I have a digital thermometer in my brooder that I can read on a remote set up next to my bed. For the last week I've been waking up frequently in the night to check the temperature, and have been aghast at unexplained spikes in temperature, way up to 99 degrees! I lurch out of bed, dial down the lamp, return to bed, check the temp, rats! now it's too low! and the whole cycle repeats.
I couldn't figure it out. When empty, the brooder stays steady pretty much where I set it. Fully on, the ceramic bulb heats up to a toasty 95, but since our chicks are now a week old, I've dialed it back to around 88-90.
Well, finally I figured out what was going on. The digital thermometer is a little box that I put on the towel under the brooder lamp. Sometimes the chicks cuddle up against this box, and that makes the temperature spike.
Mystery solved. Maybe now I can get some sleep. I'm pooped out.
I couldn't figure it out. When empty, the brooder stays steady pretty much where I set it. Fully on, the ceramic bulb heats up to a toasty 95, but since our chicks are now a week old, I've dialed it back to around 88-90.
Well, finally I figured out what was going on. The digital thermometer is a little box that I put on the towel under the brooder lamp. Sometimes the chicks cuddle up against this box, and that makes the temperature spike.
Mystery solved. Maybe now I can get some sleep. I'm pooped out.