Do Baby Chicks Always Need A Heat Lamp?
Whether you are hatching chicks yourself or purchased chicks from a local hatchery, your chicks will need a heat source to be healthy when they are older. Baby chicks are sensitive to the cold due to their lack of adult feathers and can get ill if exposed to cooler temperatures prematurely. Using a heat lamp until the chicken’s adult feathers are fully grown is one of the best ways to ensure your chicks stay warm and healthy while growing in the brooder.
In this article, we will look closer at why chicks need a heat lamp, how long they need it for, how to tell if chicks are too cold or warm and how to keep them warm during the evening.
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Table Of Contents
- Do Chicks Always Need A Heat Lamp?
- How Long Do Chicks Need A Heat Lamp Inside?
- What Temperature Should The Brooder Be?
- How To Tell If Chicks Are Too Cold or Warm
- How To Keep Chicks Warm At Night
Do Chicks Always Need A Heat Lamp?
When it comes to baby chicks, they require warmth as they are unable to regulate their body temperature. A heat lamp is needed to help control and maintain the temperature within the brooder. In the summer, it is much easier to keep things warm, and you typically only need the heat lamp until they are around four to six weeks (depending on the outside temperature). In contrast, during the winter, you will need to wait until their feathers have fully grown in before you stop using the heat lamp. This can take over six weeks.
We used this 250W heat lamp and a 250W red incandescent light bulb. It is situated above our brooder, which is 33″ tall.
How Long Do Chicks Need A Heat Lamp Inside?
The duration of how long you use a heat lamp in the brooder will depend on a few factors. As mentioned above, in the warmer seasons, you can stop using a heat lamp when the chicks are around four weeks old as long as the temperature outside is sufficient to keep the brooder at the recommended temperature of 75°F (23.89°C). If it is not at least 75°F during both the day and night, you will need to continue using a heat lamp until your chicks have fully developed their feathers, which is around six weeks old.
Now, you may be wondering, what is the ideal temperature? This all depends on the age of the chicks. Below, we will break down what the temperature of the brooder should be for your chicks based on their age.
What Temperature Should The Brooder Be?
The temperature needed for the brooder will depend on how old your chicks are. When your chicks first hatch, the brooder needs to be between 90 to 95°F (32 to 35°C). Each week, you can reduce the heat by 5°F until they are around six weeks old. By this time, the chicks will grow into pullets and should be fully feathered and ready to go into their coop. Below are the ideal temperatures for the brooder for the first six weeks of life.
0-1 Week Old: 90 to 95°F (32 to 35°C)
1-2 Weeks Old: 85 to 90°F (29 to 32°C)
2-3 Weeks Old: 80 to 85°F (26 to 29°C)
3-4 Weeks Old: 75 to 80°F (23 to 26°C)
4-5 Weeks Old: 70 to 75°F (21 to 23°C)
5-6 Weeks Old: Above 65°F (18°C). You might not need a heat lamp at this stage unless it’s cold outside. Then, continue using the brooder until all their feathers are in.
How To Tell If Chicks Are Too Cold or Warm
Observing your chicks’ behaviour will give you a good idea of if they are too warm or cold. When using a heat lamp, it is important to ensure your chicks have an area within the brooder where they can escape the heat if they get too warm.
If the chicks huddle together directly underneath the heat lamp, they are too cold. They are too warm if they are scattered away from the heat lamp. The temperature is perfect if they are spread out within the brooder!
To help keep an eye on the temperature within the brooder, we recommend putting an outdoor thermometer such as the Antonki thermometer. This is a great way to ensure your brooder is neither too hot nor too cold; this specific one also tells you the humidity levels.
How To Keep Chicks Warm At Night
There are a few different ways to keep your chicks warm at night. The first, which we have stated numerous times in the article, is to use a heat lamp. This is the best way to provide warmth and heat to your growing chicks. If you find it is not doing enough when the temperatures drop, here are a few additional methods to try!
Use a hot water bottle.
A hot water bottle is a simple way to help keep your chicks warm, though it can be a bit more hands-on. Since the water bottle will only stay warm for a shorter period of time, you will need to check it and refill it with more hot water continuously. However, your chicks will love to cuddle and sleep on top of this when it’s cooler. If your hot water bottle does not have a cloth cover, put a light blanket on top to protect the chicks.
Use a heating pad/plate.
If your setup does not allow for a heat lamp, or maybe it’s not enough on its own, consider getting a heating plate (link the check the price on Amazon). There are many of these on the market and at local stores. These pretty much simulate a mother hen. Your chicks will huddle underneath the plate to keep themselves warm, and the height is adjustable. So, as the chicks grow, you can raise the height to keep them warm throughout the first six weeks.
Block drafts with a blanket.
We recently started to do this as our heat lamp does a great job during the day, but we noticed at night, the temperature is dropping more than it should within the brooder, even with the heat lamp. At night as the temperature cools off, we place a blanket over 1/2 the brooder (leaving the heat lamp side uncovered for safety reasons) to block off any other drafts that might come in overnight. As simple as it is, we found it does work! And, it’s an easy fix to keeping our chicks extra cozy overnight.
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