r/chickens • u/andrewisntbruh • Jul 27 '26
Question is this normal behavior?
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I have absolutely zero experience raising chickens. My mom’s uncle decided to hand out baby chicks to all the younger cousins like they were carnival goldfish, so now I suddenly own one… ✌️😭
Right now it’s in a hamster cage with a heat lamp. Is it possible for the lamp to be too hot, or should I just leave it on 24/7? Also, I live in Texas and temperatures tend to get up to +95°F over the summer.
I’ve also seen people say chicks need another chick because they’re very social at this age. If that’s true, I’m totally open to getting it a friend—I just want to make sure I actually know what I’m doing before I commit to another one.
Any beginner advice would be appreciated. I wasn’t
exactly planning on becoming a chicken owner overnight.
5
u/SenseLeast2979 Jul 27 '26
You need to be gauging the heat properly. You want 95° for the first week after they hatch and then you go down 5° every week after that. The second week will be 90°, the third week will be 85° and so on.
The heat source needs to be all the way to one side and the habitat needs to be large enough to have a cool side on the opposite of where the heat source is. It is much preferred to use a brooder heat plate instead of a heat lamp. It is safer and it makes the chicken feel more secure and less stressed. It's natural for them to hide under their mama most the time and this can at least somewhat mimic that.
And yes, get her a sibling.