Heat Lamp Help!

[Sbatts9073]

We just got 6 baby chicks today. We bought the 250w heat lamp from the store. This is too hot for the chicks. I have switched it out with a 60w regular bulb that we had. However the temp in the brooder is at 90* now. They are in our garage (eastern NC area) with a space heater on. I’m worried that it’s not 95*. We are getting a flat heater tomorrow afternoon, just need to find a good solution for the night. Thanks for your help!

 

[DobieLover]

We just got 6 baby chicks today. We bought the 250w heat lamp from the store. This is too hot for the chicks. I have switched it out with a 60w regular bulb that we had. However the temp in the brooder is at 90* now. They are in our garage (eastern NC area) with a space heater on. I’m worried that it’s not 95*. We are getting a flat heater tomorrow afternoon, just need to find a good solution for the night. Thanks for your help!

Hello and welcome to BYC!

It's not the end of the world if it isn't exactly 95F.
Pay attention to their behavior. If they are huddled and cheeping, they are cold.
If they are as far away from the heat source as possible with their wings held away from their bodies, they are hot.
If they are active and eating and drinking, they are fine.
Enjoy your chicks!

 

[A_Fowl_Guy]

Hello and welcome to BYC!

It's not the end of the world if it isn't exactly 95F.
Pay attention to their behavior. If they are huddled and cheeping, they are cold.
If they are as far away from the heat source as possible with their wings held away from their bodies, they are hot.
If they are active and eating and drinking, they are fine.
Enjoy your chicks!

Make sure you also have a cool spot where your chicks can escape the heat.

 

[Sbatts9073]

Hello and welcome to BYC!

It's not the end of the world if it isn't exactly 95F.
Pay attention to their behavior. If they are huddled and cheeping, they are cold.
If they are as far away from the heat source as possible with their wings held away from their bodies, they are hot.
If they are active and eating and drinking, they are fine.
Enjoy your chicks!

Thank you! I moved them into our laundry room (I think the concrete floor was cooling it down). They are now in there with the 60w & space heater. It’s heating back up. All but 1 are sleeping (somewhat together). So I guess they are doing ok!

 

[GC-Raptor]

I use a plug in dimmer cord to adjust brightness and heat. I got my first at Walmart, my second at Amazon. . Until you get one, you need to Raise it higher if too hot or lower if too cold and keep on one side. GC

 

[BirdsBeesTrees]

I raise and lower my 125w bulb to the chicks comfort. Sometimes they will "CHEEP CHEEP" really loud if they are too cold or hot too.

 

[chickens really]

I use a Red 175 watt and raising the lamp is always an option. Only heat half the Brooder they sleep in and food and water area cooler.

 

[Sbatts9073]

I am borrowing a Producer’s Pride Chicken Coop Hester & Brooder from a friend. I’ve got the chicks under it now and they’re loving it. My question is that it’s on the tallest setting... do I use this until the chicks are fully feathered? I feel as they get bigger they will be touching the bottom side of the plate, which is very hot!

 

[aart]

Here's my notes on chick heat, hope something in there might help:

They need to be pretty warm(~85-90F on the brooder floor right under the lamp and 10-20 degrees cooler at the other end of brooder) for the first day or two, especially if they have been shipped, until they get to eating, drinking and moving around well. But after that it's best to keep them as cool as possible for optimal feather growth and quicker acclimation to outside temps. A lot of chick illnesses are attributed to too warm of a brooder. I do think it's a good idea to use a thermometer on the floor of the brooder to check the temps, especially when new at brooding, later I still use it but more out of curiosity than need.

The best indicator of heat levels is to watch their behavior:
-If they are huddled/piled up right under the lamp and cheeping very loudly, they are too cold.
-If they are spread out on the absolute edges of the brooder as far from the lamp as possible, panting and/or cheeping very loudly, they are too hot.
-If they sleep around the edge of the lamp calmly just next to each other and spend time running all around the brooder they are juuuust right!

The lamp is best at one end of the brooder with food/water at the other cooler end of the brooder, so they can get away from the heat or be under it as needed. Wattage of 'heat' bulb depends on size of brooder and ambient temperature of room brooder is in. Regular incandescent bulbs can be used, you might not need a 'heat bulb'. If you do use a heat bulb make sure it's specifically for poultry, some heat bulbs for food have teflon coatings that can kill birds. You can get red colored incandescent bulbs at a reptile supply source. A dimmer extension cord is an excellent way to adjust the output of the bulb to change the heat without changing the height of the lamp.