# Red heat lamp needed?



## mikephx (Nov 18, 2015)

I just moved my 3 chicks out to their coop this past weekend. They're 5 weeks old today.. Check out my weather forecast, think they'll be ok without the heat lamp this next week?


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## chickenhen (Apr 22, 2015)

My 1-5 year old chickens do not have a heat lamp yet, the weather has gone done to 30 degrees here. But since your chickens are only 5 weeks old I recommend a heat lamp when it gets into the 40s, otherwise your chickens should be fine.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

At that age they might appreciate some supplemental heat. You can give them a warming station but don't use a heat lamp bulb. I used a red 60 watt bulb in a bell lamp hung about ten inches from the floor. Your's issue is going to be space.


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## Alaskan (Aug 22, 2015)

Your lowest temperature is over 40F

At 5 weeks old, they should be perfectly fine as long as they have nice dry bedding.

Heat lamps scare the crud out of me. Hot light bulbs are not much better when surrounded by chicken dust and dry bedding.

If the chicks ACT cold (stay huddled in a ball and don't walk and scratch around and go to eat and drink), ONLY at that point decide they need a little heat.

For a little heat I would use something safer like a panel heater.


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## Nm156 (May 16, 2015)

A 125 or 250 watt heat lamp would cook them in that coop.


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## jn4 (Jun 21, 2012)

A little heat as stated is ok...the main thing that kills the young chicks isn't the temp...it's wind.
See if you can try to wrap the coop with a tarp to cut down on the breeze....and feed them again just before they settle in for the night...that keeps their metabolism active to produce heat during the nite.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Since Silkies are so bad about hatching in the middle of Winter, I used warming stations almost year round in the big coop using the red light bulbs.


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## solidwoods (Apr 5, 2015)

So far I like the ceramic heat bulbs. They are durable and don't show much light that we can see.


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## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

I always look at them to tell me. Hang a heat lamp in one area and see if they park themselves near the lamp or away from the lamp. I do that in the brooder as well.


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