Fire Hazard?

[Saroco]

I heard that you are suppose to put paper towles in the bottom of the brooder to keep the chicks from eating the shavings....But isn't that dangerous?? I don't want to fry my babies! How high over the chicks should I keep the heat lamp?

Just wondering. This is my first time raising chicks, and they are coming tomorrow!!!

 

[rebelcowboysnb]

High enough for a thermometer laying on the paper towels to read 90 to 95*F.

 

[amydurose]

I wouldn't put paper towels or wood shavings, paper towels can be slippery and move especially on a glass brooder and can cause sprawled legs

 

[amydurose]

Spraddled not sprawled silly predictive text

 

[woodmort]

Quote:
Where did OP say anything about a glass brooder? Paper towels are standard for the first couple of days to keep the chicks from eating shavings. After they know what to eat and can find it, you can take them away. I brood my chicks on a wooden floor which I cover with newspaper--have been told that will cause spraddle leg too but in 25 years haven't had a single case. Your heat source shouldn't fry your birds as long as it is high enough to keep the temperature directly under it at 95 for the first week or so--then you can gradually raise it to lower the temperature by 5 degrees or so a week. The chicks will tell you by their actions and voice whether they are warm enough--if they huddle under the heat and peeping really loud, they're too cold, if the are bunched up at the edges away from the source too warm, if they are just wandering all around and peeping softly, they are just right. They don't need a constant 95 degrees every place 24/7 after all when they are raise by a hen they run all over the place and just go under her when they get chilly. Good luck, it is a scary thing but mostly works out okay--there are a lot more successes than failures--you just hear about the failures.

 

[amydurose]

She didn't mention a glass brooder she didn't say what kind she had. I was merely saying paper towels in a glass brooder are not so good. I've learned from experience as I have a baby chick with spraddled legs now and used paper towels. I don't know if the towels caused it or not I was advised they did. I still feel a little guilty even if the paper towels didn't cause it

 

[amydurose]

On a lighter note I'm loving the chick names

 

[SassyKat6181]

I put paper towels over the wood chips for the first few days so they would know to eat their food. I bought a roll of select-a-size and fit them to the brooder. I put two or three rows only under the food and water and left the area under the heat lamp just wood chips. I changed them twice a day, as chicks poop A LOT, and it made for much easier cleanup too. This seemed to work great for me and mine are now 3 weeks.

 

[Saroco]

My brooder is made of wafer board.... No glass...

Thank you everybody for the comments! I think I'll keep the paper towles in there until they figure out what is food and what isn't.

p.s Thank you amydurose, I like their names too.