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LisaYolkUm said:
Hello all-------------Just a little question

When buying a lamp for my first brooder pen..............I see the reflector part and read in this forum that some use 100watt bulbs.......

but I thought people also use a RED light to decrease pecking at blood.

So my question is........is the red bulb just colored red or

is it a red heat lamp bulb?

as you can see I am new to this.

I may be getting the lamp and bulb as a gift to myself in prep for spring chicks!

and start to set up a brooder pen............but I think that will be pretty easy since I can not have too many.
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it would be a red heat lamp for a brooder. It helps in keeping them warm and to help calm the chicks as well.
 
LisaYolkUm said:
Hello all-------------Just a little question

When buying a lamp for my first brooder pen..............I see the reflector part and read in this forum that some use 100watt bulbs.......

but I thought people also use a RED light to decrease pecking at blood.

So my question is........is the red bulb just colored red or

is it a red heat lamp bulb?

as you can see I am new to this.

I may be getting the lamp and bulb as a gift to myself in prep for spring chicks!

and start to set up a brooder pen............but I think that will be pretty easy since I can not have too many.
Click to expand...
Lisa:

You can get a 8"diameter reflector work light at HD for about $8....the lamps can be had at pickering Valley feed for about $17...(I think the lamps are cheaper at pet stores)...also make sure you don't buy a lamp wattage greater than what the work light will support....
 
LisaYolkUm said:
how hot of a bulb?

too hot is not good...........where do you buy them.........maybe the tractor supply company.........

the articles keep saying hardware store so I want to be sure I buy the right kind.
Click to expand...
This is what I use. I place the lamp above the brooder and then place a thermometer on the floor to get a reading. You should get about 90 degrees but also allow some space so that they can escape the heat as they get older to cool down. As they get older you can also raise the lamp to reduce the heat as well. but for the first couple of weeks you want it to be 85 to 90 degrees.

http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/sto...50w-r40-red-heat-lamp-incandescent-light-bulb

http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/store/jobsmartreg;-brooder-lamp
 
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This is what I used this past spring. I plan on making a larger brooder that will be around 2ft wide x 2ft tall by 8 ft long. will have two doors on top. one solide and then hardware cloth on the other. Holes on the sides where the door will be solid. Maybe even a fan with filtration.
 
LisaYolkUm said:
thank you all for all the details...............the advice.........

just think if we all had to figure it all out ourselves........how many unfortunate and maybe costly mistakes we might make.............

nice group of experts!

thanks again
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Lisa... they make the lamps up to 250watts as heat lamps..... in my opinion that is a lot more heat than you need for a small brooder, especially if inside of a house. If you are planning it for chicks inside I would go with a 100 watt range in either red or clear (though I also prefer red to reduce chance of pecking). If you are planning to brood them in a heated part of the house you may also want to check out the reptile heat lamps.... they are a ceramic coil that you screw in just like a bulb but they only radiate heat, no light.... they come in multiple wattage levels and when we raised a couple of groups of meatiest last spring they were quieter at night with the reptile lamp than with the red bulb.

I should clarify that my estimation on heat needs was with the thought of a brooder sized for just a few chicks... the right size increases as the size of the brooder increases or the ambient room temp decreases (such as garage or basement)
 
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stake said:
Lisa:

You can get a 8"diameter reflector work light at HD for about $8....the lamps can be had at pickering Valley feed for about $17...(I think the lamps are cheaper at pet stores)...also make sure you don't buy a lamp wattage greater than what the work light will support....
Click to expand...

Stake makes a great point here about the work light ratings... safety is a major factor when dealing with heat lamps!
 
PA Farmer24 said:
. I plan on making a larger brooder that will be around 2ft wide x 2ft tall by 8 ft long. will have two doors on top. one solide and then hardware cloth on the other. Holes on the sides where the door will be solid. Maybe even a fan with filtration.
Click to expand...
If you want a brooder that big, you can probably find a used stock tank on craigslist for around $50. They work really well.
 

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