Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
TEMPERATURE
It may very well be time to tweak the heat in the brooder. In their first week of life,
chicks can't regulate their own body temperature, but by their second and third weeks
of age, they can. To help them in this process, raise the heat lamp 3 inches. That slight
height di#erence will lower the temperature in the brooder a few degrees, and the chicks
will learn to adjust their bodies to the somewhat chillier space. It may seem like tough
love, but it's necessary. The brooder should still be warm (nothing cooler than 85°F
[29°C] this week), but that slight change of temperature will help pin-feathers form and
bodies grow healthier.
Chick Diary
You can see growth not just from one day to the next but even within the same
day! They can't fly yet, but they're not above clumsy attempts.
