Think the brooder was too warm. Chicks not feathering like the last ones.

[Nimueh Alene]

My chicks will be 4week old the 26 and they are slow to feather out. Think the brooder was too warm for the most part . Can I just turn off the heat lamp?The house is plenty warm. .Or should I go to 60 watt bulb? Do they look like they are at the right stage for their age .
I have 3 one week old replacement Chicks that I can brood separately if needed. Oh, and Freebie my duckling is in there too age 2 weeks. Really hoping I don't have a bunch of slower feathering cockerels...

 

[Rosypetals]

I don’t think you should ever turn off the heat lamp unless you have other sources of heat such as a heating pad underneath, but that’s difficult to clean. What I did and am doing right now with my chicks is during the day times, the light stays off, but I have a heater blowing towards the brooder, and that works just fine. Then, at night, I turn the light back on.

 

[Table4Six]

On the contrary, it looks like you have a bunch a pullets, as well as a female duck. Is Freebie a golden 300 hybrid layer duck? I've never heard of having a heat lamb to hot, I mean you don't want it blazing, but I think your chicks feathers are growing just fine. Good luck with raising your happy little bunch.

 

[Nimueh Alene]

On the contrary, it looks like you have a bunch a pullets, as well as a female duck. Is Freebie a golden 300 hybrid layer duck? I've never heard of having a heat lamb to hot, I mean you don't want it blazing, but I think your chicks feathers are growing just fine. Good luck with raising your happy little bunch.

Freebie is a golden 300. I have Magpies that she'll live with eventually.. The chicks my bantam hen raised was fully feathered at 4 weeks.. So I looked on internet and it said if brooder was too warm it delayed feathering. They are OK than.

 

[Nimueh Alene]

I don’t think you should ever turn off the heat lamp unless you have other sources of heat such as a heating pad underneath, but that’s difficult to clean. What I did and am doing right now with my chicks is during the day times, the light stays off, but I have a heater blowing towards the brooder, and that works just fine. Then, at night, I turn the light back on.

I'll try that thank you...

 

[Nimueh Alene]

Freebie and her buddies a sapphire gem and wyandotte chick !

 

[naf_appaz]

I've always gone by the 5 degrees a week school of thought, measure under heat source for a 100 degrees out of the incubator then raise heat source enough to lower 5 degrees a week until you reach ambient tempature.... in 4 weeks you would be at 80 directly beneath heat. I use a ceramic reptile heater and have a light on a timer so they are not subject to light 24hrs a day. Works well for me and they feather out pretty quick.

 

[Chasingcars]

They look super healthy ..well done you!
they will feather slower in the Brooder than outdoor raised by mom in my experience.
I gradually reduce their dependence on heat to encourage feather growth ready for the big wide world.
I use a chicktec Brooder plate not light/lamp.
my brooding room is warm with lots of sunshine so I do turn the heat off during the day at about 3-4wks..I then pop it back on at night for another week & When temperatures drop too low. At 5 ish weeks my chicks are in the garden in the day with a covered grassed area and a coop..by 7-8wks old I expect them to be living outside day & night ...I guess I do it all pretty gradually.
We all do it s little differently depending on where we live & what we’re comfortable with..but this works for me

 

[Nimueh Alene]

You still think freebie is female ?
Table4six?

Hopefully ! Have a magpie drake already.

 

[Nyla]

Freebie is a Male. He is a Golden 300 Hybrid.