You might be wondering how long do chickens need a heat lamp? Chicks DO need a heat lamp for the first six weeks of their lives. During these first 6 weeks of the chickens life, you will gradually decrease the amount of heat provides as the chicks grow.
Keep reading to learn exactly which methods are the best for keeping your chick brooder warm and cozy, and how to adjust the temperature as the chicks grow. If this is your first time raising chicks, this can feel intimidating, but it really isn't!
What does a heat lamp do?
We provide our baby chicks with an adequate heat source in order to keep the chicks alive because they are not yet able to regulate their own body temperature in the early stages of life. Because the chicks can't produce enough body heat to stay warm enough, they depend on their mama, or in most cases, us, to provide a small brooder and supplementary heat.
The age of the chick will determine how much added warmth we need to provide, and then it will gradually decrease after the first week of life until about six weeks.
Let's dive in a little deeper so that we really understand the basics needs of heat for baby chicks!
Why do chickens need supplemental heat
If baby chicks are not hatched out by a broody hen, they WILL need supplemental heat to survive. A baby chicken only has super soft down feathers that do not help the chicken regulate their body temperature. Yes, down feathers are warm, but on a baby chicken, they are not full and thick enough to provide adequate chick comfort.
When you order chicks online, they arrive between 1-3 days old, packed in a small box without food or water. The chicks survive because the box nestles them in aspen bedding that insulates and intensifies their body heat. Hatcheries will only ship orders that have enough chicks in the box to keep them warm enough to survive the journey.
Once they arrive at your home, or the local farm store where you will buy them, they need to be placed in a safe brooder with supplemental heat, food and water.
What factors influence chicken heat requirements
- Age - Young, new chickens will require the most amount of supplemental heat. They do not have full feathers and can not regulate their body temperature on their own. As chicks age, their requirement for heat will decrease. At about 6 weeks of age, chickens no longer need any sort of heat source unless it is extreme weather conditions.
- Breed - There are many types of chicken breeds, some of which are better suited for chicken keepers that live in cold climates. Almost all chicken breeds are cold tolerant. Bantam chickens are one of the few breeds that are cold sensitive and may require a heat supply during the cold months.
- Environment - The environmental factor of the coop can play a huge role on the need for an additional heat source for adult chickens. If you coop is drafty and high in humidity during the cooler months, you may need an addition heat supply. High humidity with a draft can cause your chickens to get frost bite when the outdoor temperatures are below freezing. If you do not have more than 3-5 chickens, the chickens may need an additional source of heat. Chickens naturally will roost together to stay warm.
When will baby chicks require a heating source
Baby chickens will need an additional heat source as soon as they hatch, unless they are hatched out by a broody hen. A mother hen will let her little chicks hide underneath her when they are young. Just like a human mother, she has instincts that know what the ideal temperature is for her little babies.
A mother hen has a thick coat of feathers over her entire body making it possible to cover all of her baby chicks with them so the chicks are just the right temperature. This is how wild birds are able to care for their babies, even during the cold months!
So what if you buy baby chicks and they are not hatched out by a mama hen? This means that you will have to make a homemade brooder, basically you need to create an environment that will simulate the type of environment a mother hen provides for her chicks.
This environment is very significant to the growth and life of your new chickens, without the proper temperature, food, and water, your baby chickens will most likely not survive.
How to make a homemade brooder
Always set up your brooder before bringing home chicks. It should be a secure area, such as a very large box, with soft hemp bedding or pine shavings on the ground and a food and water dispenser.
The chicks will need chick starter to eat, and clean water to drink. It's also a good idea to regulate the temperature before the chicks arrive.
I do this by using a brooder plate if we are raising 12 or less chicks in a small indoor brooder, or a heat lamp with ceramic socket if we are raising a larger quantity of chicks, such as when our 50-100 meat birds arrive in the fall, in the barn.
The last thing you need to complete your brooder set up is a heat source. Many people use a heat lamp with a red tinted light bulb in it. This heat source will prevent you little baby chicks from becoming cold chicks.
How long do chicks need a heat lamp?
The chickens will need added heat until they are 6 weeks of age. During these first 6 weeks of life, they will gradually grow adult feathers and require less heat each week. Let's talk about what heat temperatures baby chicks need during this first 6 weeks and how to wean them from the heat lamp.
- 0-1 week old: New chicks will need a constant heat supply to mimic that of a mother hen. You will want the heat source to be 90-95 degrees f.
- 1-2 weeks old: The chicks will still need a constant source of heat but you can lower the temperature to 85-90 degrees.
