Advice on Low Watt or LED Brooder Lamps

[Ms Kurtis]

HELLO CHICKEN FAM,
I WANT TO KEEP SOME CHICKS IN MY UNHEATED UTILITY ROOM FOR THE WINTER. MY HOME ELECTRIC BOX IS ONLY 125 AMPS AND ALREADY RUNNING ELECTRIC HEAT TO SOME ROOMS. IS THERE A LOWER WATT OR LED BROODER LAMP I CAN USE TO KEEP THE CHICKS WARM IN MY CHILLY UTILITY ROOM THROUGH THE WINTER? THANKS IN ADVANCE, MS. KURTIS

 

[Kusanar]

HELLO CHICKEN FAM,
I WANT TO KEEP SOME CHICKS IN MY UNHEATED UTILITY ROOM FOR THE WINTER. MY HOME ELECTRIC BOX IS ONLY 125 AMPS AND ALREADY RUNNING ELECTRIC HEAT TO SOME ROOMS. IS THERE A LOWER WATT OR LED BROODER LAMP I CAN USE TO KEEP THE CHICKS WARM IN MY CHILLY UTILITY ROOM THROUGH THE WINTER? THANKS IN ADVANCE, MS. KURTIS

Hi, welcome to BYC! unfortunately, LED lights do not produce heat, you would be better off with a heater that is only a heater (rather than a light that warms) because of the way electricity works. Heat lamps produce heat by "wasting" electricity through resistance in the wires that are producing the light, in this case we WANT the heat but we don't really care about the light so actually the energy that is producing the light is wasted.

Also, wats are volts x amps, heaters tend to be high amperage, but this one https://www.chewy.com/brinsea-ecogl...DTyr4XAs55TRutFdrZzz6KZzaiSgSotQaAqecEALw_wcB says it only uses 12 wats. It's a plate that gets warm and heats the are around it for the chicks.

 

[Ms Kurtis]

Hi, welcome to BYC! unfortunately, LED lights do not produce heat, you would be better off with a heater that is only a heater (rather than a light that warms) because of the way electricity works. Heat lamps produce heat by "wasting" electricity through resistance in the wires that are producing the light, in this case we WANT the heat but we don't really care about the light so actually the energy that is producing the light is wasted.

Also, wats are volts x amps, heaters tend to be high amperage, but this one https://www.chewy.com/brinsea-ecogl...DTyr4XAs55TRutFdrZzz6KZzaiSgSotQaAqecEALw_wcB says it only uses 12 wats. It's a plate that gets warm and heats the are around it for the chicks.

Thank you. I'll go straight to Chewy and look at the heater. My late father was an electrical engineer, but he gave up on me learning about electricity. Thanks again.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

HELLO CHICKEN FAM,
I WANT TO KEEP SOME CHICKS IN MY UNHEATED UTILITY ROOM FOR THE WINTER. MY HOME ELECTRIC BOX IS ONLY 125 AMPS AND ALREADY RUNNING ELECTRIC HEAT TO SOME ROOMS. IS THERE A LOWER WATT OR LED BROODER LAMP I CAN USE TO KEEP THE CHICKS WARM IN MY CHILLY UTILITY ROOM THROUGH THE WINTER? THANKS IN ADVANCE, MS. KURTIS

Rent a coop heating plate will pay for it's purchase price in electricity saving on ONE brood verses standard heat lamps. Also virtually NO fire risk.

They take 12- 23+ watts for the smaller ones depending on which size you get. How many chicks will you be trying to heat and how cold is your utility room?

The heat plate also don't burn out often the way that bulbs do.. So even though the initial purchase price is more.. the end result is saving plus security.. win win!

https://www.amazon.com/RentACoop-Heating-Plate-10/dp/B07DLCX71P

Hope you are enjoying BYC!

 

[21hens-incharge]

Are we talking young chicks or grown chickens?

 

[Ms Kurtis]

Thank you. I'll go straight to Chewy and look at the heater. My late father was an electrical engineer, but he gave up on me learning about electricity. Thanks again.

Thanks again. Looked at that and it's perfect for me. Right size and long cord. Should work well for my needs. And I looked at my small electric heater I run in my kitchen. 1500Watts!!! I just moved in here, so I'm only gonna keep my kitchen heated only when I need to be in it for a while. Thank you again, so much!

 

[Ms Kurtis]

Thanks again. Looked at that and it's perfect for me. Right size and long cord. Should work well for my needs. And I looked at my small electric heater I run in my kitchen. 1500Watts!!! I just moved in here, so I'm only gonna keep my kitchen heated only when I need to be in it for a while. Thank you again, so much!

 

[Ms Kurtis]

Thank you. I'll go straight to Chewy and look at the heater. My late father was an electrical engineer, but he gave up on me learning about electricity. Thanks again.

 

[Ms Kurtis]

Are we talking young chicks or grown chickens?

I'm buying baby chicks from our local farm and ranch. About 7 of them.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I'm buying baby chicks from our local farm and ranch. About 7 of them.

Not sure where you are located or how cold that utility room gets, but I've had 5-1/2 week old chicks go through nights in the mid-20's Fahrenheit with no supplemental heat. You don't need to plan on keeping them that warm for the entire winter. Not sure what your plans are about that.

To me the ideal brooder is one that keeps one area warm enough in the coolest conditions but another area that stays cool enough in the warmest conditions. You do not need to keep the entire area warm. My brooder is in the coop, I put chicks in there straight from the incubator or post office even when the outside temperature is below freezing. I keep one end of the brooder warm but the far end might have ice in it. With that difference in temperatures they become acclimated and are ready for colder temperatures. One end does stay toasty.

I use a heat lamp but your utility room sounds like it could be a great place pf a heat plate or heating pad.