When can I permanately turn off the heat lamp for the chicks?

littleandlewis

In the Brooder
8 Years
May 30, 2011
39
0
32
We live in Seattle where the temperatures have been cool. ( 65 if we are lucky during the day.... low 50's at night)

I have 7 chicks living ( all about 4-5 weeks old- mostly feathered) in the coop part of our chicken house and run. Yesterday was their first playdate outside.

I have had a heat lamp on them at various degrees of height since week one. The temperature in the coop this morning read 63 degrees on the perimeter of the heat lamp radius. I'm sure it was warmer directly underneath.

Are these gals old enough to just turn the lamp off? During the day? at Night? Always?

Thanks.
 
The question is, how do they act? Do they have room to get away from the heat? Do they move away from the heat, or collect right under it? Can you let them in the run and see how they act, if they ignore the heat during the day?

Probably you can turn it off during the day now, and in a few days or a week, turn it off at night as well.
 
Quote:
Yes...they have room to get away from the heat. They collect underneath it occasionally but never in a big bundle...always laying side by side.

We let them out yesterday for the first time.... it took 25 minutes for them to make their way down the chicken ramp.... then they found " heaven"....I'm sure today's outing will be a much faster ascension.
 
Today is a good day in Seattle for them to get outside again. Isn't it great seeing them get outside for the first few times.

I would play it by ear instead of specific ages. Like Ddawn was saying - it depends on how they act.
If they collect under the heat lamps sometimes still, I would leave it. They are feathering out now but probably not fully feathered so still suseptable to drafts and cold. It does not get too cold here but I would still keep the lamp up until they no longer collect under it at any time. You can raise it up little by little so the heat gets less and less.
 
Hi i am new to the forum, I have 5 new chicks that are four week old and have already took their lamp away they are in a large high tub with mess over the top, which is what i used for my two chicks before, who are now two years old They live now in a omlet eglu. The new chicks seem fine and happy without the lamp, and have grown so quickly this time compared to the others at this stage. I hope i have not took the lamp away too soon but thats what i was told to do when all of their featherd had come. Do you know what age is best to introduce them to my older girls and what is the best way to do this.
D.gif
 
I turn mine off during the day at 3 weeks old, so they'll be perfectly fine at 4-5 weeks without it during the day. As for at night, I'd give it to them for another week at night, until they are fully feathered.
 
You want to make sure they are as close to the same size as possible when you introduce them. I have introduced too early and it was not a problem but the young ones were seriously at the bottom of the food chain and sometimes kept away from the free choice food. I built a side run next to the real run and let them be next to each other for a week so they were used to each other in the same area. I think that helps them from feeling like they are being taken over. I also set them on the perch late at night so they woke up in the morning and realized that they had been sleeping together and can't be all that bad
smile.png

Are they all ladies?
I would wait 2-3 months for best results.
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom