Like the mother hen, you can also tell whether your chicks are too hot or too cold by watching them. If they huddle together under the heat lamp, they are too cold. If they scatter away from the heat lamp and avoid the area directly under it, they are too warm.
If you notice your chickens are panting excessively, looking lethargic, or having pale combs and wattles, they are overheated, and must be cooled down immediately. The quickest way to bring their body temperature down is by submerging them up to their neck in a bucket of cool water.
A brooder guard is a cardboard or wire mesh ring to keep the chicks confined to an area near the heat source. A heat lamp will keep the temperature with in the ideal range of 90- 95 degrees for the first week. Measure the temperature 2.5 inches from the top of the litter directly below the hood.
Newly hatched chicks need to be maintained at 95°F for the first week of their lives. After the first week, chicks can tolerate temperatures 5°F cooler for each week until they are four weeks old. In other words, one week old chicks can tolerate 90°F and two week old chicks can tolerate 85°F.
Chicks are still growing during weeks 4 and 5 and aren't quite ready to go outside yet, until they are fully feathered. Prevent crowding by ensuring 1–2 square feet per bird. The temperature should now be between 70–75°F to help the chicks get ready to move outside.
Cold and damp air can kill a chick very quickly. Wait until they're at least four weeks old before you introduce them to the outside world - and only then if the weather where you are is warm. If there's snow on the ground, don't do it.
Chickens can survive quite well with temperatures down into the teens. In fact, if you place a thermometer in your coop overnight, you will likely find the temperature has been maintained in the thirty to forty-degree area. Each chicken has generated enough heat to keep themselves and their flock mates warm.
Consistently high summer temperatures can cause your chickens to suffer from heat stress and overheating, or even halt their egg-laying process.
It is important to quickly recognise signs of stress, like abnormal feathering, constant preening of feathers even in the absence of external parasites, increased aggression like feather pecking or cannibalism and even aimless and restless pacing of birds that are housed on the floor.
A “hot” hen may be seen panting lightly, but otherwise will be running around acting normal. A hen under light or moderate heat stress may pant more heavily. She will also hold her wings away from her body and crouch slightly to aid in heat dissipation through the unfeathered areas under her wings.
While spraying down the top of your coop or run can help cools things off, you shouldn't spray your chickens directly or dunk their whole bodies in water. Just the feet is sufficient!
While you have the hose out, create some puddles or fill some small dishes or a kiddie pool for your chickens to stand in. Most chickens do not like to swim or get wet, but they will welcome a chance to cool off in the water.
Chickens cool themselves by panting – so cooling the air with a fine mist or wetting down the ground and their dust bathing area (with a hose) is very useful.
Keep the Air Moving
Setting up a fan in the coop or run will help your chickens significantly. It will cool the surrounding air and reduce humidity. This is a particularly helpful strategy for chickens that are housed in enclosed coops and runs, as a natural breeze may not always reach them.
Provide shade by placing roofs on the run or shade cloths over the door. Add misters outside of the chicken coop that spray onto the roof or shade cover for evaporative cooling. Create adequate air flow to maintain chicken coop ventilation. Open all windows and roof vents to allow hot air and ammonia to escape.
Chickens have poor night vision and cannot find their roosts in the dark. Adding supplemental light at the end of the day, allows no transition time for them to get positioned for sleeping. Sudden darkness can cause confusion, stress and possible panic leading to injuries.
6-week-old chickens should be fully feathered and can tolerate cooler temperatures. Birds can easily tolerate temperatures into the 50's at this age, and cold-tolerant breeds can tolerate temperatures into the 40's.
Not only can the chicks become chilled and suffer illness from being moved too early, but you set them up to become ill from bacteria and parasites.
AGE/FEATHERING
In general, most chicks are fully-feathered by 6 weeks of age. That means that their chick down is gone and they have grown real feathers, which allow them to regulate their body temperatures.
Backyard hens need protection from extreme heat. Without the ability to sweat, hens can quickly overheat and succumb to high temperatures. Shade, water, and ventilation are the three most basic needs to keep chickens comfortable during the summer.
? Should chickens go out in the rain? Chicken feathers are somewhat waterproof, so letting them out is fine. Letting your birds out prevents overcrowding, boredom and the diseases that go along with a wet chicken coop.