What are the temps I need?

[sethsleader]

I know the chicks need heat, they're currently 5 days old on 100f heat. Then I THINK I reduce it by 5f a week is that right?

 

[Ridgerunner]

5 degrees a week reduction is right. 100 degrees to start out with is possibly too hot. The usual recommendation is to start between 90 and 95 degrees. Don't be a slave to theory though and let your chicks tell you if they are too hot or too cold. Different chicks seem to like different temperatures. If they are huddled under the heat source, they are too cold. If they are as far away from the heat source as possible, they are too hot. If they are scattered, some under the heat, some further away, and playing in between, it is right.

I put my light in the middle of a 5' x 3' brooder and kept the heat up there, letting the ends cool down. A more normal way, especially if your brooder is smaller, is to point the light at one corner to heat it up and to let the rest of the brooder be a little cooler.

If a hen raises the chicks, they can eat, drink and play even in freezing weather and run back to mama to get warm when they need to. They do need that heat source but they can handle cooler temperatures for short periods of time. And they can normally handle being just a bit cool better than being too hot, especially if there are enough of them to huddle for warmth.

 

[cmom]

I agree with the other post. I start my chicks off at 90 to 95 degrees and then reduce 5 degrees each week. If yours are 5 days old then you can safely have them at 85 degrees. You can tell by how the chicks act if the temp is to hot ot cool. If the chicks spread out the temp is ok. If the chicks huddle close together then too cool. Also it depends on how many chicks you have. The more there are the warmer they will be as chickens have do give off some body heat more chicks more heat they generate.