250 Watt Heat Lamp Okay?

Justino93

Hatching
5 Years
Mar 8, 2014
5
0
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Is 250 Watt Heat Lamp (red) too high for a the heat lamp of our new day old babies?
We have a brooder in the basement and its been fairly warm.
The lady at the store said that would be fine, just checking with you all.
 
Is 250 Watt Heat Lamp (red) too high for a the heat lamp of our new day old babies?
We have a brooder in the basement and its been fairly warm.
The lady at the store said that would be fine, just checking with you all.

Um, I am not sure I would care 'what' she said...I made the mistake of buying the exact watt bulb and thought I would be slick and just 'raise' the light...they still got overheated and I ended up heating up the rest of the room too! Maybe if you 'lived' in the basement where you can keep a constant eye on them (I still wouldn't suggest it as they can overheat easily). If possible get back to that store, politely reprimand that lady and get another bulb! Stat. Chicks will 'tell' you when they are 'good' or not...
Unless your brooder is ten foot long and has a 'spot' that is around 95* in the middle, I would get a 100 watt-er and still keep a vigilant eye on them...
The Learning Center has great articles to tell you exactly what they need as their needs will change week to week as they grow into their feathers (6-8 weeks as a guideline)...if you don't have a thermometer, maybe splurge and get the outdoor kind so you can 'monitor' it from upstairs...or just do what I do and run downstairs, a lot!

Here is that one article thread I spoke of...
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/...ks-the-first-60-days-of-raising-baby-chickens

Forgot to add that my opinion is just that and I only spoke from my experience...
Best wishes,
 
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We borrowed a 250watt lamp from friends so we wouldn't have to buy one. I ended up keeping it about 4' or more above the brooder. And I still had to turn it off because it would get to hot. So i was checking the temp 6-10 times a day as well as in the middle of the night for the first week till we found the right height to keep it 95 or under. But we were lucky because they are in the master bath in our bedroom because it's the hottest room in the house. (90 right now without a heat lamp because it's the last room off the ac) but at their house it works fine to have the 250 watt.
 
250W is too much!
I used a ceramic 150W heat bulb in my brooder in the winter in a basically unheated room and started it about 15" high. Had to raise it several times, of course.
The room was around upper 40s-low 50s before I installed the brooder and 150W bulb.
Moved them out to the coop in May, and just hatched the next generation, so I guess they did just fine!
 
Hi ,
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The problem with the 250 red lights is they are heat lamps, not light bulbs .Incandescent light bulbs heat the general area. These 250 watt red heat bulbs also heat individual objects within the area. You can test this yourself by turning on a incandescent 60 watt and a 250 red heat bulb. Briefly put you hand in front of each. Not too long or too close to the bulbs, don't want your hand too hot from the heat bulb. You will feel the heat on your hand with the incandescent. But the 250 red will rapidly heat your hand itself. This is why folk often have problems with their chicks getting too hot or dying under the 250 red heat bulbs. The chicks not only need a warm spot, they also need shade from the light and a very slightly cooler place in the brooder to retreat to if they want. I use a 60 to 100 watt incandescent blub. Then I cover 1/2 of the top of the brooder with a solid cover of some sort to help hold in the heat and provide a shady spot for the chicks. Chicks to love to hide . That's one reason they like these new sweeter heater http://www.sweeterheater.com/ and Ecoglow panel heaters. http://www.brinsea.com/p-375-ecoglow-20-chick-brooder.aspx They can go underneath and feel safe. I have noticed if I give my chicks some kind of 1/2 roof under which they can huddle, they seem less nervous as a whole. It's the same for them as a human baby snuggling against a parent's neck. Cozy and safe. Now they can roam around. Under the bulb if they want. In the shade if they want , a tad cooler or the warm spot if they want.
Best,
Karen in western PA
 
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I can't help but think having a bright white light on 24/7 isn't what you'd want (unless they're cornish x meat birds).
The ceramic heater "bulb" doesn't give off light, just heat (which is what you want anway, right?) They're available from 50W - 250W, but more than 150 is too much.
It's also less likely to start a fire than a 250W.
During the day I used a 13W CFL above the brooder for light. Probably could have used a 10W if I could find one.
 
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