Brooder heating

[Steven L]

What heat source should I use for my indoor brooder in the middle of winter? I am putting the brooder in a spare bedroom.

 

[featheredplanets]

Different heating methods are mentioned in this article by @TwoCrows. Personally I used a heat lamp, they’re best used with a ceramic bulb so that the chicks can develop a day and night routine. You do need to be very careful though as they are the cause of many coop fires and chicken deaths. There’s the electric hen, not a fan, mine constantly overheated. Then there’s the ‘Mama Heating Pad’ by @Blooie, many praise it and swear by it, though I’m yet to use one.

 

[Lizzy733]

I brooded with spare reptile equipment and they really are the best, in my opinion. A caged ceramic heat emitter coupled with an appropriate socket(ceramic to take the heat) will help set up a nice heat gradient in your brooder box. It's very unlikely this sort of setup will cause any fires and will keep the chicks safe from accidental burns.
Wattage needed will depend on your ambient room temp - 60-75 watt will likely be more than enough for a comfortable or a little on the cool side house.
You can pick up a reptile heat probe for checking your hot/cold side pretty cheaply and adjust things accordingly or plug your lamp into a probe thermostat or dimmer switch to allow for more fine-tunes temperature control.
FYI, I do not recommend red bulbs unless you are already familiar with them and are trying to heat a really cold area - they tend to pop and shatter easily.

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

I have used heat lamps (not a fan) and a brooder plate to provide warmth to young chicks, but now use the Mama Heating Pad method almost exclusively. I think it most closely mimics a broody, and the chicks have thrived under and (as they get older) and atop it. It's very inexpensive to put together, too.

 

[Acre4Me]

Heat plate all the way. Adjustable legs. Lower wattage than any other option (including MHP), can't get trapped under it, does not provide light so they sleep at night, and it is made for the purpose of heating chicks 24/7 for weeks (whereas a heating pad isn't really made for the purpose of being left on for weeks at a time)

I've used a heat lamp and they are very useful - you can watch the chicks much better the first several days and get an idea if any are lethargic or having other issues. Often I've used a heat lamp (with red bulb) and lined the brooder with puppy pee pads for the first 3 days. I switch to shavings and heat plate after the initial few days - they know what food is and where food and water is located and can manage the shavings well. When using a heat lamp, make sure it is double or triply secured -do not rely solely on the clamp.

With any heat, always provide a large enough area for the chicks to get out of the heat at will. Often a heat lamp in combination with a plastic tub brooder (or aquarium) creates too hot of an overall environment, so just be aware of that. Last - only buy heat lamps meant for chicks/livestock. Often any heat lamp meant for foodservice is coated with things to make them shatter-proof (like teflon) and they will KILL your livestock (including grown chickens) due to toxic fumes. Generally if you buy it at a farms store, it should be the right one, and the box that the bulb comes in should say it is ok to use for livestock/chicks.

 

[Ridgerunner]

What heat source should I use for my indoor brooder in the middle of winter? I am putting the brooder in a spare bedroom.

In my opinion the brooder should be set up so that it has one spot warm enough in the coolest conditions and cool enough in the warmest conditions. In your spare bedroom that should be fairly easy to achieve. I brood outside and those temperature swings can be a challenge. If you can keep one area warm enough and another area cool enough I find the chicks are very capable of managing temperatures themselves. Overheating can be as dangerous as being too cool.

The brooder should be big enough for them to grow. I don't know how many you are getting, what breeds, or at what age you plan to put them outside. They grow really fast. It should also have a cover unless the walls are ridiculously tall. By two weeks they can typically fly several feet if they want to.

We all have our favorite heat sources to use. In my opinion which one is not as important as that it be installed properly. Anytime you use electricity there is some risk. Use proper wiring and plugs and be careful around water.

I use a heat lamp out-of-doors. If you use one I suggest you throw away that clamp and wire the lamp into place so it cannot fall. Use wire, not string that can burn or plastic that can melt. In my opinion, the major problems with heat lamps come when they are not properly secured. If you use a heating pad do not use an old one as the wiring inside can become brittle and break, causing a short. Also, make sure there is not an automatic shut-off after a couple of hours. The height of heat plates needs to be adjusted properly, also how many chicks of what age can get on it?

In my opinion they can all work if they are set up properly. I'd suggest your question should not be so much which one to use, but once you decide which one you should ask how to set it up properly. Include information like how many chicks of what breed and how long you plan to keep them in your house. Also, what is the temperature in that spare bedroom?

 

[Matilda Belle]

I agree a heat plate is the way to go (and most closely mimics a hen). Since switching from a heat lamp to a heat plate, the chicks seem a lot healthier.