Heat lamp in brooder

So the heat lamp in the brooder stays on all the time for warmth. Seems like the chicks should have darkness some of the time!

They sleep with the lamp on,I use a red light its makes it a little darker at night.They don`t need dark time when they are that little,they will sleep when they are tired.

I agree with green.
When they are tiny, they will even fall asleep in your hand :)
When we raised our oldest ones without a brooder or a mom, we used a big box and had a light in it we set up for them before we got them. Temp was checked to make sure it was ok for a while before we even picked them up.

I used a red bulb in my heat lamp. But, by the time they were old enough to know day from night, they didn't need the heat anymore. They grow and get feathers so fast, its amazing.

Agree beclu, but it also depends on where you live and the time of year :)
We got our first batch in April one year, and Aprils in Wisconsin can be pretty cold. Heck, we can have snow then yet. We can even have snow in May sometimes :( So ours had a light until they where older, to compensated for the cool weather. We just downed the wattage in the bulb as they got older.
Then again, we may have spoiled our oldest ones :)

You're right about the weather factor Kassy. We southerners tend to forget about cold weather, except for a couple months. I did live in the UP of Michigan for 18 months, long ago. 25 ft of snow that year. 9 months of winter and 3 months of bad skiing... so they say. DH put a dimmer on the brooder lamp, so I just dialed it down to change the temp. Very convenient.

i leave mine on all the time but keep it to one side of the brooder that way if it gets to hot they can go to the shaded side to cool off. that allows for a heat spot, a warm spot and a cool spot for them and then they just go back and forth till they get to where it suits them and r comfortable. they don't need dark time that is true they sleep as they feel free to.

Silkie, that's what I've been doing, keeping it to one side.

I'm amazed that if I move it the slightest amount, they'll come and huddle near it but if I move it back too far, they'll be avoiding it like the plague. It's a fine line, which surprises me. We had really hot weather here since they've arrived and the kitchen really heats up, so I try and move it away a little during the hot parts of the day. Today has cooled off considerably (downright cold out there right now!) so it'll be easier to keep adjusted as the temp in the kitchen will be more consistent.

Beclue, a dimmer is a great addition! I love dimmers. Even if they do emit the bad vibes. I always feel the ambience and good feelings resulting from that offsets the bad vibes.

OMG beclu.......LOL
My boyfreind and our chickens are near the UP Michigan and Wisconsin boarder :)
He worked in Michigan, until he got layed off :(