Heat Lamp in a wooden brooder?

[koakritters]

I'm leaving my babies outside for the first time tonight

gonna be so sad not having them inside with me... but my older ones were outside by 4 1/2 weeks and that's how old they are, got all their feathers...

I have an old rabbit hutch that i put the heat lamp up in a corner in, it's just a normal 75 watt bulb and the wood around it is not hot at all, the only part of the lamp that's touching is the very top where the cord connects, so it should be fine for the night, right? The lamp's been up for a couple hours already and the metal is not that hot, u can still touch it... I'm just worried about the wood catching on fire somehow in the middle of the night... They seem happy. the lamp is right in front of their perch and the bottom is a couple inches of shavings...

 

[Mahonri]

I think you'll be fine, I'd just check it every few hours.

 

[geese11]

I have my baby chicks in a old rabbit/guinea hutch I just turned it up and have no problems with the light in it. the temp is quite good. I did have a blanket on top where the wire is but they were getting a bit warm so now I don't put anything over the wire and they are happy

 

[plucker]

You will be fine. A 75 watt bulb doesn't produce enough heat to ignite paper, let alone wood. I had a 250W heat bulb in my wooden brooder with no problems.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I take all supplemental heat away from mine at 4-1/2 to 5 weeks, depending in weather conditions, and they do fine. If your nights are particularly cold and damp and you kept the chicks inside in a warm environment, maybe there is a reason to give the supplemental heat, but once they acclimate a bit to the new environment, they simply should not need heat. Broody hens often wean their chicks at 4 to 5 weeks of age, and those chicks do fine without Mama keeping them warm at night. They are fully feathered out, which means they can keep themselves warm. I've also had broodies take care of the chicks for 9 weeks or so, but those chicks were too big for all to sleep under Mama. They roosted at night with no supplemental heat.

Any electric device can cause a fire. All it takes is a short or some type of failure. If you take correct precautions and use proper equipment for the conditions, the odds of something like that are not great, but there is more involved than just the wattage of the bulb. Electricity can shock as well as start a fire. Why take those chances and pay for that little bit of electricity when it is not required?

I think you are doing something that worries you when you don't need to be doing it to start with.