Do MY baby chicks need a heat lamp?

[floridasummer]

Hi I'm really new to chickens. I have 10 1-day-old Jersey Giant chicks coming in before the end of next week. We live in Florida and have no a/c in our living room and keep the windows open. So I was wondering if a heat source for the chicks would actually over heat them? It's been in the high 80s and 90s and pretty unbearable with humidity lol.
I have a huge bin I bought for them to live in, does anyone know how long I need to keep them in the house? Thanks everyone!!

 

[snow5164]

They don’t need to be in the house at all ... set them up in the coop .

They need to have access to about 90 for the first week ,

I’d really consider raising them outside , the dust and dander and smell from chicks is really overwhelming and not good to breath in.

 

[floridasummer]

We have too many cats in the neighborhood and it's too hot to leave my dog outside right now. I'd prefer to keep them indoors. I have a 250 w heat bulb and I'm wondering if I really need to even use it? I looked online and it said 100w incandescent but I can't find incandescent bulbs anywhere except order online but I don't have time. Would just a reptile bulb be better?

 

[SweetTea&Chicks]

If it's the same temperature as it inside then I wouldn't use a heatlamp even at night.

 

[floridasummer]

If it's the same temperature as it inside then I wouldn't use a heatlamp even at night.

How will I be able to tell if they are too hot or cpld? Just in case

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Definitely too hot to use a 250 watt heat lamp indoors.
Rather than incandescent, you can use halogen. They provide about the same amount of heat. Even 100 watt is probably too much. I prefer a ceramic heat emitter like used for reptiles. 75 watt is probably sufficient. That way you can provide a daily dark period which they need.
Lamp or no lamp, outside or in, they need about 90F first week, drop by 5F each week. Actually I think they do better if it is a bit cooler. I provide warmth at one end of the brooder and lots of cool space. That's the same way a mother hen raises them.
Too cold and they will crowd under the heat. Too hot and they will cower far from the heat source.
You have cats in your coop outside?

 

[SweetTea&Chicks]

How will I be able to tell if they are too hot or cpld? Just in case

If they're too hot they'll be panting with their wings spread out. If they're too cold they'll be huddled together. I didn't use the heatlamp during the day for the first week but I would at night. I take back what I said about no heatlamp at night

 

[Lazy Farmer]

The first 3 days they need to stay in approx 90*F warmth. After they acclimate to the natural temps, the heat lamp can be reduced wattage wise. Weened off of a lamp within 2-3 weeks. NO BROODER SHOULD BE WITHOUT A THERMOMETER.
High protein diet aids in coat development. An outdoor clutch, has the benefit of burrowing beneath their parental guardian.
I reside in Fl as well.

 

[2 many chickens]

If you have no a/c, it's going to already be warm. I used between a 60w and a 100w. Usually babies do fine with a 60w. Try the lesser first, if they huddle, they are still cold. You don't need fancy heat lamps.. regular bulbs work.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I would go with a regular bulb or a reptile bulb set as far as possible, and only if the temperature dips. Good chance you won't need it at all. Don't get too stuck on the "95 the first week, 90 the next" - in most cases for a small home flock that's warmer than it needs to be.