Watch the chicks? or the temperature?

[MightyMama]

Right now they are in a storage box with a heat lamp. They are 1 week old tomorrow, and they seem to like the temperature way lower than the "normal". It makes me nervous, but when I try to bring the light closer so its actually in the range it should be...they go sleep on the other side of the box. I read that you should be at about 90 when they are at week 1, and it's closer to 84-85, and I still find them over in the spot where its closer to 75-80. They are not going to get sick and die from it being cold, will they? When they do sit on the temperature probe, it reads 95-99.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

What you are observing is very natural .....the "rules" of temperature for brooding call for excessive heat. Follow their lead.

 

[Folly's place]

I check the temperature under my heat lamp a few times when I'm setting up the brooder (I use a 100 gal. stock tank) so the lamp is at one end, and it's cooler at the other end. That's just to adjust the set-up initially. After that, the chicks let me know how they are doing. Over time, the lamp is raised so the brooder is cooler, and then in just under three weeks, the chicks move to a separate section of my coop, still with their heat lamp, until they are feathered out and don't need extra heat any more.
It's a combination of having adequate heat, and observing their behavior.
Using a brooder plate is a great alternative!!!
Mary

 

[MightyMama]

Okay, fair enough. I'll just keep following what they seem to need.

 

[Birdinhand]

no need to worry, they are good at regulating their own temperature. with a mother hen, they go back and forth, even on cold days, between warming up under her and venturing out for foraging and various antics. as long as they can get away from the heat if it's too much and get closer when they are cold, they should be good. I can't say enough about how much I appreciate the mother heating pad approach, it allows them to truly sleep at night which has been shown in studies to improve overall health.