250 ww heat lamp?

[Willow's Meadow]

How many of you use them? Those are the only ones they have at tractor supply and I read on Cackle that you should use a 75, 100, 150. The chicks are going to stay in the basement(and its REALLY cold down there) so do you think 250 would work?

 

[PurpleChicken]

250 is usually WAY too big. I use 120 or 70 watt bulbs available at local pet stores for reptiles.

250 would be fine in a basement hanging at least 4 feet off the floor and could keep a couple hundred chicks warm. Plus with electric rates a 250 will cost you up to $1.40 per day depending on your electric rates.

 

[NattiFan]

Willow's Meadow :

How many of you use them? Those are the only ones they have at tractor supply and I read on Cackle that you should use a 75, 100, 150. The chicks are going to stay in the basement(and its REALLY cold down there) so do you think 250 would work?

Well if this helps you, I had mine in the basement during the end of winter, and my basement was chilly. I had two 250 watt red heatlamp bulbs on them, till they were about 6 weeks old. Just watch your chicks. They'll tell you if they need more or less heat. Hope this helps....​

 

[NattiFan]

Oh, I also had mine on pully's so I could raise or lower them as needed.

 

[felidaet]

The wattage of the bulb depends upon many factors. It varies considerably what you need. The temperature of the room, the size of the brooder, how enclosed or open the brooder is, the materials the brooder is made from, etc. Many people use the 250 watt bulbs. Last year I used a steel water trough for a brooder and had to use two 250 watt bulbs to get it to 95 degrees. This year I built a wood brooder (with a solid lid on most of it) and one 250 watt bulb was enough to get it to 95 degrees. I did not have the bulb 4 feet above the brooder as someone suggested. It was about level with the top of the brooder.

I always recommend that you setup the brooder at least a week in advance of getting the chicks and test it for a few hours. You will likely have to adjust the height of the heat lamp or maybe even buy a different. When you test it make sure to include the bedding. This can make a difference in the temperature.

 

[kla37]

I tested one of those huge bulbs before I got the chicks and it was WAY too hot. The reptile bulbs work really well, and our snake is just going to have to live with his heat rock and day bulb for the next month. A neighbor of mine is using a red outdoor floodlight from home depot and says it's working just great.

 

[A.T. Hagan]

Quote:
This is all good advice.

The only time I use the 250w bulbs is in the winter when it can easily go below freezing outside where my brooder is. This time of year a pair of 60w bulbs will likely be enough.

 

[gryeyes]

I'm using - and have used - 250 watt infrared heat lamps. I just raise or lower it depending upon circumstances, and I have my brooder in my bathroom. Plus, the Rubbermaid tub is NOT covered.

It doesn't need to be 4 feet above the brooder, honestly. But it is about 2 feet up. I'm able to arrange "zones" in the brooder: really warm, warm, not so warm, cool. As the need for heat diminishes, I just raise or tilt the lamp, and move the brooder slightly. Works very well for me, for (counting) four sets of chicks since October 2009.

The infrared heat lamp can fool you, though; it does NOT heat the air, so putting your hand in the brooder to check how warm it is in there is NOT the way to do it. You have to really observe the chicks to see their response to the warmth and make sure they have the zones for hot, not so hot, cooler.

 

[Willow's Meadow]

Thanks so much! I'm getting 16 chicks and I'm planning on using a kiddie pool, probably the biggest size they have at Walmart or wherever. I'll get the 250 ww test it out and see how it goes! Thanks!

 

[Karen_at_LittleBrook]

I am using a 250 watt red bulb from TSC in a brooder clamp lamp... it's worked great for me! My brooder is in my laundry room which is in a chilly part of the house and I have had times when I worried about them being to cold even with the 250 lamp. Mine is suspended/clamped to a dog chain (one of those little cheap link-type ones) so if I have to make temp adjustments I just clamp it a link higher or lower. My brooder has never been to hot but it has been a little to cold.... I simply tested it out a few days before the chicks arrived. I also used a brooder thermometer from Murry Mcmurry which I keep on the brooder floor. For the sake of power if a smaller watt bulb works... great. But I have had good luck with my 250 watt and I keep a second one as a back up. They say run at 24 hours a day they should last a month. My chicks are 2.5 weeks old and I would guess the lamp is 24" above them right now and the brooder temp is a perfect 85 degree's