Adjusting temperature for chicks?

[KeelyD]

Hi there! I’m wondering how you’re supposed to adjust the temperature every few weeks for baby chicks with a simple heat lamp. Not sure how you can tell the temp! thanks

 

[ChickenGirl555]

Well I think on their first week of 'life' I think it was 95F-90F, and then every week you decrease by 5, so on week two you put them on 90F-85F, third week is 85F-80F, and so on until (I don't remember what week) you get to 65F, and for sure by then you shouldn't need a heat lamp, because they should have all their feathers. I don't know what your house temperature is, but that's the scale. I recommend making a list/diagram or something so you never forget. Good luck! I also use a simple digital garden thermometer to tell the heat in the brooder.

 

[aart]

Hi there! I’m wondering how you’re supposed to adjust the temperature every few weeks for baby chicks with a simple heat lamp. Not sure how you can tell the temp! thanks

You want to keep them pretty warm the first few days ~90-95F(put thermometer on brooder floor right under heat lamp) but 10 degrees cooler at the other end of brooder, put food and water half way between....after that you want to keep them as cool as possible.


Here's my notes on chick heat, hope something in there might help:
They need to be pretty warm(~85-90F on the brooder floor right under the lamp and 10-20 degrees cooler at the other end of brooder) for the first day or two, especially if they have been shipped, until they get to eating, drinking and moving around well. But after that it's best to keep them as cool as possible for optimal feather growth and quicker acclimation to outside temps. A lot of chick illnesses are attributed to too warm of a brooder. I do think it's a good idea to use a thermometer on the floor of the brooder to check the temps, especially when new at brooding, later I still use it but more out of curiosity than need.

The best indicator of heat levels is to watch their behavior:
If they are huddled/piled up right under the lamp and cheeping very loudly, they are too cold.
If they are spread out on the absolute edges of the brooder as far from the lamp as possible, panting and/or cheeping very loudly, they are too hot.
If they sleep around the edge of the lamp calmly just next to each other and spend time running all around the brooder they are juuuust right!

The lamp is best at one end of the brooder with food/water at the other cooler end of the brooder, so they can get away from the heat or be under it as needed. Wattage of 'heat' bulb depends on size of brooder and ambient temperature of room brooder is in. Regular incandescent bulbs can be used, you might not need a 'heat bulb'. You can get red colored incandescent bulbs at a reptile supply source. A dimmer extension cord is an excellent way to adjust the output of the bulb to change the heat without changing the height of the lamp.

Or you could go with a heat plate, commercially made or DIY: http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/pseudo-brooder-heater-plate

 

[JeanR]

Recommend, unless you have perfect place for a large number of chicks, NEVER USE A HEAT LAMP. Too many coops/homes have burned down due to HEAT LAMPS. THey give far more heat than is needed and if in a reflective hood, only heat the small area diredtly below the lamp. Over a roost, can literally "cook" roosting birds (well much too warm). First use a thermometer on the floor of the box, coop or your chicks pen. Hang a 75W incandescent light over part of the box. Thermometer should read, as earlier poster stated: first week 95f and drop 5 degrees a week, until they are well feathered and down to the temperature of their growing pen or, if in a nice warm climate, when outside pen temperature is, 65-70--about 5-6 weeks. Use that thermometer, do not guess. Keep water and feeder a the edge of the light, so it doesn't get too warm. Enjoy watching those chicks grow! Good luck.