Brooder too hot!

[katiegoodrow]

Hello! We just got our first chicks today. The brooder is a large plastic tote in one of our main rooms in the house. We got the suggested red 250watt bulb and it's just too hot for them! We had to raise it maybe 3 feet above them for them to finally settle down. So what watt bulb should I get instead? Also they are in a main room that's very bright and my kids constantly checking on them, could this be too over stimulating for them? Thanks!

 

[BonRae67]

Welcome to BYC. It sounds like just a 60 watt bulb would work. How warm is it in the house? Plastic holds the heat really well, as ther are not "open" walls for the air to circulate or a breeze to blow through. The kids are fine if they are not handling them a whole lot and just checking on them. You could designate a time that the babies are "sleeping" so they can rest. I have done that and it works good. Good luck with them.

 

[curious chickee]

I had to use a 75 watt bulb because anything higher was to hot. Now I only use it at night since it is 90 degrees outside during the day.

 

[katiegoodrow]

The house is around 73 degrees. I figured the box was holding in a lot of heat. Would putting some holes in the sides help as well?

 

[enola]

Use a smaller bulb. A regular household bulb will work just fine.

 

[curious chickee]

It could help but probably not enough, I would use a smaller wattage