Huddling or Cuddling?

[jvp0719]

O.k., I have read on here numerous times that the chicks will self regulate... If they are huddled under the light they are too cold; if they spread out away from the light they are too hot... But what about when the huddle AWAY from the light. Are my chicks just not very smart or is this normal behavior. They are 3 days old and it mostly occurs when they sleep. In the middle of the day they just roam around and eat, drink, poop, and take naps. The brooder runs between 90 degrees & 95 degrees all day directly under the light, per my thermometer. I am not that worried about the situation, but if they are uncomfortable I would like to do what I can to make them more comfortable.

Thanks

 

[rungirl]

They like to sleep together in a "dog pile". That's normal.

 

[debid]

A chick raft is normal. They sleep side-by-side snuggled closely. A pile is not; you don't want chicks sleeping on top of other chicks. It's OK if one wants to be in the middle and climbs over the others to get there but the raft should adjust to let her feet be on the ground once she settles.

 

[jvp0719]

Thank you. The raft is pretty much what is happening. They don't so much pile on top of each other as the sleep all cuddled up. So guess I will leave all alone.

Thanks again both of you.

 

[donrae]

Do they have plenty of space to get out from under the heat lamp to an area of room temp?

 

[jvp0719]

Yes, I have made sure that directly under the lamp it is always somewhere between 90 & 95 but the rest of the brooder has varying temps... sometimes as low as 85 or 80. They never seem to be sitting directly under the lamp.

 

[TurtlePowerTrav]

Yes, I have made sure that directly under the lamp it is always somewhere between 90 & 95 but the rest of the brooder has varying temps... sometimes as low as 85 or 80. They never seem to be sitting directly under the lamp.

How many weeks old are they? You are supposed to decrease temp under the lamp by 5 degrees each week by raising it higher or using a dimmer switch. If they are a few weeks old temp should be 80-85 under lamp.

 

[jvp0719]

They just turned 1 week old today. I just raised the light this morning. It should stay between 85 & 90 24/7 where I placed it now. We monitor it all day constantly.

 

[RonC]

At about 3 weeks mine started sleeping in the raft away from the light. I turned the light off after a few days of them not using it. They were inside and quiet happy at 70 degrees. It was early spring and there were a few nights it got chilly and I would turn it back on for them. At 4 weeks they were outside in the coop with lows in the mid to low 50's with no heat. Some breeds do feather in slower and would require heat longer but most are ready to go out. Of course outside temp has to be considered but don't pamper them too much after two weeks. That temp only has to be directly under the light, the rest of the brooder can be much cooler. They will actually feather in quicker and be healthier that way.

 

[donrae]

And they need to have a space that is room temp. Not 80+ degrees, but 60-70s, whatever temp you keep your house or the ambient temp if they are outside. Completely out from under the heat and it's radius. A place to cool down. Over heating kills more chicks than being too cool. At a week old a baby chick raised by a hen spends several hours out from under momma at whatever temp is it outside--even early spring when it's in the 40-50s.