Brooder Temperature Chart by Week: What Chicks Need From Day 1 to Week 6

Quick answer: Start the brooder at about 95°F (35°C) at chick level in week 1, inside the 90 to 95°F range that poultry extension services recommend. Then lower it roughly 5°F (3°C) each week until it reaches about 70°F around week 6. Most chicks can come off supplemental heat at 5 to 6 weeks, once they are fully feathered and their space stays near 70°F.

Getting the brooder temperature for chicks right is the biggest thing you control in the first six weeks. Chicks cannot regulate their own body temperature when they hatch, so the brooder has to do the job of a mother hen. 

Too cold and they pile up, chill and stop eating. Too hot and they dehydrate and get stressed. This guide gives you a chicken brooder temperature chart by week, explains why other charts disagree, and shows how to check it works whether you use a heat plate, a heat lamp or a thermostat-controlled box.

Brooder Temperature Chart by Week (°F and °C)

How to read this chart: the temperatures are air temperatures measured at chick level, about 1 to 2 inches above the bedding, in the warm zone under or beside the heat source. They are not a surface temperature for a heat plate, and they are not the temperature of the whole brooder. Chicks always need a warm zone and a cooler zone so they can choose.

In warm weather, use the lower end of each range. In cold weather, or if the brooder sits in a cool garage or coop, use the upper end. Mississippi State Extension notes that overheating is a more common brooding error than too little heat, so check the chicks before you add warmth.

Why Do Brooder Temperature Charts Show Different Numbers?

If you compare charts, they may not agree. That is normal, and it comes from three things:

• Starting point: Penn State's brooding guidance gives 92 to 95°F for week 1, Mississippi State Extension gives 90 to 95°F, and some hatcheries start higher. We use the extension range and the 95°F upper end as the usual starting point.

• Where the temperature is measured: Extension guidance measures about 1 inch above the floor, at the height of a chick's back. Heat lamps warm the air. Heat plates warm the chicks beneath them, leaving the rest of the brooder at room temperature.

• Chart style: Some charts give a single number, others a range. A range is easier to follow because chicks do not all feel the cold the same way.

The constant across reliable sources is the rhythm: reduce the heat about 5°F per week until the chicks are feathered and their space is near 70°F. If chicks look cold, check for drafts, heater height and placement first, then adjust the heat in small steps while you watch their behaviour.

Week-by-Week Brooder Temperature Guide

Week 1: 90 to 95°F (32 to 35°C)

This is the most critical week. Set up and test the brooder before the chicks arrive so the temperature is stable. Dip each chick's beak in the water when you place them in, and keep feeders and waterers close to the heat so they can eat and drink without wandering into the cold. Avoid drafts, which stress chicks faster than a degree or two of temperature error.

Week 2: 85 to 90°F (29 to 32°C)

Raise the lamp or plate slightly to drop the heat by about 5°F. Chicks are growing wing feathers and getting more active. If they huddle and peep sharply after the drop, go back up for a few days.

Week 3: 80 to 85°F (27 to 29°C)

Feathering accelerates. Check the brooder size now: crowded chicks overheat and fight over the warm spot. Our guide on how big a brooder box should be shows the space each chick needs as they grow. A small group fits comfortably in a 36 x 36 inch Insta Brooder pen, but bigger broods will need more room soon.

Week 4: 75 to 80°F (24 to 27°C)

Most chicks look like small adults with some fluff left. They spend more time away from the heat and may start roosting on feeder edges or low perches. Keep a warm zone available for rest, especially overnight. If they are outgrowing the brooder, an unheated grow-off pen gives them space while you keep stepping the heat down.

Week 5: 70 to 75°F (21 to 24°C)

By now, chicks can hold their own body temperature if the room is near 70°F. Heat is mostly for chilly nights. Check the weather forecast before you move them outside.

Week 6: about 70°F (21°C) and moving on

When the chicks are fully feathered and their space stays around 70°F, you can switch the heat off on warm days and then remove it. Cold weather or an unheated coop can mean they need a warm spot for longer. Move them out gradually, and have the coop ready first with our coops and supplies.

Heat Plate vs Heat Lamp: Does the Chart Change?

The step-down rhythm stays the same, but how you reach and check the temperature differs. We carry both, so here is a balanced look. Our heat plate vs heat lamp guide goes deeper.

Heat lamp (overhead radiant heat ): A lamp warms the air and the bedding under it, so the weekly chart applies directly: hang a thermometer at chick height beneath the lamp and raise the lamp to lower the temperature. 

Our 250 W brooder lamp and bulb is meant to hang about 18 to 24 inches above the chicks, then you adjust from the reading at chick level. 

Heat lamps are a real fire risk. Suspend the lamp securely from a chain or hanger made for it, never by its power cord and never by a clamp alone, keep it well clear of bedding, walls and anything combustible, and follow the lamp maker's clearance and safety instructions.

