Disaster in the Brooder- Averted! a warning...

[aceoftrumps]

This is a pic of the setup in my outside brooder...two 250 watt infrared lamps controlled by a thermostat...the thermostat comes from a burned out electric heater and works great...notice the holes drilled in the box the thermostat is mounted into for it to sense temps better. I've brooded 50 chicks in three batches with it so far without a problem. And that was through the winter.

Kurt

 

[aubreynoramarie]

my problem is that my brooder AND my coop are built into the mudroom of my house. this means that during the night the heat kicks on in there and the tempurature of the room is higher than during the day...so im trying to find a balance.

 

[nurseronda]

Wow! I never would have thought you could get the brooder hot enough to burst the thermometer. I use a thermoscanner that my husband uses when he fixes cars. Just point, push the button and it tells the heat wherever it's pointed.

 

[nurseshelly]

We had a problem when we first got our chicks because everyone local had recommended the 250 watt infrared bulb, but for my bathroom that is way too hot. Maybe they were thinking everyone here puts them outside in a brooder. Our house only gets down to 65 at night, and even then it was way too hot. We couldn't get the bulb far enough away, and the 50 gallon tote wasn't long enough to get far enough away either. So for us, indoors, a 45 watt infrared bulb is perfect (they have them at petsmart and petco in the reptile section). We just lower it a little at night, and have to put it about 10 inches away during the day.
Michele

 

[nurseronda]

Quote:
I thought my chicks wouldn't like the bright light while they slept, but when I tried to put in a dim warming light they just squawked and squawked loudly until I turned the bright light back on. I tried it 3 times and got the same result every time.

 

[aubreynoramarie]

yeah i am worried about how bright it is, but baby chicks can fall asleep ANYWHERE!

 

[smchickfarm]

Quote:
are u getting your chicks today????

 

[aubreynoramarie]

Quote:
are u getting your chicks today????

Yes!!! I will post picks tonight when I get home! How are your chicks doing??

 

[ARose4Heaven]

I would not trust anything with an automatic thermostat with my chicks.

We went to work one day, and came home to a HOT house. The walls were too hot to touch. The fish in my aquariums were cooked. The Christmas candles stored in boxes in a back closet had melted into puddles. Every thermometer in the house was permanently stuck all the way to the top. It damaged appliances and electronics throughout the house.

When we first moved in, we had one of those digital thermostats on our furnace, and it had gone bad. In one day, it burned all the propane in our big tank outside! We were so lucky to come home when we did. The furnace guy came within an hour, and said that with temps that high, we could have had a flash fire. He also discovered that the furnace was the wrong type for the way it was installed. We have not used the furnace since!!!!

 

[aubreynoramarie]

Holy crap! Glad you're all okay!