How Long do Chickens Need a Heat Lamp? Raising Baby Chicks

Are you finally ready to bring those baby chicks home? If so you may be wondering, how long do chickens need a heat lamp for? Let’s take a look inside the brooder and see how we can keep those baby chicks nice and warm. 

How Long Do Chickens Need a Heat Lamp?

When deciding how long do chickens need a heat lamp for, also known as the brooding period, the general rule is to provide supplemental heat for your baby chicks until they are 4-6 weeks of age or fully feathered.

This is particularly true for egg laying chickens, while meat chickens, like the faster growing Cornish Cross, can be out of the brooder in 2-3 weeks if you live in a nice, warm climate. 

Why Do Baby Chicks Need Supplemental Heat?

Baby chicks need supplemental heat because they do not produce their own body heat nor do they retain heat well.  Providing a nice warm brooder temperature for your baby chicks is not only a good idea but vital to their survival. Not to be harsh, but cold baby chicks are usually dead chicks, as they can’t self-regulate temperature. 

When Do Baby Chicks Require Supplemental Heat?

Baby chicks require supplemental heat as soon as they hatch.  This is why many hatcheries have a minimum order. Tightly packing them into boxes helps keep them warm while they travel.  

When you finally purchase those chicks, be sure your brooder is set up so you can get them warm as soon as possible. 

Are My Baby Chicks Warm Enough?

Most chicken keepers will simply use common sense and observe their baby chicks to tell if they are warm enough or not.  Baby chicks that are warm enough will be evenly scattered throughout the brooder just doing their baby chick thing.

How Many Heat Sources and How Long Do Chickens Need a Heat Lamp?

If you see your baby chicks are all huddled together under the light they aren’t warm enough. It’s a good idea to have at least one heat source for every 25 chicks. Baby chicks that are all far away from the heat source or chicks that are panting with wings spread out are too hot.  

In this case you may want to move your heat lamp to a higher location for cooler temperatures. Additionally, you can install a thermometer in the chick brooder as well, when deciding on your temperature and how long do chickens need a heat lamp for.

Keeping Baby Chicks Warm Without a Mother Hen

Young chicks require a heat source with no mother hen.  A mother hen’s internal temperature is between 104-107*F. Baby chicks are able to snuggle up to her warm, fluffy body.  In the absence of a mama hen, heat bulbs are a must as well as a properly set up brooder.

Chick Brooder Setup & How Long Do Chickens Need a Heat Lamp?

A good chick brooder is the best way to raise happy, healthy baby chicks. Appropriate heat sources, clean bedding, a roof, windbreak, chick starter, and clean water they can’t fall into are all must haves.

A chick brooder can be as simple as a storage tote kept in a small area, like a laundry room, for just a few chicks or a more permanent setup if raising chicks will be something you do on a regular basis.  My chick brooder setup is large enough for about 100 chicks.  It’s basically a plywood box that opens on the top with a hardware cloth bottom for easy cleaning.

I use pine shavings or wood shavings for bedding. It’s readily available and it makes good compost. Just be sure to not use any bedding that is dusty or has strong odors, like cedar shavings, as those types of things can irritate young chicks respiratory tracts.

​How Long do Chickens Need a Heat Lamp or Heat Source For?

Looking at the chicken heat table below, you can find out how long do chickens need a heat lamp for and how to adjust your brooder temperature as your chicks get older.  Truth be told, I don’t actually follow these rules though. With careful observation, you can tell if your chicks are too hot, too cold, or just the right temperature.

How Long Do Chickens Need a Heat Lamp?

• Chick Age                  Temperature    Considerations
• First Week of Life       95°f/35°c         Chicks this age must be kept with supplemental heat 24/7 with an ideal temperature of 95 degrees F.
• Second Week            90°f/32°c         The supplemental heat can be dropped by 5 degrees but still needs to remain on 24/7.
• Third Week                85°f/29.5°c      Baby chickens can take short trips outside is it’s warm.  Supplemental heat can be dropped another 5 degrees.
• Fourth Week              80°f/26.6°c      Let your baby chicks have some outside time with close supervision. Supplemental heat can be dropped another 5 degrees with four-week-old chicks.                                          
• Fifth Week                 75°f/24°c         Usually by 5 weeks they can spend lots of time outside, if it’s warm.  You may only need the heat lamp during the night.  
• Sixth Week                70°f/21°c         Start acclimating your brooder chicks to the chicken coop. Just be sure they have a roof and a wind break.  Depending on night time temps, they may still need a little supplemental heat, especially on cold nights. 
• After 6 Weeks of Life                        Chickens can be outside 100% of the time now as long as they are fully feathered.  Be sure they have somewhere to escape the elements. Most chickens, once they have their adult feathers can tolerate temperatures in the 40s at 6 weeks of life. During the cold months provide a little extra feed for extra calories to up the chick comfort.