Heat plate (brooder plate): A plate works like a hen: chicks stand under it and touch the warm underside, then step out to eat and drink. It heats the chicks, not the whole brooder, so the weekly air chart is only a loose guide and is not a surface-temperature target. Instead, follow the maker's setup instructions, set the height so chicks can get under it comfortably, raise it weekly as they grow, and watch their behavior. 

The Vrooder heater plate, for example, has legs that adjust from 1 to 6 inches, a built-in thermostat and a clear top so you can check on chicks without lifting it. See the Vrooder instructions for height and room-temperature limits.

Thermostat-controlled box brooder: If you want the heat regulated for you, a box brooder such as the GQF Universal Brooder Box 0534 has a built-in heating element with an adjustable electronic thermostat. You set the temperature and still confirm it with a thermometer at chick level.

Whichever heater you choose, keep one side of the brooder unheated, so chicks can cool off.

How to Measure Brooder Temperature Correctly

• Measure at chick level, about 1 to 2 inches above the bedding, not at the top of the brooder. Warm air rises, so a wall thermometer can read several degrees higher than what the chicks feel.

• Use a reliable digital thermometer, not a guess. The IncuTherm gauge switches between °F and °C and remembers the high and low readings, so you can see if the brooder dipped or spiked overnight. More options are in our thermometers and hygrometers collection.

• Test for a full day before chicks arrive. Temperatures swing when the room warms up or cools down.

• Check at least twice a day, morning and evening, in the first two weeks.

Let the Chicks Tell You: Signs the Brooder Is Too Hot or Too Cold

A thermometer gives you a number. The chicks tell you whether it works for them, and their behavior matters more than the dial.

Common Brooder Temperature Mistakes

1. Heating the whole brooder evenly: Chicks need a gradient. If every corner is 95°F, a hot chick has nowhere to go.

2. Following the calendar, not the chicks: If chicks feather out early, they can step down faster. If they are cold, hold the temperature a few more days.

3. Measuring in the wrong place, especially with a heat plate.

4. Dropping the temperature too fast after a cold night or a draft.

5. Forgetting the room: A brooder in a cold garage fights the heater all day. A warmer room makes the whole schedule easier.

6. Removing heat too early: Weather matters as much as age.

Do Other Poultry Use the Same Chart?

Very similar, with small differences at the start. Quail chicks, for example, follow a weekly step-down from the low-to-mid 90s °F and feather out faster. Ducklings and turkey poults also step down weekly, so check your hatchery's guidance for the exact starting temperature for your species.

When Can Chicks Stop Needing Heat?

Usually around 5 to 6 weeks, once chicks are fully feathered and the air around them is about 70°F. Cold weather or an unheated coop can mean they need a warm spot for longer, so remove heat gradually and keep it available on cold nights.

Brooder Temperature Checklist

• Test the brooder at 90 to 95°F at chick level before chicks arrive.

• Set up a warm zone and a cool zone.

• Check twice a day in weeks 1 and 2.

• Lower the heat about 5°F each week.

• Watch the chicks, not just the numbers.

• Keep bedding clean and dry.

• Remove heat gradually once chicks are fully feathered.

Next step: our brooder setup checklist covers the rest of the setup, or compare equipment in our brooders collection.

FAQs (People also ask)

Q: What temperature should a brooder be for chicks?

Ans: The brooder should be about 95°F (35°C) at chick level in the first week, within a 90 to 95°F range. Lower it by roughly 5°F each week until it reaches about 70°F around week 6, when chicks are fully feathered.

Q: What is the best brooder temperature for newly hatched chicks?

Ans: Use 90 to 95°F at chick level, aiming for about 95°F. If chicks look cold, check for drafts and heater placement first, then adjust in small steps while watching whether they cluster or spread out.

Q: How do I know if my chicks are too hot or too cold?

Ans: Chicks piled under the heat and peeping loudly are too cold. Chicks pushed to the edges, panting or silent, are too hot. Evenly spread, active chicks are comfortable.

Q: How long do chicks need a heat source?

Ans: Usually about 5 to 6 weeks. Once chicks are fully feathered and the air around them is near 70°F, heat can be removed gradually, though cold weather can mean they need it longer.

Q: Do I measure brooder temperature differently with a heat plate?

Ans: Yes. A heat plate warms the chicks beneath it, not the whole brooder, so the weekly air chart is only a loose guide. Follow the plate maker's instructions, set the height so chicks can get under it comfortably, and watch their behaviour.

Q: Can chicks go outside at 4 weeks?

Ans: Only if they are well feathered and the outdoor temperature is mild. Many keepers wait until 5 to 6 weeks and keep heat available on cold nights.

Q: What temperature is too hot for baby chicks?

Ans: Anything that makes them pant, hold their wings out or crowd away from the heat is too hot. Raise the heater and give them a cooler area.