My chicks are a week old today. They are in the brooder on our screened porch.
They only had a heat lamp on in the daytime for two days then it got too hot for one, so we starting switching it on at about 8:30 PM (around sunset) and turned it off in the morning.
Our red bulb went out on day three, so we've had to make do with a white bulb.
So...it's was too hot for the chicks to do anything all day so they slept all day, coming alive after dark like little vampire chicks. The brooder that held my brahma flock fine for six weeks isn't enough for these little banshees. I was having to get up a couple times a night to go put some little escape artist back in the brooder after they jumped out and then screamed bloody murder wanting back in. The brooder is a wading pool so it can't be covered, but because it has an 18" H draft guard around it they can't get too far away.
So today we shopped for a replacement red bulb and not being able to find any except for 25 watt ones that aren't quite warm enough for night, we bought a black light bulb instead.
The problem is, the chicks slept almost all day today and sleeping chicks aren't eating. Now with the blacklight on them they are all still sleeping. Again, sleeping chicks aren't eating.
I'm worried that they will get sick from not eating. DH says that once they get back on the right sleep schedule tonight (instead of partying all night long) they'll be up and ready to eat tomorrow.
I am so tempted to go out there right now and put their white light back in so they'll wake up and eat!
Please tell me they'll be okay till morning!
They only had a heat lamp on in the daytime for two days then it got too hot for one, so we starting switching it on at about 8:30 PM (around sunset) and turned it off in the morning.
Our red bulb went out on day three, so we've had to make do with a white bulb.
So...it's was too hot for the chicks to do anything all day so they slept all day, coming alive after dark like little vampire chicks. The brooder that held my brahma flock fine for six weeks isn't enough for these little banshees. I was having to get up a couple times a night to go put some little escape artist back in the brooder after they jumped out and then screamed bloody murder wanting back in. The brooder is a wading pool so it can't be covered, but because it has an 18" H draft guard around it they can't get too far away.
So today we shopped for a replacement red bulb and not being able to find any except for 25 watt ones that aren't quite warm enough for night, we bought a black light bulb instead.
The problem is, the chicks slept almost all day today and sleeping chicks aren't eating. Now with the blacklight on them they are all still sleeping. Again, sleeping chicks aren't eating.
I'm worried that they will get sick from not eating. DH says that once they get back on the right sleep schedule tonight (instead of partying all night long) they'll be up and ready to eat tomorrow.
I am so tempted to go out there right now and put their white light back in so they'll wake up and eat!
Please tell me they'll be okay till morning!