Heat lamp & nearly a fire - Alternatives?

[jenkassai]

Wow that Ecoglow looks pretty awesome!!! Putting it on my wish list

 

[Grammahen]

Loved it! My chicks were hardly under it. They just ducked under from time to time to get warm and then they were off playing again, just like they would do with mama hen. Very cute seeing them all snuggled under it at night time.

 

[gale65]

The ecoglow looks really nice but since we're only brooding these 12 chicks and don't plan on getting more chicks for years, it wouldn't be very cost-effective for us. Our chicks happened to get here a day early so luckily we had everything pretty much ready to go. We clamped the heatlamp on PLUS hung it from a chain.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Quote:
Exactly. Not everyone wants/needs/or is able to benefit from advanced products, as great as they are. Any $4 flood lamp will do. OK, finding them is red/amber is sometimes a bit more difficult than the common white ones, but most home stores have them. They work, they are pretty reliable and cheap. Did I mention that the lamp is still a pretty cheap way to go?

However, the ecoglow might pay for itself in saved electricity, over time.

 

[gale65]

To be honest, I think if we did chicks again we might try to find a broody hen to sit on some purchased eggs or something. That would be fun for the kids to see.

 

[andalusn]

When using the red heat lamp bulb before I switched to the EcoGlo I always had chicken wire over the top of the brooder for two reasons.. they fly sooner than you think and just in case the light were to come loose and fall it would land on the chicken wire and not into the brooder box.

I think folks are just used to the red heat lamp and feed stores don't offer anything else. Its a quick sale, considering most of the peep purchases are impulse a person can say yes to a handful of chicks. Grab a light, water jug, feeder and a sack of feed and that sale of maybe $10.00 in peeps just turned into $50.00 plus in many cases.

 

[jc12551]

When my peeps came the weather dipped from the 90's to the 50's. I had to hustle my babes into (recently emptied) totes in the laundry room. I switched on the oil-filled radiator, set it to 80 and we were good! The temps on the brooder floor stayed in the 90's and my chicks were happy. Temps shot back up this week and no heater/lamps were needed

But I just put them in the big brooder outside and did switch on the hanging heat lamp. It is tied, clamped, and taped to the rafter. Hubby is a firefighter and doesn't like heat lamps!

 

[Moonkit]

Using an ecoglow here too with my babies... Its hilarious to look at them at night and see them sticking their heads out from under it and laying like they're dead. However, my polish chick has decided that the brooder is her personal launching pad for escaping whenever I take off the lid.

 

[rarely bored]

Really wish I could have an eco-glow... maybe next year. This year I've been using a heating pad, placed in a pillow case for the chickies. To give them a mother hen feel, there is a stuffed bear laying on the pad which also helps hold the heat. The brooder box is big enough for the chicks to come and go as they please. Seems to be easy on the power bill.

 

[Arielle]

In Feb, when it was cold, remember?, we use 2 red heat lamps based on what I read here. One served as a back up just in case one when out and the house drops to 60 at night. We run TWO lines independently AND tieTWO strings, one to each line in case a line fails. THese came in later when the lambs were born in late Feb ( we bought another, and stole one from the chicks.). Premier 1 also make a very safe and more expensive model for those of you that might be interested. I only found 2 sources of red heat lamps, and we tried a lot of stores, HD, Lowes, severel feed stores too. ANd only the 250 watt; my girls want the light on even now (6 and 9 week LF) some sit under it and bake, others move FAR away . . . . would like to have 100 watt now.