Do I need more heat in the coop tonight?!?!

[rosemarythyme]

I have a standard red bulb, but I also have one of the black ceramic reptile bulbs I could put in(if I can find where I put that ). Not sure on the wattage difference

Standard red bulb is 250W which is very toasty. There's a reason they use them to keep food warm.

At most I'd put in an incandescent bulb, like 60W.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I agree, the brooder plate and cuddle puddle will get them through the night. Are they quiet? Then they're fine. Relax, go to bed. Only worry if they're screaming. They look content.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

I definitely think they will be fine. I brooded chicks in a wire dog kennel on my back porch in February a few years ago. I put blankets over it and I think some cardboard around the edges. I used a red heat lamp which in that case worked great because I could tell from my bedroom window if the bulb burned out or anything. It was definitely a little drafty and cold compared to an actual coop but they did fantastic. Better than any of my garage brooded chicks lol.

 

[Cindy in PA]

My 8 almost 4-week-old chicks went through temps down to 26 degrees in my coop the first week & came through fine with their brooder plate. This was by far the coldest I have had for the 6 times I've brooded in the coop. They have gone through many windy 35-degree nights also. I am amazed at how well they do in the coop from day 1.

 

[Stephanie8806]

Thanks all. Babies all did great. I was worried since the brooder coop is a new addition to our setup, and I’ve definitely had day one chicks in the main coop with a broody, but they’re actively being watched. It was also super windy last night so I was worried about wind chill… we’re in zone 5b and at 3000ft elevation so that wind can get pretty chilly.

Here’s a pic of happy birds this morning!