Chook Me!

Do we need to put a light for baby chicks during the night?

Yes, i was wondering because i have a heat lamp that is bright. So is it ok to put a light on 24/7. I have 25 baby bantams. And yes can baby chicks survive outside in the garage with a heater lamp on, with -15 and below during nights and mornings outside only for the rest of the month of Febuary an begining of March.

Public Comments

1. yes
2. Your chicks need a constant temperature of about 98-99 degrees for the first two weeks of life, gradually reducing that temp by 2 degrees every week until they are either completely feathered out, or the air temp is the same as the outdoor temp. So most of the time, that does require constant use of a brood lamp. Your chicks will get used to lights being on day or night, but if it's bothering you that it's so bright, you can use a red brood lamp bulb. They're the same cost as the regular, white bulbs, and I prefer them because it doesn't look like the chicks are living under an interrogation light all the time. Make sure your chick pen is away from drafts, because chicks can get chilled and die very easily at a young age. But yes, you can raise chicks successfully even in the dead of winter (our silkies like to hatch chicks in an unheated barn in -25 weather). That means a little more inconvenience (not to mention having chick pens taking over my laundry room from January until April!) I've also found it's easiest to monitor the interior pen temp by placing a reptile thermometer at the bottom of the brood pen. Very easy to get an accurate temp reading and adjust your lights accordingly. Get a red bulb and take good care of your chicks!
3. Hey Jvang; With the temperature at -15 below at night it would definitely be a good idea to have some kind of heat for your lil chicks. And around the clock (I know you're probably concerned about the electricity usage in having a heat lamp on 24/7) but that's just a part of keeping and having baby chicks during cold weather or any time for that matter. Until the chicks develop full grown feathers and more alert looking you'd have to leave the heat lamp on. Leaving the heat lamp on also encourage them to eat whenever they want to and not only eat and drink whenever there's light thus, their growth rate will also be better and they, healthier. **Keep in mind that you always start the temperature at 95 degrees for one day old chicks and gradually go down 5 degrees each week until they grow their full fledge feathers or stop at 70 degrees until they are ready to be without any form of heat sources. **The red heat lamps are the best kind to use because not only is it not so bright but it also prevents chicks from picking on each other. It gives it that red color on their skins and therefore, alot harder to tell if it's blood or not. With the regular heat lamp, chicks tends to pick on each other out of boreness and if any blood should be shed when the skins break it is alot easier for them to see the ones that are bleeding and pick on that or those particular ones until it's too late. **If you want, hang a thermometer at the height of the chicks so you'll know exactly the temp. they are exposed to. If you have your brooder covered then it will be a whole lot warmer and that could be a disaster. If you don't want to mess with a thermometer than watch the chicks for indicater if they are too warm or too cold. Center your heat lamp in the brooder as much as possible and if they all huddle in the middle of brooder than they may be too cold and if they're around the edge than they may be too warm. You want them to scatter all about for a right temperature (that's when they are happiest, too) **You mention placing the chicks outside in the garage; whatever you do, make sure the light bulb doesn't burn out during the night or anytime for that matter. Because of the cold, it only takes a few hours for death to occur. Good-luck and nothings feels better than to watch your lil chicks being healthy and growing up month by month.