Arkansas folks speak up.........

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go to Walmart and buy the plastic storage totes like this
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the lid locks on and i just cut 2 holes in it and hot glue wire and a brooder lamp... u just change the bulb size depending on the temp u need... works great and don't have to worry about the cats lol...
 
I keep my brooder in the coop. If you can keep one area of the brooder in the recommended temperature range (which means electricity and a heat source), keep them out of drafts, and keep them predator-proof, it is absolutely doable.

I'll spout the party line. Chicks need temperatures in the range of:

90 to 95 the first week
85 to 90 the second week
80 to 85 the third week
75 to 80 the fourth week
70 to 75 the fifth week

After that, they are fully feathered out and do not need any supplemental heat. I usually turn my heat off after four weeks, but I have several chicks that can keep each other warm if they need to.

They do not need their entire brooder this temperature. I keep one small area of the brooder in that temperature range and let the rest be a lot cooler, even 25 to 30 degrees cooler in the far corner. They roam all over the brooder and go back to the heat to warm up when they need to.

If you have a lot of chicks, they can pile up and keep each other warm. With only two or three, the pile is not that big so you might need to watch this closer than some of us. But I think they are a lot better off if they can pick their comfort range.

Please take any recommendation you see as a general guideline, not as a hard and fast law of nature. Chickens are adaptable and will do well in a wide range of conditions. We all have different circumstances and many of us violate some of the generally accepted guidelines and do OK. These guidelines do not guarantee absolute success if they are followed nor do they guarantee absolute failure if you don't follow them exactly. They are intended to improve your odds if you follow them. So treat them as a target and try to get close, but don't panic or stress out too much if you occasionally miss a little. Chickens are supposed to be fun, not stressful.
 
Thank you, Ridgerunner - that's good advice. I'm bad about trying to do things the exact 'right' way and wind up getting stressed.

On the tub brooder example above - the second cut whole is beneath the light, right? I wonder if I could truly keep the cats away from them. If anything, while we're away we could move the tub in another room and close the door...

I have a heat lamp question - is it ever a fire hazard? Probably not if it's a 75 or 100ish watt bulb, right?

Thanks for your input! The chicks at Gregg Farms and Orscheln were so cute! (I liked Gregg Farms better though and I was amazed at the prices on supplies! Only $2 for a feeder base - $9 for the heat lamp!)
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We purchased on eBay this electronic thermostat and placed on our brooder tote.

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After it arrived I realized it was actually a hot water tank thermostat available at your local hardware, plumbing or home improvement store (Lowes, Home Depot). Set it at 90-95 and it turns your heat lamp off when it gets too hot. You would also want a 7 watt red bulb for just a light source. The red bulb will also keep the chicks from picking on each other. We have a different design tote brooder at our BYC page. https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=47716-jfs-brooders We were using a dimmer switch to control the temp but now use the switch pictured above. We also use a brooder bottom made out of PVC pipe and hardware cloth. We DO NOT glue the pipe and use zip ties to hold teh hardware cloth on. Between clutches we clean the brooder bottom off best possible then we place the brooder bottom on the bottom rack of the dishwasher and run it on post scrubber. Use a deep tote so the bulb will be high enough not to touch the chicks.
 
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yes i cut a round hole 1/4 smaller than the light fixture and hot glued in place... ive only had up to a 100 watt bulb but that does not get the plastic hot at all... a 100 watt bulb makes it about 90 degrees on the floor... so thats not hot enough to light it on fire... i have 18 brooders like this and the oldest is 2yo and i only had one break and that was just the hotglue seperated so i just re hotglued it...

and they are so easy to clean... and only about 20$ and a half hour for each one...
 
It depends on what lamp and wattage you use. There are reports on this forum every year about fires started by the heat lamps. Some will get hot enough to cause fires.

I have a totally different set-up and use the hotter heat lamp and bulb. When I hang mine, I use a chain so I can raise and lower it easily. I put another wire support on it in case it falls so that it cannot reach the chicks or the bedding. If yours comes with a clamp, throw that clamp away so you are not tempted to rely in it at all. Those clamps do not work well and are dangerous.
 
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i agree 100% i will only use 100 watt or lower... and i just found out last week about the clamps lol... i have a brooder shed 8X10 for in the winter i have 2 of the bigger heet lamps in it... last week one of the chicks flew up on the lamp and nocked it down left the clamp hanging there... if i had had a 250 watt it would have been bad...
 
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I have been using this brooder for years. I've had turkeys, quail, chicks and ducks. Works great and is easy to clean. The heat lamps can be clamped on top of the wire grate or can be hung lower with double snaps on a chain.

100% agree, throw those clamps away.
 
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My brooder and lamp looks just like yours, except with a rubbermaid instead of aquarium. I've been removing the clamps since day one, never could stand those things.

What IS kinda interesting is that my dad has an ANCIENT one, and his actually works - I mean it will clamp hard and hold the light perfectly still. Never has fallen in all the 30 years....
The ones they sell now are falling apart before you even buy them.
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That goes for alot of things. Now days things just don't last. I had a fridge that lasted for 4 years. My folks had one that lasted for 15 years. Lots of app. are like that.
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