Can I use a plastic storage bin with my heat lamp?

[aart]

How do you know when it’s time?

Go by behavior, use a thermometer to help you learn.
Here's my Chick Heat Blurb:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/aarts-chick-heat-blurb.75619/

 

[DevKY]

Just recently some wrote to the forums about using a plastic bin and heat lamp. They were using that system and their chick was showing signs of being overheated even though the temperature was what they were told it should be. Problem is a chick does not have to be at 90 degrees all the time. They need an area that is 10 to 15 degrees cooler to go to if they feel they are hot. A bin like that holds in all the heat and gives the chick no escape from all that heat.

The person who wrote in solved the issue by getting a bin that was twice as large. No more chicks panting. A heat lamp is really over kill for a plastic bin. A regular light bulb would probably do just fine without getting too hot. That is what I used the first time I had chicks.

The best thing you could have done is not buy a heat lamp in the first place. Heat lamps can be very dangerous and can cause fires. A brooding plate is so much nicer and better and the chicks can decide when and if they want heat. Without a light on 24 hours a day they also can sleep at night like they should.

A brooding plate is a square heating plate with legs at all 4 corners. You adjust the height of the legs so that the chicks can put their backs against the plate. You raise the plate as the chicks grow. No light on all the time. It was scary using one the first time. The chicks tend to be so content that they are quiet. I was not used to quiet chicks.

I have my babies in a plastic bin with a regular light, but this brooding plate sounds great! Where can I find one? Are they super expensive? Thanks!

 

[Birdsong 82]

Aha! That’s the kind of stuff I haven’t figured out...when to stop with the heat lamp or make it lower temp. How do you know when it’s time?

I'm sure there's a way better science so somebody else's advice might be better personally I back it up about 5° a week until it's only needed maybe at night At methods always worked well for me but again I'm sure there's a much better science to it

 

[BalesBgarb]

Not sure how old the chicks are but while they're still little they need access to the heat source all the time, so don't shut it off on them.



You don't need to rinse it or clean it. That's what the bedding is for, to catch and contain the poop. Just toss the cardboard or compost it once you're done.



Unless you live in arctic type climates, there's no need to heat the coop, so you don't have to worry about that (unless you really do live in the arctic!)

So how many chicks do you have? That coop holds 2, if even that, so if you have more than 2, you're going to need to plan on expanding this somehow. There's also no ventilation whatsoever so some needs to be added (I like that they claim that gaps in the wood floor count as ventilation - they don't).

If you have an empty barn stall, that could make for an amazing coop...

Not sure how old the chicks are but while they're still little they need access to the heat source all the time, so don't shut it off on them.



You don't need to rinse it or clean it. That's what the bedding is for, to catch and contain the poop. Just toss the cardboard or compost it once you're done.



Unless you live in arctic type climates, there's no need to heat the coop, so you don't have to worry about that (unless you really do live in the arctic!)

So how many chicks do you have? That coop holds 2, if even that, so if you have more than 2, you're going to need to plan on expanding this somehow. There's also no ventilation whatsoever so some needs to be added (I like that they claim that gaps in the wood floor count as ventilation - they don't).

If you have an empty barn stall, that could make for an amazing coop...

I have 4 chicks born around the first week of April. How would you arrange that in the barn? There’s so many predators in the barn. I’m nervous. I read all the reviews for this coop I bought and asked questions on amazon and over 20 people said it was a great space for 4 full for what hens and that there was enough ventilation because the boards are not air tight. Could I put that in a barn stall and have them sleep in it at night? That’s what I want. Locked up safe from the cats mice groundhog and raccoon. They all get in there. How have chickens survived on farms for so long!

 

[BalesBgarb]

I'm sure there's a way better science so somebody else's advice might be better personally I back it up about 5° a week until it's only needed maybe at night At methods always worked well for me but again I'm sure there's a much better science to it

How do you measure the temperature in the brooder?

 

[Birdsong 82]

I go to the hardware store and even found them at the dollar store are very small thermometers and I just stick it to the bottom. They're not digital or just the tile ones because I feel like they're more accurate and anytime I've used a digital one my luck has been the batteries die in like a day or two. The really small ones are great because they don't take up much room and I can buy three or four because they're like less than two dollars apiece. But I like to have the thermometer near the bottom because that's what they are feeling. Sometimes if it's large enough I'll stick one on each end

 

[Birdsong 82]

These are the ones I like to use. They even come with a little sticky tab on the bottom. Just cheap and simple but works Apparently cats like them too. Ha ha

 

[BalesBgarb]

Ok old school thermometers got it. This is so helpful thank you

 

[BalesBgarb]

View attachment 2105544
These are the ones I like to use. They even come with a little sticky tab on the bottom. Just cheap and simple but works Apparently cats like them too. Ha ha

Meow!

 

[BalesBgarb]

Wow, you are getting lots of answers and opinions! First off, welcome to BYC! When we got our chicks, we did use a plastic tub, and we started them in the house. February in Missouri is cold and wet! We used a red heat lamp rated for livestock (so not Teflon-coated!), and we put the bin in a closet (open, of course!) with the lamp attached to the closet rod high above, so the temp in the bin was 95°F at one end. We wanted the other end a little cooler, where the feeder and waterer were. We knew we needed to lower the temp by 5° each week so we scooted the bin out into the room a little further gradually. We kept them in the house about three weeks.

We had a shed to move them into at that point, and the heat lamp went out there with them as the nights were still pretty chilly. They did just fine and are now about ten weeks old.

thank you! I guess it’s time to start lowering my heat lamp down 5 degrees. The little gals are getting spoiled. I know these hens will be hearty and the Miller said they’ll be fine in the winter but I’m still so worried. I have read so much that my head is exploding and I’m thinking, “people have raised chickens forever stop freaking out”. But I’m still anxious as heck