What brooding temperature do broiler chicks need in the first week?
worked example · USA · Deep litter · Ross 308 · 300 birds
Ross 308 and Cobb 500 broiler management guides recommend about 32–34°C at floor level under the brooder on day one. Reduce the temperature gradually by about 2–3°C over the first week rather than making a sudden change. Chicks cannot regulate their body temperature well for roughly the first two weeks.
Preheat the house before placement so the litter reaches about 28–30°C. Measure conditions where the chicks actually sit, not just at a wall-mounted thermometer. Warm air alone will not make chicks comfortable if the litter underneath them is cold.
Use chick behaviour to check the setting: evenly spread, quietly content chicks are comfortable; huddling suggests cold; panting and moving toward the walls suggests excessive heat. Crowding to one side suggests a draught. Maintain fresh air without directing cold draughts across the chicks.
For example, with 300 Ross 308 chicks in a naturally ventilated, deep-litter house at an ambient 21°C, outdoor warmth is not enough for placement. Provide supplemental brooding heat to achieve the same day-one floor-level target and prewarmed litter, then adjust gradually according to chick distribution and measured temperature.