For my brooder set up I need...

[michellerene]

A cardboard box
Some pine shavings
A couple of shallow dishes for chick mash & water
A thermometer
Chick mash

A heat lamp w/reflector??? Can anyone help me on this part-- what exactly do I need here? A standing lamp? A clip-on lamp? How do you adjust it to change the temp each week?

Anything else? I want to have everything all set up before I go fall in love with baby chicks at the feed store!

 

[Saltiena]

you do need a heat lamp, you can get the "brooder" lamp at any place where they sell lizards, or at a local feed store a reflector isn't neccassary, but in order to change the temp, most people devise a plan to move the lamp up and down on a stand of some sort, but me, i was smart i used a dimmeer that i got at home dpot or lowes (can't remember which but im sure there at both) all it is is a table top lamp dimmer, you plug the dimmer into the wall, then plug the heat lamp into it, it much easier all you have to do is move the slider, simple! goodluck with your flock

 

[michellerene]

Clever idea on the dimmer! I'll have to pick one of those up. Thanks!

 

[Saltiena]

Youre welcome

 

[arwmommy]

Yeah, Saltiena, killer idea!!!! Gosh I love this board!!

Going to Home Depot to get mine tomorrow!!!

 

[mudhen]

Dimmer! Great idea (another 'duh!' why didn't I think of that?)
I kept changing the light bulbs from 150 to 100 to 75, to 60...sheesh...a dimmer!
Thank you for the tip, Saltiena !

I feel the same way, arwmommy, jsut love this board and the community of folks that make it what it is!

Not a day goes by that I don't learn something new here at BYC!!

 

[MTchick]

You don't really need a heat lamp if you have a small number of chicks and a small brooder. You can easily get to the right temperature with a standard light bulb (about 150w) if it is in an enclosed space. I never had a problem just using a desk lamp and 150w bulb because my brooder was always in a room temperature space and so the brooder only needed a small boost.

However, a heat lamp is kind of a good investment if you are planning to provide winter heat in the coop once the hens are out there. So it isn't like its a waste, I'd think.

-MTchick

 

[michellerene]

Okay, good. I'm only planning on bringing back 6... so a 150 watt light bulb and a regular 'ol desk lamp-- like a metal one with the long arm you can adjust up or down? Would that work?

 

[MTchick]

Really easy way to check- do a dry run. Set up the whole brooder (shavings, box, lamp) and stick a thermometer on the shavings under the lamp. Wait an hour. It it reads 95 to 105, you are fine. If, like mine was on the first try, it reads higher than that make the lamp farther away from the shavings (phone books under the base to elevate it works nicely) or find a lower wattage bulb. If it is below 95, you need a hotter bulb, lower bulb, or a heat shield to reflect more heat downwards. I made a shield out of aluminum foil that worked incredibly well- just folded it over, made a little hat for the lamp, and that was it.

Remember- it needs to be cooler on the non-heated side so the chicks can pick their environment temperature. That is why it can be 105 under the lamp as long as it is about 80 on the other side of the box.

-MTchick

 

[catballou24]

hey michelle...we have a clip on reflector lamp we got when we got our first batch of chicks a couple years ago. it worked well...but i agree if you are only getting a few then you don't need that much heat...

i'm so excited about you getting chicks! woo hoo!! tell j he needs to get started on coop plans though...they will grow before you know it and you'll want them outside! LOL