Which is safer for brooding?

[mrl8810]

I live in sc so this time of year it doesn’t get to below like 38 and that’s the coldest this time of year. I’m going to brood the baby chicks in my storage building for the first few weeks until I can get something more permanent built. I’m getting a 50 gallon tub and going to put hardware cloth on top. I’ve been reading different things…some articles say that since the lamp will be above he hardware cloth there won’t be any safety issues with melting the bin etc…others have said that they use a “radiant heat pad” inside the box. Any suggestions from you guys? Thanks.

 

[koturnix]

I've never had any issues with melting the bin. What I usually do is use a bin lid with a large rectangle cut out in the center, and solder holes along the edges to tie hardware cloth to so it is secured. I never hang the light above the bin as I'm paranoid of the light falling into the bin causing accidents, it always sits on the hardware cloth.