Heat Lamp alternatives

[Sallysec]

Thanks feathers.....I think husband approves ...he will be home tonight, so I will get to talk to him then.

 

[duckie mama]

we use 100warr light bulbs and they work great no risk of fire and the babies stay warm and toasty in the kitchen

 

[nova022]

So I am expecting my babies in a few week and this past weekend we set up a brooder in the house. I was very concerned about the heat lamp, but I use lamps for starting my seedlings and just thought It would be similar. I got a red bulb from the store after reading and plugged it in. The setup was basically a fifty gallon fish tank for a brooder for the first two weeks. I liked the idea of it being easy to see and clean etc etc. So I have the tank resting on a table which had a plastic tablecloth over it. Plugged in the lamp to make sure my thermometer was working and to get the lamp to a good height etc for when the chicks come. In like twenty minutes (just time to load my dishwasher in the next room) It melted the tablecloth under the tank. This completely freaked me out and I immediately unplugged it. Before this I was a little concerned with the heat lamp and the idea of a fire because we have had a fire in my home two years ago, and I still have nightmares about it. So I am really considering buying a Brinsea Ecoglow20. I feel silly making such a purchase for my bakers dozen chicks that are coming, as I don't expect to get anymore or need the ecoglow for more than one batch of babies. (Then again I originally ordered eight chicks, and wanted only six lol) SO chicken math may make the ecoglow worth it. Does anyone have any other recommendations. Obviously I do not have a mature hen that could be a broody for me....so that is out.

Anyone have any experience with the Ecoglow they want to share? I have read some about the company and some reviews of the product, but the more the merrier...

I feel like the cost is justifiable because of the peace of mind, but I really hate to explain that to my husband.

When I decided to get my first batch of day old chicks, I considered the Ecoglow20, but could not really justify the expense because I thought it would be a one time thing (silly me ). I went with a home made brooder my DH made from a Sterililte tub. He cut out the top and attached hardware cloth to it and then set an aluminum work light on top. I could not really change the height of the light so I changed the wattage of the bulbs. I started with a 100 watt and went down each week until they did not need a light to keep them warm. It worked fine.

 

[KnobbyOaks]

This is kinda strange question but considering we're talking about heat sources: I have the heat lamp set up and it's sufficient this week but next week, I will have to raise the height so much that I will be heating the room more than chicks. Then there's been the talk about the white light of a regular light bulb not being good for 24 hours at a time. I happen to have two green 60-watt light bulbs that I have had for-ev-er and think they could be put to good use to heat the chicks but I cannot find any reference in the major search engine to green light bulbs for heat. Does anyone know if the green color would be detrimental to the development of the chicks? Red seems to be a preferred choice but no mention of green.

Update: I finally found a thread in BYC asking if green was okay, so I decided to go ahead and try it. They seem very calm and normal. I will let y'all know how it goes.

 

[Sallysec]

Nova. Would you do it differently if you knew about chicken math...or are you happy with the alternative your husband and you found?

Knobby oaks, I think red is used because chickens don't see well in the red light and it makes it easier for them to sleep etc. green spectrum they can still see very well in....don't go with my answer though, this is just what I've heard and read myself. http://www.onceinnovations.com/downloads/spl.pdf

Best wishes,
S

 

[nova022]

Nova. Would you do it differently if you knew about chicken math...or are you happy with the alternative your husband and you found?
Knobby oaks, I think red is used because chickens don't see well in the red light and it makes it easier for them to sleep etc. green spectrum they can still see very well in....don't go with my answer though, this is just what I've heard and read myself. http://www.onceinnovations.com/downloads/spl.pdf
Best wishes,
S

Well chicken math got me.

I have more chicks on order. I will do it the same way using the tub and the different watt light bubls. It is inexpensive and works well.

 

[Sallysec]

Thanks for answering, I keep hearing that I will makeup for thecostin energy savings onmy electric bill. Tomorrow is decision day ...will let everyone know what we decide .

 

[cowcreekgeek]

I rarely do things the same as others do, although what I'm suggesting here ain't absolutely the *best* way ... before I set aside those two heat lamps, I considered raising and lowering them as most folks do. But, still? Wildly varied temperatures.

So, I used two ceramic fixtures, wired in series (sorta like old-fashioned Christmas lights). This allows each light to limit the voltage that reaches the other -- i.e. two lamps of the same wattage/type drops 1/2 of the voltage, causing it to operate at half it's normal voltage of 117. The result is roughly 1/2 the output.

I do NOT believe lowering infrared lamps below 18" was *ever* a good idea.

Currently, I am running a 75W floodlight over my new chicks, and a 100W incandescent bulb over the older keets -- my outdoor brooder isn't conventional, and is highly efficient with the heat generated. The lower wattage bulb receives the most voltage, which causes it to burn brighter than the other. Prior to the arrival of the chicks, I was using a 250W bulb in the empty side, which barely glows when a 125W heat lamp is in the other side (still produces a bit of heat, but limits the flow of current through *both* bulbs, causing them to burn less brightly).

My fixtures have a steel can w/ small holes, to help the metal dissipate heat from the bulb's base, which is attached to an oak strip that hangs on two chains from the brooder's heat chamber, such that there is about 20" between the lowest part of the bulb and the brooder floor. I have a box filled with different wattage/types of bulbs, which I change out depending upon the weather. Again? Not perfect, but it works just fine.

One concern, in regard to both heat lamps in general, and most esp. what I'm doin' w/ 'em is that the light emitted may be harmful to our eyes, and/or theirs -- not sure what may happen to the spectrum of light generated when these bulbs are operated at lower than anticipated voltages. SoOo, folks, do this at your own risk ~'-)

[edit] Make that *two* concerns: When one light's element fails, the other lamp also goes out (just like old-fashioned Christmas lights). I'm thinkin' of adding additional fixtures, on extra runs, so that it may get cooler, but the brooder never goes completely black. [/edit]

 

[omaeve]

Thanks for answering, I keep hearing that I will makeup for thecostin energy savings onmy electric bill. Tomorrow is decision day ...will let everyone know what we decide .

remember when dh builds coop alow 12 feet per chicken..then you can always buy a few more

 

[Sallysec]

remember when dh builds coop alow 12 feet per chicken..then you can always buy a few more

Lol check out my signature..original idea was for a few..half dozen maybe...then we ordered eight .....the lady on the phone told me I had plenty of room....two weeks go by and I'm calling them back and ordering more...one by one I see more I like. Postal man told me to expect 20% to be dead .

Current order is 13 and husband says order the ecoglow. If he hadn't been home that morning almost three years ago, we would have lost the entire house, but he put out and held back the fire to just one room, so we consider ourselves lucky. Now he is working during the week, and with two small children, I can't take the risk . We have dogs and a nosy cat and the last thing I want is a knocked over heat lamp.