I have chicks that are almost 4 weeks old. We recently moved them from a pack n play brooder into a large camping tent in a different room of the house, and ever since the move, they have been huddling together in the opposite corner of the tent for warmth instead of using the brooder plate. It's up as high as it will go to fit them. Up until the move, they were using the plate pretty consistently.
The only difference is the ambient room temperatures. The room they were in previously was around 65°, while this new room is consistently 71-73°. Should I just assume that they are feathered out enough that they don't need the plate, and will keep each other warm? I don't want them to suffocate each other, but they're all pretty big and seem to know how to move away from each other when needed. I thought they'd need to be much warmer until at least 6-8 weeks, but they seem to have rejected the plate completely ever since moving into their new space.
