When do you change brooder temps

[Prayerfulchickmama]

At what ages do you start to lower the temp in the brooder? We are using a heat lamp and it seems really hot! I am also using a couple thermometers to keep a check on temps on both hot and cool side of the brooder!

 

[Aapomp831]

At what ages do you start to lower the temp in the brooder? We are using a heat lamp and it seems really hot! I am also using a couple thermometers to keep a check on temps on both hot and cool side of the brooder!

Let the chicks tell you…. Too cold and they will cuddle together and chirp VERY LOUD. Too hot and they will pant and hold their wings out.
Have a large enough brooder that there can be a warm zone and a cool off zone. They will go back and forth as needed. We have our heat lamp on an adjustable pulley and I pull it up and down accordingly. But don’t get a thermometer / worry about the standards and don’t overthink it. Just let the chicks tell you and always provide a cool zone. An overheated chick can get pasty butt and have all kinds of developmental issues - and I have never ever in my life met a chick that needed the standard guidelines of 95degrees the first week and then lower by 5degrees each week. That is simply not accurate and very cumbersome to go by.

 

[MysteryChicken]

At what ages do you start to lower the temp in the brooder? We are using a heat lamp and it seems really hot! I am also using a couple thermometers to keep a check on temps on both hot and cool side of the brooder!

I use a heating plate, & my birds seem to wean themselves off of it around the 6-7 week mark.

 

[GC-Raptor]

I keep my thermometer on the wall of brooder same side as heat lamp, so it reads about 5 F degrees lower than directly under lamp.
So add 5F to my temps.
I get Chicks from my local TSC on Saturdays so they are 3 to 5 days old when I pick them up.
My latest batch came into the store Friday so they were 3 days old.
I adjust the temperature several times daily. I shoot for 90 degrees the first week.
85 second week, 80 third, 70 forth week.
I also observe their behavior and adjust as needed.
I raise them on my enclosed porch. It can get over 90 degrees during the day this time of year. I had to install a window fan with my latest batch of chicks.
So I actually turn off the heat lamp on hot sunny days.
I use a plug-in dimmer switch to control heat instead of raising and lowering. Much easier.

It actually makes the bulb last longer. I've raised 4 batches of Chicks over 5 years on the original bulb. I've had 3 spare bulbs in the basement for 5 years. GC

 

[rosemarythyme]

I drop my temperatures pretty aggressively now, though I don't have a thermometer so I can't give you the readings. As I use a heating pad I lower it a notch (hi-med-low-warm) every 5 days, so by roughly 25 days old and with temps in mid 40Fs they're completely off heat.

If you have chicks that aren't doing well (i.e. runts) or have unusual feathering (i.e. Silkies) I would not wean them off as aggressively.