Chicks Coming Tomorrow-18 or 24" height for lamp? & Bleach?

[Hatrick]

Alright so, I thought that I had read somewhere that the lamp should be 18-24" from the floor of the brooder, however my heat lamp says that it MUST be 24" from combustibles. I'm assuming that pine shavings (and baby chicks for that matter) are combustible?

As well, I used bleach to clean out the very large aquarium that we're using for a brooder because it's prior use was for turtles. I'm going to wipe it out with water several more times but what kinds of cleaner can I use in the future? Is bleach alright?

So nervous...and excited!

 

[chirpchirp]

idk- but i am wondering the same thing about cleaning, my chicks come in june. good luck to you, hope they arrive safe and healthy!

 

[LilRalphieRoosmama]

I use a 250 watt red bulb heat lamp. I brood in the basement and hang the lamp from chains & "s" hooks from the beams. This lets me adjust it up or down as needed. Put a thermometer in the aquarium about the same height as the chicks and you'll know if it's right. Anywhere from 85-95 is fine and if you have more than 6 chicks, you need less heat because they'll huddle together. Less chicks, more heat. Also, don't use shavings for the first week or so. Lay newspaper down and then paper towels over the newspaper. This helps them get their footing and learn where their food is. Once they know what food is, then you can use the shavings. Good luck with your new babies!

 

[LilRalphieRoosmama]

chirpchirp - if your chicks are coming in June, you may not need 250 watts - 150 or less might be fine depending on your weather.

I forgot to add, just make sure your brooder is big enough that they can get away from the heat if they're too warm. I use a big plastic tub/bin like for clothing storage and it works great.

 

[ksalvagno]

What about white vinegar diluted in water to clean it? Many people use that for rabbits since rabbits are very sensitive to odors. I am new to chickens so I have no idea if it would be safe for them though.

 

[briteday]

Bleach...I'm a huge bleach fan after many years of working in medical labs. And it's the cheapest sanitation you'll find. However, when using around anything that you want to breathe in the cleaned space, you must rinse well, and then rinse some more. You will know when you have rinsed enough when the "slick" feeling is gone from the surface your are cleaning. Try running your finger across something that is wet...has just been cleaned with bleach. It will feel slick. If you rinse enough the slick feeling goes away. After rinsing properly then let the item air dry so that the remaining bleach oxidizes and breaks down.

Light for heat...Most paper burns around 450 degrees F. And I bought a 250 red bulb for my brooder, a cardboard box, and found that I couldn't hang the lamp high enough to get the temperature DOWN to 95 degrees. And I was heating my entire home office with that bulb. So I went to the petstore and bought a 75 watt reptile red bulb for heat. That worked great with the lamp about 15-24 inches off the floor of the brooder. The second batch of chicks this Spring got 100 and then 60 watt regular light bulbs in their brooders. They were a little more difficult to regulate, the office kind of glows in the dark all night long!, and we did have one case of feather picking in this batch. So I vote for the reptile bulb. Also, be sure that your brooder lamp has a ceramic (not plastic) socket where the bulb screws in to the fixture. The ceramic one will stay cool to the touch (the fixture, not the metal reflector) and the plastic one might actually begin to melt...fire???

 

[photo chick]

I'm a total newby to chicks but I just read tonight that if you use bleach to clean you MUST let it air out for at least 48 hours.

 

[Hatrick]

Well that's not going to happen cause they're coming today at 2pm. Bah. Oh well.

 

[txredneckmedic]

I just use a 75 watt red bulb from walmart....worked great for mine

 

[Big dreams]

Quote:
As long as you rinsed it good there should not be a problem.. You are lucky your getting little ones

mine are all growing up