chicks each day.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Many of us don't believe in that 5 degrees a week thing. I know it is popular on here but it is not necessary and not practical. To me the best brooder keeps one area warm enough (or warmer) in the coldest conditions and cool enough in the warmest conditions. Cool enough means they can get away from the heat if they need to. I brood outside in the coop. In winter the far end of the coop can have ice in it. That doesn't matter as long as the other end is warm enough. It doesn't have to be that cold, ambient will do. If the other end is too warm they go where it is cooler. If they get cold, they go warm up.

Broody hens raise chicks outside whatever the temperature is. They don't have the ability to bring the outside temperature down five degrees a week. If the chicks get cold they go under the broody to warm up. Then they go out from under her to play and eat, whatever the temperature is until they need to warm up again.

I have no idea what your brooder looks like, if you are brooding inside or out, or what your heat source is. How big in feet or inches your brooder is and how many chicks would be good info too. And the age you plan on taking them out of the brooder, they grow awfully fast. If we knew that we might be able to come up with some suggestions.

Brooding chicks has very few real rules for me. Have a spot warm enough and a spot cool enough and let them do the work. The brooder needs to be dry and the water needs to be clean. And predator protection.

 

[rosemarythyme]

In your case, your temperatures are so warm that you don't really have that as an option. Once they show no interest in getting under the heat plate day or night you can turn it off or even remove it.

 

[RoyalChick]

Many of us don't believe in that 5 degrees a week thing. I know it is popular on here but it is not necessary and not practical. To me the best brooder keeps one area warm enough (or warmer) in the coldest conditions and cool enough in the warmest conditions. Cool enough means they can get away from the heat if they need to. I brood outside in the coop. In winter the far end of the coop can have ice in it. That doesn't matter as long as the other end is warm enough. It doesn't have to be that cold, ambient will do. If the other end is too warm they go where it is cooler. If they get cold, they go warm up.

Broody hens raise chicks outside whatever the temperature is. They don't have the ability to bring the outside temperature down five degrees a week. If the chicks get cold they go under the broody to warm up. Then they go out from under her to play and eat, whatever the temperature is until they need to warm up again.

I have no idea what your brooder looks like, if you are brooding inside or out, or what your heat source is. How big in feet or inches your brooder is and how many chicks would be good info too. And the age you plan on taking them out of the brooder, they grow awfully fast. If we knew that we might be able to come up with some suggestions.

Brooding chicks has very few real rules for me. Have a spot warm enough and a spot cool enough and let them do the work. The brooder needs to be dry and the water needs to be clean. And predator protection.

i am so glad you said that. I am not experienced enough to trust my experience but I can’t understand that heat guidance.
I use a heat plate and lots of space in the brooder. My most recent group of Hooligans were sleeping mostly out of the plate within a few days in my bathroom at 74 degrees.
A week or two later I moved them to the garage where it got down to just below 40 and they would go under the plate just at night.
I don’t think they ever got to experience a temperature anything close to the schedule of heat reduction you read about here.

 

[Hip Hillbilly Acres]

Many of us don't believe in that 5 degrees a week thing. I know it is popular on here but it is not necessary and not practical. To me the best brooder keeps one area warm enough (or warmer) in the coldest conditions and cool enough in the warmest conditions. Cool enough means they can get away from the heat if they need to. I brood outside in the coop. In winter the far end of the coop can have ice in it. That doesn't matter as long as the other end is warm enough. It doesn't have to be that cold, ambient will do. If the other end is too warm they go where it is cooler. If they get cold, they go warm up.

Broody hens raise chicks outside whatever the temperature is. They don't have the ability to bring the outside temperature down five degrees a week. If the chicks get cold they go under the broody to warm up. Then they go out from under her to play and eat, whatever the temperature is until they need to warm up again.

I have no idea what your brooder looks like, if you are brooding inside or out, or what your heat source is. How big in feet or inches your brooder is and how many chicks would be good info too. And the age you plan on taking them out of the brooder, they grow awfully fast. If we knew that we might be able to come up with some suggestions.

Brooding chicks has very few real rules for me. Have a spot warm enough and a spot cool enough and let them do the work. The brooder needs to be dry and the water needs to be clean. And predator protection.

I like this ; simple and to the point. Thank you.

 

[Hip Hillbilly Acres]

In your case, your temperatures are so warm that you don't really have that as an option. Once they show no interest in getting under the heat plate day or night you can turn it off or even remove it.

Yessss, sounds like a plan. I will keep an eye on them. Thank you.

 

[3KillerBs]

If it's a brooder plate you just raise the legs as they grow and let them decide where they want to sleep.