Heat lamp? Cheaper way to heat?

[click cluck]

The heat plate is basically the eco glow that TCCL mentioned, AKA an electric hen. I highly recommend the comfort heat plate made by Premier. There’s a good article on this site somewhere about MHP method. I’ve never tried it but many of the experts on this site highly recommend it. Both methods are cheaper, safer and closer to the natural way than a heat lamp so it’s worth bearing in mind for next time

Will do! Thank you!

 

[debid]

Here's the honest truth, nobody needs a 250W bulb in a human house. At all, ever. The 120W would be good for new hatches but at this point, you should be dialing it down, too. Do you have a dimmer cord? They should be off heat at indoor temps by now but you may have delayed their feathering by overheating so back it down according to their behavior.

 

[kwhites634]

MHP.

Precisely! I'd have said the same thing if I'd still been up to read it last night.

 

[Sublight]

Here's the honest truth, nobody needs a 250W bulb in a human house. At all, ever. The 120W would be good for new hatches but at this point, you should be dialing it down, too. Do you have a dimmer cord? They should be off heat at indoor temps by now but you may have delayed their feathering by overheating so back it down according to their behavior.

I was thinking the same thing. I have some 1.5 week old chicks that have very few feathers. Their flight feathers are still pin feathers, and they have almost nothing on their tail. I don't KNOW where they should be, but I know when I have a broody, I am amazed how fast they grow feathers.

 

[kwhites634]

Again, wish I knew about these methods, Ill make a note of that and if I find one ill buy it for future use, Ill see how the 120watt bulb works. Thanks for the reply!

You can make the MHP (Momma Heating Pad) yourself with an electric heating pad...without the automatic control), a scrap of welded wire or hardware cloth, and a face towel. You'll probably find details in the Articles section of this site.

 

[lazy gardener]

In my house its like 70 but at night it goes to 65, they are in my living room.

I am telling you honestly that we baby our chicks too much. Turn off the light, wait 1o to 15 minutes. I honestly believe that your chicks will never make a sound beyond the first few minutes. That is only being startled that the light suddenly went out.

THIS!

I'm sure your right, we do baby our animals lol. I'll see how the 120 watt bulb goes and in a day or two I'll see about removing the light, I just want to wait till the smallest have a little more feathers. Thanks for the advice!!

Part of raising chicks is weaning them from heat. So many folks forget that crucial step. Starting in the second week, if the chicks are using a heat lamp, and especially if they are inside, it's important to turn that lamp off for increasingly longer periods of time. Consider this: Mama broody has her chicks out running all over the yard by the time they are 2 days old. They do not have a heat lamp, and they only scoot under her now and then to warm up a bit... Then, they are off and running again.

Since you have not started weaning them, I suggest that you step down to a 60 - 75W bulb. And immediately start weaning them from the light. By the end of the weekend, they can and should be off the light completely if they are in your house.

Here's the honest truth, nobody needs a 250W bulb in a human house. At all, ever. The 120W would be good for new hatches but at this point, you should be dialing it down, too. Do you have a dimmer cord? They should be off heat at indoor temps by now but you may have delayed their feathering by overheating so back it down according to their behavior.

@click cluck I do hope that you don't feel like you are being attacked by all of this advice. You are caught in the middle between being a cautious new chick owner, and believing the hype of the feed store employees who are anxious to sell those heat lamps and those 250W bulbs, versus the experience of those of us who have brooded multiple batches of chicks and have learned from experience that there is a better and safer way. Thing is, many of those employees have NEVER raised a chick, and don't have the knowledge to differentiate between farm style chick management: Where chicks are being raised 50 to HUNDREDS at a time IN A BARN. In that case, if heat lamps are employed, the 250W bulb would be necessary. Compared to back yard style: where the typical home owner puts their chicks in a rubbermaid tote and broods them in the living room. BTW, IMO, plastic tote + heat lamp are often called Easy Bake Ovens b/c of the likelihood of overheating the chicks.

My chicks are brooded outside with MHP. They wean themselves off heat without my intervention. By the time they are 4 - 5 weeks old, they are completely off heat, with night time temps going down to 30's!

 

[debid]

I started with heat lamps outdoors. I found the 175W I had too hot for the relatively small container (18"*4', I think it was). I used a 100W after week one. And this was in freezing cold weather! My biggest issue was when the weather would warm up during the day and 100W was too much. It was still cold at night so I'd have to shut it off and then remember to turn it back on at dusk. This year, I built a MHP and it was SO MUCH EASIER and as others have found, they abandoned their MHP in favor of the cold roost at 4-5 weeks (I had mixed ages but they moved as a group). I understand your reluctance to build one or buy a pre-made contact type heater for the brief period remaining. But, if you will raise more in the future, it would be easy enough to move them to their coop with the new MHP and be done with the living room mess as well as ready for next time. Just my 2 cents.

 

[click cluck]

Here's the honest truth, nobody needs a 250W bulb in a human house. At all, ever. The 120W would be good for new hatches but at this point, you should be dialing it down, too. Do you have a dimmer cord? They should be off heat at indoor temps by now but you may have delayed their feathering by overheating so back it down according to their behavior.

I don't have a dimmer cord. And I agree they are fine with the 120watt and its really almost no heat, just light I'll be taking that away soon. I will watch them, thanks for the reply!

 

[click cluck]

You can make the MHP (Momma Heating Pad) yourself with an electric heating pad...without the automatic control), a scrap of welded wire or hardware cloth, and a face towel. You'll probably find details in the Articles section of this site.

Yes I did look at a few articles last night about it, I'm new to raising chickens so I got suckered this time lol. Next time ill use one of those! thanks for the info!

 

[bekkanblue]

Premiere1 has a heat plate too. I've got two and love them! Durable too. They somehow spent last winter out in the yard under a snow bank. Still work! Great things to have!!