Chick Brooder Temperature Guide: Week-by-Week Chart
Exactly how warm baby chicks need to be week by week, starting at 95F and dropping 5F per week, plus how to read chick behavior and choose a heat source.
Temperature is the single most important factor in keeping baby chicks alive and thriving. Newly hatched chicks cannot regulate their own body heat, so for their first weeks they depend entirely on you to provide the steady warmth a mother hen would give. Get it right and your chicks will be active, content, and growing fast. Get it wrong and they can chill, overheat, or pile up and smother. This guide gives you the exact temperature targets, a week-by-week chart, and the behavioral signs that matter more than any thermometer.
Brooder Heating Essentials
ZenxyHoC Brooder Heating Plate with Anti-Roost Cone
$26.99 on Amazon
Adjustable-height radiant plate chicks tuck under, raised weekly to lower the temperature.
Shaledig Larger Brooder Heating Plate, 12x16
$39.86 on Amazon
A bigger warming plate for larger broods of chicks needing more covered space.
TempPro Digital Thermometer and Humidity Gauge
$9.99 on Amazon
Monitor temperature at chick level to dial in the right warmth zone.
The Basic Rule: 95 Degrees, Then Down 5 Each Week
The standard approach to brooder temperature is simple to remember. Start at about 95 degrees Fahrenheit under the heat source during the first week of life, then lower the temperature by roughly 5 degrees each week until you reach the temperature outside the brooder. By the time chicks are fully feathered, around six weeks, they can keep themselves warm and no longer need supplemental heat. Always measure the temperature at the chicks' level, directly under the heat, not up near the lamp or out in the cool corner.
Week-by-Week Temperature Chart
| Chick Age | Target Temperature Under Heat |
|---|---|
| Week 1 (days 1-7) | 95°F |
| Week 2 | 90°F |
| Week 3 | 85°F |
| Week 4 | 80°F |
| Week 5 | 75°F |
| Week 6+ | 70°F or ambient (often no heat needed) |
Treat these numbers as targets, not rigid rules. If your weather is warm and the brooder room sits at 75 degrees, your chicks will reach ambient sooner. If you are brooding in a chilly garage, they may need heat a little longer. The chart gets you in the right ballpark; the chicks themselves confirm whether you have it right.
Read the Chicks, Not Just the Thermometer
Experienced keepers rely on chick behavior above any gauge, because chicks tell you exactly how they feel by how they arrange themselves. Learn to read these three pictures:
- Too cold: chicks bunch into a tight pile directly under the heat, peep loudly and constantly, and may stack on top of each other. Lower the heat source or raise the temperature.
- Too hot: chicks crowd the far walls away from the heat, hold their wings out, pant with open beaks, and avoid the warm zone. Raise the plate or move the heat farther away.
- Just right: chicks are spread fairly evenly, moving around, eating and drinking, and resting in loose, relaxed groups. This is your goal.
Chicks pressed all to one side can also signal a draft pushing them away from cold air, so check for drafts if they cluster oddly rather than evenly.
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Choosing a Heat Source
The two main options are heating plates and heat lamps. A brooder heating plate is widely preferred today. It sits low to the floor, warms chicks by contact and radiant heat as they tuck underneath, and lets them step away the instant they have had enough, which makes overheating far less likely. Adjustable legs let you raise the plate a little each week to gradually cool things. Plates also use less electricity and carry far less fire risk than lamps.
Heat lamps still have their place, especially for very large broods, but they demand caution. They can quickly overheat a small brooder, and an improperly secured lamp is a serious fire hazard. If you go this route, hang the lamp with at least two independent supports, keep it clear of bedding and walls, and adjust its height to fine-tune the temperature.
Common Temperature Mistakes
A few errors come up again and again. Heating the entire brooder uniformly leaves chicks no way to cool off, so always create a warm end and a cooler end. Measuring temperature at the wrong height gives misleading readings, so check at chick level. Ignoring drafts can chill chicks even when the gauge looks fine. And removing heat too abruptly, especially in cool weather, can shock partly feathered chicks, so wean them off gradually. Keep the basic rule in mind, watch your birds closely, and you will keep your chicks comfortable through every stage of brooding.
Frequently Asked Questions
What temperature do baby chicks need in week one?
Day-old chicks need about 95 degrees Fahrenheit under their heat source for the first week. They cannot regulate their own body temperature yet, so they depend on steady warmth the way they would depend on a mother hen. Measure the temperature at chick level, directly under the heat, and always provide a cooler zone in the brooder so chicks can move away if they get too warm.
How much should I lower the brooder temperature each week?
Reduce the temperature by roughly 5 degrees Fahrenheit each week until you reach the ambient outdoor temperature. So week one is about 95 degrees, week two about 90, week three about 85, and so on. With a heating plate you simply raise the legs a little each week. This gradual cooling matches the chicks' growing ability to keep themselves warm as they feather out.
How can I tell if my chicks are too hot or too cold?
Chick behavior is the most reliable thermometer. Chicks huddled tightly in a pile directly under the heat, peeping loudly, are too cold. Chicks pressed to the far edges of the brooder, panting or holding wings away from their bodies, are too hot. Chicks spread out evenly, moving around, eating, drinking, and resting in small groups are comfortable and at the right temperature.
When can chicks stop using supplemental heat?
Chicks can go without supplemental heat once they are fully feathered, usually around six weeks of age, and the surrounding temperature is mild. By that point their adult feathers let them regulate their own body heat. If you are weaning them off heat in cool weather, do it gradually, and watch that they are not huddling or shivering once the heat is removed.
Is a heat plate or heat lamp better for warming chicks?
A brooder heating plate is generally safer and more natural. It radiates gentle warmth that chicks tuck under and step away from at will, mimics a mother hen, uses less energy, and greatly reduces fire risk. Heat lamps work but can overheat a brooder and have started barn fires, so if you use one, secure it with multiple supports and monitor temperatures closely.
Where should I place the heat source in the brooder?
Position the heat at one end of the brooder, never in the dead center. This creates a warm zone and a cooler zone so chicks can self-regulate by moving toward or away from the heat. Keep feed and water at the cooler end. If the whole brooder is the same warm temperature, chicks have no way to cool off and can easily overheat.
Do I really need a thermometer in the brooder?
A thermometer at chick level is a helpful guide, especially for first-time keepers, but chick behavior is the final word. Use the thermometer to get into the right range, then watch how the chicks distribute themselves. If the gauge reads correctly but chicks are piling under the heat or fleeing to the edges, trust the birds and adjust the heat accordingly.
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