heat lamp on 24 hrs

[sueche]

should I keep the lamp on 24 hrs. my husband is concerned with the electricity bill. Is it ok to turn it off once in a while for a little bit?

 

[creative.hortic]

where are you located and what is the current temp? i am in wisconsin getting dumped with snow and our 5 wyandottes only get it for 3 hours in the evening to extend daylight for laying..and we were told to switch it to a regular bulb..that they dont even need the heat.

 

[HHandbasket]

If your husband is concerned about the small amount your bill will go up by using a heat lamp, you probably can't afford chickens, then. Seriously. If he's gonna get all twisty in the knickers about the cost of running a heat lamp, chickenkeeping may not be for your situation. That's only a miniscule expense in the venture of chickenkeeping.

I hope you can work it out.

And to answer your question, yes, it must be on 24/7 in order to maintain the temperature to keep the chicks alive. Turn it off, and you'll probably have at least several dead chicks in a few short hours, and the ones that aren't dead will have health problems and will die before long.

Think of it as putting a baby out in the cold without a blanket, even for a few minutes. It's the same thing when you turn off your heat lamp in the brooder. Would you do that to a baby? No. Doing it to your chicks would be the same thing, tho.

 

[Dar]

the average red bulb does not use that much power...

if you have day olds they need to be kept warm.. so depending on where you are will play a roll in the light,.. I am in Canada and its flipping cold here right now so yes I leave mine on 24/7 but I use a red bulb to reduce pecking

 

[sueche]

I am i Raleigh nc. I have them in the bathroom.
My husband was just wondering if the heat lamp will cost alot. We are sort of on a budget. but if its not alot then its ok. I will just keep the light off in the other rooms

 

[Dar]

Quote:
whats the wattage of the bulb? you can calculate the monthly cost that way

 

[imthedude]

not sure that you'd wake up to dead chicks. that might be a little harsh. i turn the lights off on my 4-week and 1-week olds every night for about 30 minutes to an hour. i think they need this to simulate natural light cycle. after all they'll be outside before long. also, if he's really concerned about cost, and if you're running a 250 W heat lamp, you can go to a 60w or 75 w bulb for a major savings. my little birds actually prefer the cooler bulb, and the difference of 190w over the course of 24 hours and 30 days will add up.

 

[Dar]

the average 100W bulb will cost you about $11 a month to run 24 hours

you can find out the cost of all your electrical stuff by going to this link...

http://michaelbluejay.com/electricity/howmuch.html

all you need to know is what your kWh amount is... you can find it online for most power companies or on your last bill

 

[kitchwitch]

Assuming you keep your house at about 69 degrees, after the 2 weeks, no, you don't need to keep it on 24/7. Speaking from experience, with a brooder that typically maxes out at 80, by the time 14 days have passed my chicks would be kept at 70 degrees anyway, so they only get heat at night or if it's a very cold day. For future ref. though, if you're concerned about saving money on electricity, order your chicks for late spring for minimal electric use.

 

[FMAFarms]

Quote:
I couldn't have said it better myself. Electricity: part of the expenses when it comes to raising poultry. When your chicks are hens next winter, you'll be dealing with heat lamps in the coop and a heater under the waterer, and those will need to be on almost continuously. For our brooder, we have two heat lamps. During daylight hours we use a white 250 bulb, switching to red at night so that the darker color encourages sleeping. As their feathers start coming in, and less heat is needed, we'll reduce to the one red-light bulb. Which we'll probably have to keep on to maintain that 70 - 75 degree temp, since it's a whopping 20 degrees with 2 feet of snow outside, and 68 degrees inside. Except near the windows and doors!