Raising Baby Chicks? Here’s the ultra important heat Schedule

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Baby chicks may look warm and fuzzy.  But after you get those chicks in the mail, they’re going to be cold and frightened.  So it’s important to have the right brooder set up.  But it’s even more important to have their heat schedule aligned with their bodily needs.  The fuzzy feathers on a day old chick does not do a good job insulating their bodies.  So after you get them in the mail, the ideal temperature target is between 95 and 100 degrees.

Heat lamps or heat mats are the most popular sources.  However, some people have tried to implant brooder hens with the new hatchlings.  Brooder hens aren’t always effective.  Heat lamps are the least expensive, but can be a fire hazard.  And heats mats are the safest, but they are more expensive than the lamps.

95 to 100 degrees is the target temperature once you get them in the mail.  But their feathers will grow and develop quickly.  So it’s important to reduce the heat gradually to meet their needs.  Here’s a basic heat schedule:

• week 1 – 95 degrees F
• week 2 – 90 degrees F
• week 3 – 85 degrees F
• week 4 – 80 degrees F
• week 5 – 75 degrees F
• week 6 – 70 degrees F

After week 6, your baby chicks should be able to regulate and maintain their own body temps.  But it’s still important to keep an eye on them and their activity.  These guides are not hard facts, and environmental variables can alter their needs.  Concrete floors can wick moisture from the earth and create an unhospitable environment.  And breezes or winds can discourage the new chicks from adapting.  These are concerns that will influence the success of your flock, and a young chick owner, it’s important to be a good mother hen, and watch over them.

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