Red Brooder Lights losing their red?

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FlutterbyChicks

FlutterbyChicks

Chirping
5 Years
Jan 21, 2015
102
9
63
I set up my brooder with a 250 watt red brooder bulb one week ago today. I am expecting 5 more chicks in the next couple of days, and am planning on keeping them separate until they're acclimated. I was setting up the new brooder today with a new light and new 250 watt red bulb and was astonished at how red the new one was compared to the one from last week (that was so red last week that all the pics I took looked weird). Is this normal for it to lose the color that quickly? I know sometimes the red bulbs are recommended to prevent pecking. The light coming out of the old one is pretty much just like a plain light bulb.
 
Have you considered a smaller wattage bulb? It's not especially necessary to have a red-colored bulb, and so often, 250 watts is way too hot. It keeps hamburgers hot, for heavens's sake! A 100 watt incandescent bulb works very well at this time of year. I really like the new heating pad-chick cave heating method myself, doing away all together with a heat lamp.

As far as pecking, it's more apt to occur when you have over-crowding. You can achieve a red dimming of any light by draping a red or green cloth over the brooder between the light bulb and the chicks. Yes, the heat still penetrates, and you want to leave some open area so heat can still escape.
 
Well, I have the brooder light outside the dog crate brooder we have, suspended from a chain. The floor where they are is 95 degrees. Maybe in a week or two I could go with a lower wattage. They don't seem to be pecking too bad. I have 2 two-week olds with 5 three-day old chicks. They all seem to be doing well. And the "new" red bulb I had is also losing its red color shining in. Very odd.
 

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