Thermostat on Heat Lamp..is it an ok thing?

[Coopnana]

We have 3+ week old chicks in their coop w/ a heat lamp set to 80 degrees and plan on moving this down by 5 degrees per week. However, this will leave them in periods of darkness as the temperature fluctuates. We have a regular light set up on a timer for early evening. We have a window in the coop but no direct light gets in as the run has a roof over it. During the day there may be long periods of no light in the coop and the small filtered daylight only...is this ok?

 

[cameronfarm]

You could always use a regular fluorescent light if you are concerned about periods of light. Set it on a timer or control it by hand, they release minimal heat. Commercial brooders use a heating element on a thermostat and a small 6w red bulb for light and to attract them to the heat source.