What to do with the hot weather this weekend?

[Who922]

As usual, New Mexico can't decide what it's going to do in the springtime! Low 30's the first of the week and it's going to be 98 and 99 on the weekend!!! My question. What should I do about the heat lamp during the day. They will be 2 weeks old this weekend. They can get away from the heat light (6 foot in diameter). Should I turn it off during the day or should I just raise it up higher? I just want to make sure they are OK.

 

[Judy]

If they're outdoors I would turn it off. You can cook them as easily as the other way, maybe more easily.

 

[A.T. Hagan]

I've been turning my brooder lights off during the day for my older chicks these last couple of weeks. Turn it back on at night.

 

[Who922]

Is there some kind of magic number? Like today it is going to be 84. and yes they are outside. It's an aluminum sided and roofed stall I made into my brooder room.

 

[silkeysandra]

what we do for our hens when it's hot here in Texas is to place frozen liter bottles on the shady patio for them to gather around. We have an exhaust fan in the storage room/coop to cool it off, but then they don't go inside usually during the day except to lay an egg. They wait until nearly dark to go back inside for the night.
For the little ones, turning of the heat source a perfect idea. Do/can they take a breeze? Like a small oscillating fan??? I don't know anything about baby chicks. Could you move them inside??? say the bathtub with a towel inside? bound to be cooler in a closed bathroom than outside, right?
Anyway, that's all I can think of. We are retired so we'd probably move the cuties inside.

 

[A.T. Hagan]

Quote:
Watch the chick behavior. If they're piling atop one another and peeping shrilly chances are they are cold. Otherwise they should be OK if they're dry and not in a really windy place.

 

[Who922]

There is a window with a screen, but it is on the coop side of the barn. It does let a breeze inside. If I bring 25 chickens in the house, I am going to have a very unhappy wife!!! and much too happy 9 cats (they are outside, but we don't have snakes!) It kinda makes me want to go home and turn it off, but it's a long way from work. I just checked, it's 68 right now so maybe they will be OK til I can get home.

 

[OkChickens]

Exactly what I was going to say. I have my 3 week old Delawares outside with no lights at all and it is in the high 40's and they are fine. Just make sure to watch them or check on them every few hours.

Nate

 

[onthespot]

If my chicks look a little hot in the brooder, (crowding away from the lamp) then I turn off the light, but I usually put some newspaper over the top to cut drafts, and check back later to see if they are crowding up still, from being cold. If they are bunched, I slowly move them apart with my hand to see if they go back to snuggling, then I will turn the light back on, but maybe raise it up some. It is all a juggling game of time, distance, heat, watts of the light bulb, number of chicks, how high the top of your brooder is, how warm it is outside the brooder, and anything else that might affect what temperature it is at the level of the chicks in the brooder of your choice, in the place you are running it. Somehow all the above needs to balance out to "comfort zone for chicks" where they sleep, eat and drink.

 

[hsdiaz]

Quote:
That's a beautiful chicken in your thumbnail picture, what kind is it?