Freaking Out - Safety Question

[Wickedchicken6]

How old r the chicks? If they are over a week...u don't need the temp to be 95. If its nice and warm were u r...u can raise the lamp a bit more. If its nice and warm were u r..and u have them in a draft free location 90 will still b fine..chicks also have each other and will pile up in a corner. Raise the lamp a bit if u are worried...wont hurt. U don't want it to be to hot..chicks will get pasty butt. If the chicks r stressed when they come in ..keep it at 95 for a few days until they are better.

If it's a couple of chicks it may not happen, but you don't really want chicks piling up on each other. Sometimes you get dead flattened chicks from pileups.

 

[Wawa Coffee]

How old r the chicks? If they are over a week...u don't need the temp to be 95. If its nice and warm were u r...u can raise the lamp a bit more. If its nice and warm were u r..and u have them in a draft free location 90 will still b fine..chicks also have each other and will pile up in a corner. Raise the lamp a bit if u are worried...wont hurt. U don't want it to be to hot..chicks will get pasty butt. If the chicks r stressed when they come in ..keep it at 95 for a few days until they are better.

Thanks for the tips! Chicks shipped yesterday, so assuming 95° for a few and then I'll lower it.

 

[Ridgerunner]

You are wise to not depend on that clamp, that's where most of the problems come from. Even when I expand that photo I can't tell exactly how you have it attached to the lamp. Make very sure the chain cannot come undone at either end and you will have addressed the biggest risk.

I never did see where you say what wattage that bulb is. As others have said, you can use lower powered bulbs if you wish. Even with a 250 that looks safe to me. I don't know how long you left it on but the wood should char and turn black long before it bursts into flame. Sometimes you can cause more problems by trying to fix something than by leaving it alone. I believe in keeping it as simple as you can, there is less to go wrong.

The best way to tell how well you are doing on temperature is to watch the chicks. If they are lined up as far from the light as they can get and panting it is too warm. If they are huddled as close to the light as they can get they are too cold. If they are cold they should be giving a plaintive peep too. That's a heart-rending steady peep that tells you something is wrong, once you hear it you recognize it. The first two or three days mine tend to stick pretty close to the heat but after a few days they should be roaming around the brooder.

I've raised chicks in my brooder in the coop with outside temperatures sometimes below freezing or with outside temperatures around 100 for a high. I've watched broody hens raise chicks, not in freezing temps but with lows in the 40's plus in the heat of summer, a wide range of temps. Earlier this year I had a broody hen wean her chicks at three weeks. She left them on their own to make their own way with the flock, including keeping themselves warm at night. They had a dry place to stay that was totally out of the wind and made it through nights with lows around 50 F. Those chicks are tremendously tougher than people give them credit for.

I understand it is your first time and you are a worrier. I would be too until I gained experience. I probably wouldn't trust a stranger over the internet like me either. But you are brooding in your house with an ambient temperature probably in the 70's F. You do not have the temperature swings a broody hen has to deal with or those of us that brood outside have to manage. All you need to worry about is to provide one small area that is warm enough. The far reaches of that brooder could be in the 40's or 50's and they would be OK as long as they have a warm place to go to so they can warm up. Your chicks will let you know how you are doing. Looking at that you are doing fine.

One thing about that brooder that does worry me. I've seen two week old chicks fly up vertically two feet and horizontally three feet. A broody hen told them to fly up to a roost and they did. I'd give some serious thoughts on how to cover that so the chicks can't fly out unless you have Silkies that can't fly. That doesn't mean they will fly out but what often happens is that they fly up to perch in the edge and hop down on the wrong side. A hardware cloth frame could be a good fix, plus that gives you another safeguard that the lamp cannot fall into the brooder. But don't just set the lamp on top, secure it so it cannot fall when you or the kids bump into it.

 

[andreanar]

To make things easier, I would lay some paper towels over those shavings. I had 1 chick eating them and it was a problem. Plus, it was easy to clean, just roll up the towels and toss.

 

[Wawa Coffee]

You are wise to not depend on that clamp, that's where most of the problems come from. Even when I expand that photo I can't tell exactly how you have it attached to the lamp. Make very sure the chain cannot come undone at either end and you will have addressed the biggest risk.

I never did see where you say what wattage that bulb is. As others have said, you can use lower powered bulbs if you wish. Even with a 250 that looks safe to me. I don't know how long you left it on but the wood should char and turn black long before it bursts into flame. Sometimes you can cause more problems by trying to fix something than by leaving it alone. I believe in keeping it as simple as you can, there is less to go wrong.

The best way to tell how well you are doing on temperature is to watch the chicks. If they are lined up as far from the light as they can get and panting it is too warm. If they are huddled as close to the light as they can get they are too cold. If they are cold they should be giving a plaintive peep too. That's a heart-rending steady peep that tells you something is wrong, once you hear it you recognize it. The first two or three days mine tend to stick pretty close to the heat but after a few days they should be roaming around the brooder.

I've raised chicks in my brooder in the coop with outside temperatures sometimes below freezing or with outside temperatures around 100 for a high. I've watched broody hens raise chicks, not in freezing temps but with lows in the 40's plus in the heat of summer, a wide range of temps. Earlier this year I had a broody hen wean her chicks at three weeks. She left them on their own to make their own way with the flock, including keeping themselves warm at night. They had a dry place to stay that was totally out of the wind and made it through nights with lows around 50 F. Those chicks are tremendously tougher than people give them credit for.

