[stellaruth]

Hi,
can anyone tell me how long I need to keep a light on my chicks ? 
They are three weeks old and have feathers.

[shygirl]

it depends on where they are housed and whether you have other lamps going nearby that heats up the room. we usually start raising the lamp to reduce the heat if there is no temp control on it and watch to see if they are huddled together or spaced well apart under the lamp, if they aren't cold and huddled up together we often turn off during the day for a while too and just use a lamp at nightime. by 6 weeks ours are off heat completely and by 10 wks they are outside if the weather is nice.

[AndynJ]

wow

Don't listen to me
24 hours tops then its off

oops maybe I've just been lucky
I do put them in with a hen

[HesterF]

I don't use a light but a brooder if they're not with a broody. I've got a lot that are four weeks old at the moment (they hatched 15th March) and are not completely feathered. I put them outside on a warm day (like the last few days which have been warm and sunny) without heat but they're all inside (our house) at night, with the brooder available - although I'm not sure they can all fit under it any more. I have started leaving the window of their room open so they can start to acclimatise (and because they're in with 3 week old ducks which are hugely smelly!).

I've got another lot of chicks due to hatch on Thursday so I think they're going to take priority on the brooder so the older chicks will lose all heat at that point - but will still come in at night until they're fully feathered.

[Steph Hen]

Like shygirl I raise lamp gradually and lower it couple inches at night till it's switched off in the day and eventually night as well.
If I were you I would look to either split it up/extend brooder, so big chicks could be at one side and little chicks are right under the light. Or, trap some of big chicks heat, give them a box so that they can duck underneath and huddle up, but their warmth won't all float off.

 Cold chicks grow more slowly and cost more in feed. I had a late hatch under a hen and even with ad. Lib. Food and a covered run, they grew very slowly and are still bit small as adults. I have some 3 week olds that are under a hen, outside, they're not growing quickly. Within reason, they adapt to what they have. It sounds like your chicks are used to not having heat all the time, so will be fine off heat. But To produce quality birds I will be very with future batches having enough heat so they can use all the food for growing.

[AndynJ]

Cold chicks grow more slowly and cost more in feed. I had a late hatch under a hen and even with ad. Lib. Food and a covered run, they grew very slowly and are still bit small as adults. I have some 3 week olds that are under a hen, outside, they're not growing quickly. Within reason, they adapt to what they have. It sounds like your chicks are used to not having heat all the time, so will be fine off heat. But To produce quality birds I will be very with future batches having enough heat so they can use all the food for growing.

That's a good point I had never thought like that, mine never lay at 8 weeks more like 16 weeks at least, experiment time ahead,
Thanks for starting this thread it's certainly educated me (27 years keeping hens)

[Stereo]

I would agree with this. We did a late hatch under broodys last year and although the chicks were happy, they took for ever to grow and have only just started laying. The ones I have in the brooder now are growing visibly every day.

[shygirl]

mind you the last time I hatched out eggs with an incy l had an electric bill of £450. those lights were on for 3 months solid as we had a lot of hatchings. 

[AndynJ]

oo la la I'd never given the electric bill a thought, the red bulb I have is only 11w no idea what the incubator is as it does heat humidity and cooling and turning, and the ohkekoke every time it turns around.

[Stereo]

I did price up the electric once and it was negligible but we have one of those electric hen things and they are far cheaper to run than the old lamps. 

[chrismahon]

Our large electric hen is 60W. Red bulbs on continuously for the first week are 250W. Day bulbs, high efficiency are 175W. Ceramic (black or night) bulbs are 60-150W. We tried 250W ceramics and melted the holders -even the ones claiming to be designed for them. There is no easy substitute for an electric hen and natural daylight, but not sunlight. But chicks do have a habit of perching on them, pooing, which then sets like concrete.

[darkbrowneggs]

Our large electric hen is 60W. Red bulbs on continuously for the first week are 250W. Day bulbs, high efficiency are 175W. Ceramic (black or night) bulbs are 60-150W. We tried 250W ceramics and melted the holders -even the ones claiming to be designed for them. There is no easy substitute for an electric hen and natural daylight, but not sunlight. But chicks do have a habit of perching on them, pooing, which then sets like concrete.

Depending on the size of the electric hen, sometimes an old fibre egg tray wedges in between the leg extensions and then can be thrown away in between groups.  If not an old paper feed sack cut up with the leg extensions stuck through helps keep it clean

[darkbrowneggs]

Hi,
can anyone tell me how long I need to keep a light on my chicks ? 
They are three weeks old and have feathers.

Start the brooder temperature at approximately 95°F (35°C) and reduce it approximately 5°F (3°C) each week until the brooder temperature is the same as ambient temperature. Within the chicks’ comfort zone, the more quickly you reduce the heat level, the more quickly the chicks will feather out.

Read more: http://www.motherearthnews.com/homesteading-and-livestock/raising-chicks-brooder-temperature-zebz1305zstp.aspx#ixzz2z2tRV7DI

[darkbrowneggs]

wow

Don't listen to me
24 hours tops then its off

oops maybe I've just been lucky
I do put them in with a hen

If they are with a broody hen they don't need a light as such, though it would be normal for them to be hatched in spring/summer.  But don't just put chicks in with any hen.  If she is not broody she will quite likely kill them.

[darkbrowneggs]

That's a good point I had never thought like that, mine never lay at 8 weeks more like 16 weeks at least,


It is unheard of for a chicken to lay at eight weeks old as they are no where near developed at that age.


16 weeks is a good young age for a bird to come into lay.  18-20 is more normal, and with a traditional breed, no longer bred for egg production but for poultry showing then 30 or 35 weeks or even longer before laying is not unusual.