Are heat lamps needed for chicks even in warm/hot climates?

[Pjo]

I live in the south and am wondering if there is any situation where heat lamps aren’t needed for young chicks? I’ll receive my first chicks in May- average May temps are 80’s during the day & 70’s at night.

 

[RubelliteRose]

Temps in the 70s are way too cold for chicks in their first couple of weeks. You will need a heat source, but it doesn't have to be a heat lamp. You could use a brooder plate, a ceramic reptile light or a diy mama heating pad

 

[RubelliteRose]

Welcome to BYCI just noticed that you joined today. This is a great place to learn all about chickens!
How many and what kind of chicks are you getting? Also, what kind of brooder will you be using? All chicks have the same basic needs, but sometimes your set up will make a difference on what you use.

 

[3KillerBs]

Welcome to BYC. I'm in the Steamy Southeast of the USA, the North Carolina Sandhills region. If you put your general location into your profile people can give you better-targeted advice.

Here's a reference from the Ag extension in Florida: https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/AN182

The usual advice is to start at 95F for new-hatched chicks and drop the temperature 5F per week. That does not, however, mean maintaining the entire brooder at that temperature all the time. It means making sure that there is a place where the chicks can go that is warm enough no matter how cold it is elsewhere and a place where they can go to cool off if they're getting too warm.

It doesn't have to be a heat lamp -- though if you're brooding outdoors and are thus subject to wide temperature swings some of the alternatives don't work. Brooder plates and mama heating pads are options.

Many people here find that those temperatures are too conservative and that their chicks don't need it quite so warm, particularly after the first couple weeks as their feathers are coming in. You can tell if the chicks are comfortable by watching their behavior:

I described my chicks as "loosely cuddled not huddled" when they were comfortable at night:

See how they're snuggled but not piled? During the day they were all over the brooder, using the entire 4x8 space.

Depending on breed and climate some people have their chicks weaned off heat at 4 weeks and most are off heat by 6 weeks.

You might find it interesting to read my log of chicks that I raised in late May -- where my main issue was keeping them cool enough in the daytime. https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/introducing-the-ideal-dozen.1469451/

 

[Ebony Rose]

I live in the tropics, near the equator. Temperatures in the area that I am in are seldom cooler than the mid 70's, occasionally warmer than the low 90's. Even in the hottest times of the year, I offer a brooding plate (baby warmer) for the first week because they incubate at closer to 100*F so it's a rude awakening to be born into a world that's at least 10*F cooler than they're accustomed to.
I prefer the warming plate as it keeps my little ones warm in an 'on demand' sort of way, if the chick is cold, they stand up a bit taller and rest their head on the overhead heating device. This is much safer than warm, sleeping babies getting cooked by a heating-bulb type contraption, and is significantly less of a fire hazard.

 

[Folly's place]

I agree that a brooder plate is safer in warm/ hot weather, it's much harder to manage a heat lamp in those conditions. 95F during the day down to 70F at night works best with a brooder plate.
Mary

 

[Ridgerunner]

Where are you brooding them, inside a climate controlled home or outside. If it is in a climate controlled area it doesn't matter what it is outside. If it is outside, average temperatures don't mean anything, it's the extremes that will get you in trouble. I'm not comfortable I know what temperatures you will see.

I've seen outside temperatures go from below freezing to the 70's Fahrenheit in little more than overnight. To me the perfect brooder has one spot warm enough in the coolest temperatures and cool enough in the warmest conditions. That's easy to in a climate controlled area, outside more challenging.

wondering if there is any situation where heat lamps aren’t needed for young chicks?

Yeah, it depends on what temperatures you are actually dealing with. I once brooded outside with daytime temperatures above 110 F and nighttime never below the upper 80's. No heat needed. I find with a broody hen the chick spend a whole lot of time under her the first two or three days but after that they are out running around a lot. So I figure the first few days are pretty important, after that not quite as critical.

No sure what's going on with you. I think you may be wanting to brood outside but don't have power out there. I would not try that in your weather. I think they need a place to go to so they can warm up if they need to.

 

[Pjo]

Where are you brooding them, inside a climate controlled home or outside. If it is in a climate controlled area it doesn't matter what it is outside. If it is outside, average temperatures don't mean anything, it's the extremes that will get you in trouble. I'm not comfortable I know what temperatures you will see.

I've seen outside temperatures go from below freezing to the 70's Fahrenheit in little more than overnight. To me the perfect brooder has one spot warm enough in the coolest temperatures and cool enough in the warmest conditions. That's easy to in a climate controlled area, outside more challenging.


Yeah, it depends on what temperatures you are actually dealing with. I once brooded outside with daytime temperatures above 110 F and nighttime never below the upper 80's. No heat needed. I find with a broody hen the chick spend a whole lot of time under her the first two or three days but after that they are out running around a lot. So I figure the first few days are pretty important, after that not quite as critical.

No sure what's going on with you. I think you may be wanting to brood outside but don't have power out there. I would not try that in your weather. I think they need a place to go to so they can warm up if they need to.

Where are you brooding them, inside a climate controlled home or outside. If it is in a climate controlled area it doesn't matter what it is outside. If it is outside, average temperatures don't mean anything, it's the extremes that will get you in trouble. I'm not comfortable I know what temperatures you will see.

I've seen outside temperatures go from below freezing to the 70's Fahrenheit in little more than overnight. To me the perfect brooder has one spot warm enough in the coolest temperatures and cool enough in the warmest conditions. That's easy to in a climate controlled area, outside more challenging.


Yeah, it depends on what temperatures you are actually dealing with. I once brooded outside with daytime temperatures above 110 F and nighttime never below the upper 80's. No heat needed. I find with a broody hen the chick spend a whole lot of time under her the first two or three days but after that they are out running around a lot. So I figure the first few days are pretty important, after that not quite as critical.

No sure what's going on with you. I think you may be wanting to brood outside but don't have power out there. I would not try that in your weather. I think they need a place to go to so they can warm up if they need to.

Thank you for all this wonderful advice!

 

[Canina]

I live in the tropics, near the equator. Temperatures in the area that I am in are seldom cooler than the mid 70's, occasionally warmer than the low 90's. Even in the hottest times of the year, I offer a brooding plate (baby warmer) for the first week because they incubate at closer to 100*F so it's a rude awakening to be born into a world that's at least 10*F cooler than they're accustomed to.
I prefer the warming plate as it keeps my little ones warm in an 'on demand' sort of way, if the chick is cold, they stand up a bit taller and rest their head on the overhead heating device. This is much safer than warm, sleeping babies getting cooked by a heating-bulb type contraption, and is significantly less of a fire hazard.

If the chicks make direct contact with the heating device is it a controlled heating device on a thermostat at least because if it ever fails your chicks could get burned. My heat lamp inside 2 heatproof metal cages screwed/bolted into the cieling so no bird or substrate is ever going to touch it.

 

[igorsMistress]

I live in the south and am wondering if there is any situation where heat lamps aren’t needed for young chicks? I’ll receive my first chicks in May- average May temps are 80’s during the day & 70’s at night.

At those temps I would say yes based on my experience. The biggest mistake people make is keeping the entire brooding area warm which isn’t natural unless your chicks hatch in the warmer months. I recommend a heat plate, it’s a warm place to escape to when they need it just like mom, but they can still get used to ambient temps.