Various Factors That Influence Chicken Heat Requirements

• Weeks of Age- As new chicks get older you can decrease the brooder temperature a little bit by 5 degrees each week.
• Chicken Breeds- Generally speaking, most chickens for egg production, like Rhode Island Reds, will require supplemental heat for 4-6 weeks, whereas meat chickens like the cornish cross only need about 2 weeks in the brooder box.
• Environment- The climate you live in and where your brooder is kept also will influence how long do chickens need a heat lamp for. Your brooder setup will as well.  Is it draft free with a top to retain the heat? Is it kept indoors or is it outside where the temperature fluctuates? Do you live in cold temperatures or a warmer climate? In the winter months you may find that you need heat for a longer period of time. 

Benefits of Heat Lights for Chicks

• They help keep chicks warm, which is a must for baby chicks with no mama hen.
• Supplemental heat is a great way to make sure chicks stay dry.  Wet chicks are cold chicks, which is a dangerous situation for baby chicks.
• They stimulate chick growth by keeping them active.
• Heat lamps not only provide necessary warmth but also encourage baby chick socialization.
• They encourage healthy chicks by preventing dehydration and reducing the risk of infection.

Types of Heating Lamps  

The most popular type of heat lamp with the red bulbs also happens to be a fire hazard. Admittedly, the red lights are what I’ve always used though.  I like to secure it with zip ties to ensure that it doesn’t fall into the brooder, creating a fire hazard.  

There are new heat lamp alternatives that are much safer for a supplemental heat source, such as brooder plates, a heat plate, and ceramic heat bulbs.

What if I Just Brought Chicks Home and Don’t Have the Right Setup?

Bringing home baby chicks is something that you need to prepare for.  If you bring them home and don’t have a heat lamp, put them in the warmest room you have and go to the store immediately to get chicken heating lamps or brooder plates. Being completely set up before you complete your chick purchases is the best way to go. 

How to Tell if Your Chickens Are Completely Ready to Be Without Supplemental Heat

At just six week of age and when they are fully feathered chicks are ready to come out of the chicken brooder and go into the coop.  Most chickens can tolerate temperatures of 50*F at this age.

Cold tolerant breeds can tolerate temperatures in the 40s at six weeks of age if they are fully feathered. Just be sure they have a place to get out of the elements.

Why Can A Mother Hen Bring Babies Outside, Even in Cold Weather?

A broody hen that has hatched her chicks will protect them. The chicks will instinctively snuggle under the mama hen in her warm, fluffy feathers when they are cold. 

Can I Hold the Baby Chicks or Take Them Outside?

Yes, at around three weeks of age, but don’t take them away from their supplementary heat source for too long. Holding them will not keep them warm enough, as your own body temperature will not provide enough warmth.

Only take your baby chicks outside when the outside temperatures are nice and warm, like in the summer months.  Be sure to keep a close eye on them as wild birds, like hawks or owls can swoop down and pick them up for a quick meal. 

Mistakes to Avoid With a Heat Lamp

Avoid putting your heat lamp too close to your baby chicks.  If they are staying far away from it they are too hot.  Additionally, a heat lamp that is installed too high won’t provide your chicks with enough warmth.  It’s also a good idea to always have a replacement bulb so your chicks don’t have to go without heat if you have a bulb burn out.

Please remember that heat lamps are a fire hazard, so be sure to secure them with something more than just the clip that comes with the heat lamp.  All of these things and safety concerns can be avoided by using a brooder plate instead of a heat lamp. 

How Long do Chickens Need a Heat Lamp?

Chicken enthusiast everywhere will tell you that little chicks, bred for egg production, need alternate heat sources until they are fully feathered at around six weeks of age. Whereas the faster growing meat chickens are usually ok with no alternate heat sources by 2-3 weeks of age, depending on your climate.

Good luck keeping those brooding chicks nice and warm and the temperature just right now that we have figured out how long do chickens need a heat lamp for.

Happy Homesteading & Baby Chick Raising,

Jenny @ The GrahamStead Family Farm

Jenny and her family have been homesteading for over 20 years. They are currently farming on their 10 acre Florida farm, that they built from the ground up, 8 years ago, growing 100% of their meat and a lot of their vegetables. From their small herd of Aberdeen Angus Cattle, Pastured Poultry, Sheep, and seasonal pigs, they are able to raise enough meat for the family while selling extra to the community. All the while, striving to butcher at home, as much as possible, and use the bits and pieces of their harvest by preserving food, making bone broth, and (Jenny’s favorite) tanning all kinds of hides!