How to raise heat lamp?

My heat lamp is clamped on the side of the brooder. I know that you're supposed to reduce heat by 5 degrees each week. How could I do this?

If it is on the side horizontally, attach it in a way so that you may increase the distance away from chicks. It you have it radiating downward, then increase the height gradually. Post a pix and it would be easier to asses what is best option..
WISHING YOU BEST. and

Or just put a lower wattage incandescent bulb in.

But you need to quit relying on an arbitrary temperature guide and learn to watch your chicks' behavior instead. After all, you're trying to make them comfortable not satisfy some stupid chart.

At present, where are your chicks hanging out most of the time? Are they choosing to sleep all over the brooder like so many beer cans littering a yard after a neighborhood barbecue? Or are they all greedily congregating directly beneath the lamp?

If it's more like the beer can metaphor, then the heat may be just right. If the chicks are scrunched against the walls farthest from the light, then it's way too hot, and you need to raise the light or use a lower wattage bulb. If the chicks are huddled directly beneath the lamp in a shivering pile, the light is too high and should be lowered or a higher wattage bulb should be used.

The reason for the guideline chart is to calibrate the height of the heat lamp when you first get your chicks so it reads between 85F and 95F directly beneath the light. Then you need to watch the chicks behavior because it might be either too hot or too cold for them, no matter what you read on the guidelines. In other words, all chicks are different. 95 F might be way too hot for some and they prefer 80F even in the first week.

So, the temperature guidelines are simply a starting point, not scripture. And I bet no where in those guidelines did you ever see them say you need two temperature zones, did you? Well, you need a warm zone right beneath the light, and a cool zone which is the entire rest of the brooder. So, if you have a very small brooder, it's impossible to give your chicks a cool zone, and they will suffer from heat stress because they have no place to cool down. They just keep absorbing heat until they get sick, and believe me, it happens a lot.

Sorry, didn't mean to make this so long. Maybe it's way more than you wanted to know.

I ditched my heat lamp and am now brooding with the heating pad system. No heat lamp to raise and lower, no fire danger, no sick chicks, no guess work. Just happy, safe, content chicks. And a chick mama who can sleep at night and not worry about her chicks.

ant888 said:

My heat lamp is clamped on the side of the brooder. I know that you're supposed to reduce heat by 5 degrees each week. How could I do this?

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What did you end up doing. I am in the same situation with the setup

You probably won't get the OP since the thread is from 2016. Can you post a pic of your set up ? I think the clamp system is partly what makes these so dangerous so you're going to be better off hanging it overhead to raise it. I'll let people who uses these wiegh in on best set up. Just wanted to let you know you might want to start a new post.... Also, Welcome to BYC !!!

SandyRiverChick said:

You probably won't get the OP since the thread is from 2016. Can you post a pic of your set up ? I think the clamp system is partly what makes these so dangerous so you're going to be better off hanging it overhead to raise it. I'll let people who uses these wiegh in on best set up. Just wanted to let you know you might want to start a new post.... Also, Welcome to BYC !!!

Click to expand...

I never used the clamp, I used the metal thing that came with the lamps, then used multiple carabeeners to hang it from something overhead, like a shelf, plant hook, 2x4 in the roof of the brooder, etc. You can have a short rope tying the whole thing to a hook (screw eye) in the ceiling, or to a plant hook etc, then remove one of the few carabeeners or re-tie the rope. Just don't have the end of the rope hanging down in contact with the lamp!