Regulate Brooder House Temperature

Newly hatched chicks need to be kept in a 95-degree-F environment for the first week of their lives, according to the University of Florida ISFA Extension.

After that, you can decrease the temperature 5 degrees per week until they’re 4 weeks old.

It is best to set up your brooder box and heat source a day or two before your chicks arrive.

Use a thermometer to help figure out the proper temperature. If you’ve adjusted it correctly, chicks will nestle in a ring around the outside reaches of the brooder. If it’s not warm enough, you’ll find them huddling together in the center directly under the heat beam, but if it’s too hot or close to the floor, they’ll scatter out from under the heat.

The ideal temperature allows them to move freely about their space, coming back to the edge of the heat to warm up and nap. Raise or lower your brooder light or heater to adjust the temperature: approximately 1 inch per every five degrees.

Don’t be surprised if Cornish Cross chicks look half-naked at several weeks old. It may take a while for their feathers to grow, which is why you’ll want to maintain a heat source until they are fully feathered or the outside temperature reaches 65 to 70 degrees.

Here’s a handy table to help you with temperature control:

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

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