Brooder temp drastically changing due to weather.

[LoneCowboy]

my booder is outside in an insulated coop. I had one heat lamp in there, and it's gotten as high a 103 deg and has always run kinda on the high side. Today the weather turned cold, snow and everything. Temp got down to 68 deg. I put out another heat lamp, but it's already down to 78 as the sun goes down. These little girls are nearly 3 weeks old. Do you think they will be ok through the night?

 

[Mac in Wisco]

Measuring the temp in a room with infrared heat lamps is misleading. The lamps are not there to heat the air in the room. The rays emitted heats the chicks directly. You need to observe how the chicks are behaving rather than measuring the temperature. Unless you have hundreds of chicks, one heat lamp should be plenty. If the chicks are crowded against the walls trying to get out from under the heat lamp, they are too warm and you need to raise the heat lamp. If they are all hanging out directly under the heat lamp, they are too cold and the heat lamp needs to be lowered. If they are milling all around, some under the heat, some not, then the heat lamp is adjusted just right.

 

[LoneCowboy]

I have 51 chicks. The brooder is enclosed so I can't really tell how they are reacting, without opening it up and letting all the cold air in. But they have plenty of room to get away if they don't like it. I have a thermometer that sends a signal in to the monitor in the house. That's how I keep track of the temp. They always seem happy so I don't sweat it too much. Just didn't expect it to get so cold after being so hot just a day ago.

 

[Youngfamily1989]

Here in TN its been chilly at night around 40* then in the day time it hits 75-80. My brooder got to hot today 105 is what my son read. I wish I could hook up a thermostat to that light bulb. Mine is only a 125 watt brooder bulb I got at Lowes. They have plenty of room to get away from the light but the're crowded when the're all on one side. I need to do something different.

Brian

 

[Mac in Wisco]

They should be fine as long as it isn't drafty inside. They will warm themselves under the heat lamp or go where it is most comfortable for them. I consistently hear of people trying to use thermometers to adjust the heat to some specific temperature under a heat lamp, but they don't work that way. They aren't made to heat the air in a room they are made to heat the object that the light shines on. You just can't measure the warmth that the chicks get from a heat lamp. You can only measure how well the infrared light is heating up your thermometer probe.

 

[Youngfamily1989]

So do you mean no matter what the temp change is outside you dont have to adjust the light fear of them getting to hot /
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[Mac in Wisco]

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Not as long as they can go under the heat lamp and get out from underneath it as necessary. They will regulate themselves. Obviously if it gets too hot in the entire room/coop/brooder and they can't escape the heat then you need to ventilate more or turn off the heat lamp if the area is getting too warm during the day.