– Neighborly Advice –
Warm and fuzzy
Heat sources for baby chicks
By Grey Parks, ProTrition Nutritionist
Springtime is baby chick season. This year, high egg prices have even more people than usual catching “baby chick fever.” If you’re considering starting or adding to your own flock of chickens, it’s important to keep in mind the critical care needs of young chicks.
Of these, heat is one of the most vital.
While a new chick’s down is very soft and fluffy, it does not insulate or retain body heat the way that adult feathers do. Until the chick has grown in its first full set of feathers (typically around 6-8 weeks of age), the bird requires an external heat source to avoid a potentially fatal chill. Chicks raised by a broody hen receive this heat by tucking themselves under their mother’s feathers. When raising chicks by hand, we must provide an artificial heat source to take the place of the mother hen. Heat lamps and brooder plates are the two most common heat sources.
Heat lamps are relatively inexpensive and readily available, although they are a fire hazard and should always be carefully secured and monitored. Never rely on just the built-in clamp to hold a heat lamp in position; always use a secondary method, such as a chain, to secure it. Be sure that the lamp isn’t near flammable materials like paper, cardboard, bedding, or hay. Examine the lamp regularly for dust buildup or cracking. When purchasing a heat lamp, double check that the bulb isn’t Teflon-coated. (Teflon releases fumes when heated that are toxic to birds.)
The lamp’s position will need to be adjusted periodically as your chicks grow. A common rule of thumb for managing your brooder temperature is to aim for 95 degrees the first week, dropping the temperature by five degrees each week thereafter. However, this is only a general guideline. Observe your chicks’ behavior and let that guide your temperature adjustment. If the chicks are huddling tightly under the heat source and chirping loudly, they are too cold. If they move as far away from the light as possible and lie with their wings spread out or pant, they are too hot. When using a lamp, it is very important to provide heat in only a portion of the brooder, and that the chicks have a cooler area to move to when they feel the need. Never place feed or water sources directly under the light.
While a new chick’s down is very soft and fluffy, it does not insulate or retain body heat the way that adult feathers do. Until the chick has grown in its first full set of feathers (typically around 6-8 weeks of age), the bird requires an external heat source to avoid a potentially fatal chill.
Recently, brooder plates have become popular alternatives to traditional heat lamps. They more closely mimic the experience of being raised by a hen and present a much lower fire risk than lamps. Instead of heating the air inside the brooder, a brooder plate provides direct heat when chicks crouch under it. The legs brooder plate should be adjusted regularly as your chicks grow, so that the birds make contact with the heating surface when standing upright or crouching slightly but are able to easily move around underneath it. It is a good idea, if possible, to adjust one side of the plate slightly higher than the other to accommodate chicks of varying sizes and growth rates.
Using a plate instead of a lamp also allows the chicks to experience natural day/night cycles and may encourage slightly faster feather development. In extremely cold temperatures, brooder plates don’t always provide enough warmth for very young chicks, so check the instructional materials that come with your plate to determine the optimal temperature range for it to operate effectively.
Whichever heat source you choose, keep a close eye on your chicks behavior for signs of distress and remember to make adjustments as they grow. With careful attention, your happy, healthy chicks will soon grow into productive members of your flock.
