Heat bulb question

[EggHunter_66]

I've been hatching egg for about 10 yrs now and in the brooder I have always used the red heat bulb. Well, I have been hatching for a friend of mine the past couple of months and yesturday he gave me a heat bulb that I am not familiar with and it says reptiles so I am wondering if I can even use it? Thanks for any input!

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Hi.

I use them so my chicks can sleep at night. In fact I thinks certified organic birds HAVE to have dark during the night.

They don't seem as hot as the red bulbs, but they are lower wattage also. So you might need it a bit closer to the floor. The red bulbs were always to hot inside my house for just a few chicks. They really were intended for much larger outdoor broods.

They work great. Only thing is making sure it's hot since you can't see the heat (in the light). If it's completely dark you can see them glowing a little red. I WON'T go back to standard light emitting bulbs.

 

[azygous]

It doesn't matter what the bulb says it's for. It's the wattage that determines how much heat you will get from the bulb. How does this bulb compare to what you've used in the past?

As @EggSighted4Life says, you may need to adjust it downward to satisfy the heat needs of your chicks, so watch their behavior. If they huddle greedily under the bulb, you may need to lower it a bit. You want the chicks running all over with only occasional visits under the lamp.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

It doesn't matter what the bulb says it's for.

With the exception of food service bulbs. Those emit a toxic fume (teflon I think) and kill birds off quickly.

 

[lazy gardener]

It doesn't matter what the bulb says it's for. It's the wattage that determines how much heat you will get from the bulb. How does this bulb compare to what you've used in the past?

As @EggSighted4Life says, you may need to adjust it downward to satisfy the heat needs of your chicks, so watch their behavior. If they huddle greedily under the bulb, you may need to lower it a bit. You want the chicks running all over with only occasional visits under the lamp.

Excellent post by @azygous , but I want to add just a bit of clarification to her first statement: Yes, the ceramic bulb shown is appropriate for brooder use. But, you can't use just ANY bulb. Some bulbs, even heat lamp bulbs are teflon coated. Such a bulb will most likely have an advertising statement "shatter proof". Such a bulb is deadly to ALL birds, and should not be used to provide heat for birds in ANY LOCATION.

 

[EggHunter_66]

GREAT information everything. ....THANK YOU very much!!!

 

[aart]

I tried one of those, found it didn't shed a big enough or varied enough range of heat on the brooder floor. Was very hot(almost too hot) right underneath but quickly cooled as you moved away from the center. Plug it in and test with thermometer on floor of brooder.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

If I don't use a heat plate, ceramic heat emitters are exactly what I use in either 75 or 150 watt. In either case, it allows for a daily dark period which I feel is vital. The only drawback is you have to feel them to see if they are working.