I understand it is your first time and you are a worrier. I would be too until I gained experience. I probably wouldn't trust a stranger over the internet like me either. But you are brooding in your house with an ambient temperature probably in the 70's F. You do not have the temperature swings a broody hen has to deal with or those of us that brood outside have to manage. All you need to worry about is to provide one small area that is warm enough. The far reaches of that brooder could be in the 40's or 50's and they would be OK as long as they have a warm place to go to so they can warm up. Your chicks will let you know how you are doing. Looking at that you are doing fine.

One thing about that brooder that does worry me. I've seen two week old chicks fly up vertically two feet and horizontally three feet. A broody hen told them to fly up to a roost and they did. I'd give some serious thoughts on how to cover that so the chicks can't fly out unless you have Silkies that can't fly. That doesn't mean they will fly out but what often happens is that they fly up to perch in the edge and hop down on the wrong side. A hardware cloth frame could be a good fix, plus that gives you another safeguard that the lamp cannot fall into the brooder. But don't just set the lamp on top, secure it so it cannot fall when you or the kids bump into it.

It's a 250 watt bulb. Too late to switch today, but I will look into a different one. I have an old screen for the top of the brooder so nobody gets out. Right now when I put my hand on the plywood or the drywall near it it's barely warm so I think I'm okay. Can you link a different bulb that would do the trick but be safer?

 

[Ridgerunner]

No links but I found some on an internet search. I've found 75 and 125 watt red heat lamp bulbs at a hardware store but that was years ago. All I've found at Tractor Supply or Lowe's is the 250, quite frustrating. It doesn't have to be a red heat lamp bulb, an incandescent bulb can work if you can find one. With all the emphasis on LED that can sometimes be a challenge. You want one that heats up. Lowe's, Home Depot, or a hardware store are probably your best bets. The heat lamp base is made to take the heat so it's good to use, just make sure the bulb base is the right size. Other lamp fixtures could overheat.

If that wood is barely warm to the touch you don't have a combustion problem from the lamp being close. That 250 will work.

When they are about three weeks old try turning the heat off during the day when they have light and see how they react. You may find you don't need heat at all. If you do it at night they may be scared of the dark so try it during the day.

 

[HenOnAJuneBug]

It's probably OK, but I'd move the lamp at least 3-4 inches away from the wood (may be that way already, can't tell) and put some kind of metal reflective surface on the interior wood face closest to the lamp. Aluminum foil would probably work. Reflecting the heat into the brooder will heat it up more and keep the wood beneath it from absorbing as much heat.

 

[Wawa Coffee]

No links but I found some on an internet search. I've found 75 and 125 watt red heat lamp bulbs at a hardware store but that was years ago. All I've found at Tractor Supply or Lowe's is the 250, quite frustrating. It doesn't have to be a red heat lamp bulb, an incandescent bulb can work if you can find one. With all the emphasis on LED that can sometimes be a challenge. You want one that heats up. Lowe's, Home Depot, or a hardware store are probably your best bets. The heat lamp base is made to take the heat so it's good to use, just make sure the bulb base is the right size. Other lamp fixtures could overheat.

If that wood is barely warm to the touch you don't have a combustion problem from the lamp being close. That 250 will work.

When they are about three weeks old try turning the heat off during the day when they have light and see how they react. You may find you don't need heat at all. If you do it at night they may be scared of the dark so try it during the day.

Another thought I had was that in 3 or 4 weeks we're in August, and paying to keep a heat lamp plugged in to give them ~80° when it's 90° outside seems a little nutty. I built this box on castor's so I can wheel it right outside for short periods during the day. Then I'll move them to the coop shortly after that if they're feathered out.

 

[lazy gardener]

Also, realize that you don't need to keep them at the "under the brooder light" temp all the time. Mama broody takes her chicks out even in very early spring, when the mornings may still be frosty. Those chicks tumble all over the place, and only intermittently go back under her to warm up. Just an other thought to consider: many of us use heating pads to brood chicks: it's easier on the chicks b/c it provides a much more natural environment. Easier on the electric bill, and much safer.

After the first day or two when they are all settled and acting fine, you can turn the lamp off for increasingly longer periods of time until they are going all day without the lamp. by 3 weeks, they should be off the lamp full time if still inside. By 4 weeks they should be fine outside full time in summer temps.

 

[Wawa Coffee]

Also, realize that you don't need to keep them at the "under the brooder light" temp all the time. Mama broody takes her chicks out even in very early spring, when the mornings may still be frosty. Those chicks tumble all over the place, and only intermittently go back under her to warm up. Just an other thought to consider: many of us use heating pads to brood chicks: it's easier on the chicks b/c it provides a much more natural environment. Easier on the electric bill, and much safer.

After the first day or two when they are all settled and acting fine, you can turn the lamp off for increasingly longer periods of time until they are going all day without the lamp. by 3 weeks, they should be off the lamp full time if still inside. By 4 weeks they should be fine outside full time in summer temps.

Great - thanks. This is the timeline I was hoping to follow.