- 2-4 weeks old: During these next 3 weeks, you will notice that you fluffy little chicks, might start to become not so cute. They will start to grow their adult feathers which will help them maintain their body temperature. You will continue to decrease the temperature of the heating source by 5 degrees each week.
- 4-6 weeks old: Once the chicks are four-week-old chicks, you can start to turn the heat lamp of for short periods of time. Make sure to check on your baby chickens to confirm they are not huddled when the lamp is off. By 6 weeks, the chickens will be able to survive without a heating lamp if they are kept in a warm dry environment. If you choose to move your chickens to a coop or outdoor living area during these weeks, you will probably need to provide them a heating plate during the cold nights.
How to tell if your chickens are completely ready to be without supplemental heat
You will be able to tell if your chickens are ready to live without a heat source by monitoring their actions. As soon as your little chicks have almost all of their adult feathers, they should be able to regulate their body temperature enough.
We start by removing the heat lamp completely during the day. If the chickens seem to be huddling in a corner for extended periods of time, they most likely need some sort of heat. If they chickens are curious and all over the coop, they are all set and you don't need to add that heat source back in. At night, chickens naturally "cuddle" on the roosting bars to keep warm. They do have natural ways such as feathers and roosting together to maintain the optimal temperature of their body.
Mistakes to avoid with a heat lamp
- Placing the heat lamp too low, making the area with the heat too hot for the chickens to go. You can tell it is too hot when your chickens will not lay in the rays of the heat lamp. This can also result in overheating of the baby chickens, which can then result in death of the chicken.
- Placing the heat lamp too high, making the brooder too cold. This can easily be noticed by observing your chicks. If you chicks are huddled in the heat source and climbing on top of each other to try to get closer to the heat, you may want to lower the heat lamp by one inch at a time.
- You will really want to pay close attention to your chickens during the cold temperatures until your chickens are full grown and know how to stay warm by roosting together.
- Every now and then a chicken owner can place the heating lamp way too low or not secure it to its hanging device well. This can result in a fire, due to the bedding of the brooder getting to hot. Be very cautious when fastening your heat lamp to anything. You will want to make sure the heat lamp is secure and can not fall into the brooder or onto a baby chick.
Types of alternate heat sources
- Heating Bulbs- There are two common colors heating lights, white light and red light. It is recommended to use the red lights when heating a chicken brooder. The white light can lead to stressed chicks with poor sleep schedules. Having a white light can also result in feather plucking between chickens.
- Brooder plates - Brooder plates are a heating source that is usually placed on legs and hovers about the bedding of the coop by a couple inches. A heat plate is generally electronic. You can generally set the temperature of a brooder plate, so there is no guessing game as to whether it is too warm or not. This is my favorite new heat lamp alternatives and we use it whenever we have a small amount of brooding chicks (less than 12).
- Hot water bottles - This is one of the least appropriate heat sources because it will not keep the chicks consistently warm. This is a way to supply heat to your coop that will not pose a fire hazard or chicken coop fire. You will most likely need to place the bottle under a towel or blanket. This will assure that it is not to hot and will not burn the chicken. A water bottle gradually loses heat and may not provide enough warmth for the brooder chicks. I would consider this a way to add supplemental heat in extreme temperatures during the colder months. It is not appropriate as a primary heat source.
FAQ
The temperature needs to be between 90-95F during the first week, decreasing by 5 degrees each week the chicks grows.
A safe brooder area, bedding on the floor, and supplemental heat are very important. We prefer brooder plates or red heat lamps.
Yes and no. I have successfully raised chicks that are a different breed of chicken in the same brooder. BUT it is important to pay attention to their behaviors. For example, meat birds grow very fast and can very easily smother the smaller chicks that are sharing it's brooder. Same goes with bantams chicks and regular chicks. Chicks like to stay in a group for sleeping. If they are huddled together with the smaller birds in the middle, accidental smothering can occur. So while yes it is possible, we discourage it.
No, they depend on a hen's internal temperature from her soft downy feathers to keep them warm. Without a hen, it's up to us! We can provide enough heat through the methods mentioned above, such as chicken heating lamps.
On average, chicks need a heat lamp for the first 6 weeks of life.
Keep learning!
If you are dreaming of raising backyard chickens, I've got you covered! From raising meat birds to making fermented chicken feed! I recommend starting with learning how much space you need to raise chickens. Follow it up with how to get the perfect basket of rainbow eggs by reading Best Chickens for Eggs.
Get your FREE Guide for Raising Chickens here!
THERESA
This is just what I need. This is our first year rasing chicks. Every question I had was answered.
DebbieSue Fleck
Love it. Thank you!