Brooder Temperature & Humidity Guide
The safe heat and humidity range for chicks at every age — get the right setpoint for any day of brooding.
Brooder Temperature & Humidity Guide
Get the safe temperature and humidity range for chicks at any age, week-by-week.
Week 1
Day 7 target environment
Temperature
92–95°F
Humidity
50–55%
Notes: Pin feathers beginning. Watch for panting (too hot) or huddling (too cold).
| Week | °F | °C | Humidity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 0 | 95–97°F | 35–36°C | 50–60% |
| Week 1 | 92–95°F | 33–35°C | 50–55% |
| Week 2 | 88–92°F | 31–33°C | 45–55% |
| Week 3 | 85–88°F | 29–31°C | 40–55% |
| Week 4 | 82–85°F | 28–29°C | 40–50% |
| Week 5+ | 78–82°F | 25–28°C | 40–50% |
| Week 7+ | 72–78°F | 22–25°C | 40–50% |
Use chick behaviour as the final guide — panting and spreading wings means too hot; huddling and shivering means too cold.
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Reading the chick is more reliable than reading the thermometer
Setpoint values are starting guides. The chick's behaviour is the ground truth. A comfortable chick lies relaxed, breathes evenly, and explores. A panting chick with wings slightly out is overheated. A chick huddled tight against siblings or against the heat source is cold and burning fat reserves.
Use a probe thermometer at chick level, not at the brooder lid. Heat rises and the value you read at the top can be 3–5°F higher than where the chick actually sits. A second digital hygrometer at the same level gives you a real read on humidity, which matters more than most breeders realise.
Power outages are the silent chick-killer. A small UPS rated for 30 minutes plus a battery-powered backup heat source (warm rice sock, thermal blanket) buys enough time to move chicks somewhere warm if the brooder fails.
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