Heat Lamps for Chicks

[PavoFowl]

I am curious on yall's opinions on heat lamps for brooders. I have used the red heat lamps in the past for guineas, but now am worried the peachicks will pick, or eat too much at night or mess up their sleep cycles, and a ton of other paranoid problems. I used ceramic lamps for my bearded dragons, they emit heat, without light. That way, the birds stay warm at night, but don't feel like it's daytime 24/7. Has anyone used these for peachicks before? Is it safe? What wattage would be best?

Thanks for any advice!

Seana

 

[casportpony]

We switched from heat lamps to the Eco-Glow 50 for two reasons... cost of running the bulb and safety. Don't get me wrong, bulbs can be used safely, but mine weren't safe, lol. Before 2013 that's how I raised my 2011 and 2012 peachicks and they were fine.

-Kathy

 

[PavoFowl]

Where did you buy them? I found some $8 ceramic bulbs on eBay, but looked kinda sketchy. What wattage do you use?

 

[casportpony]

Where did you buy them? I found some $8 ceramic bulbs on eBay, but looked kinda sketchy. What wattage do you use?

I used to use the 250w red or clear bulbs that they sell at feed stores. Never used ceramic bulbs.

-Kathy

 

[PavoFowl]

Oh, what is Eco Glow, then? Thought it was a ceramic bulb. Lol

 

[casportpony]

Oh, what is Eco Glow, then? Thought it was a ceramic bulb. Lol

It's this:

EcoGlow 50 Chick Brooder
USHD502
$139.99



Qty:








Clean, safe, tough and extremely economical chick brooder the larger EcoGlow 50 is ideal for up to 50 chicks or ducklings and suitable for any waterfowl or gamebird chicks.
The EcoGlow 50 only uses 60 Watts (a fraction of the electricity of typical suspended infrared lamps) because the chicks are in contact with its warm underneath surface.
The brooder runs at 12v for safety from a mains transformer (supplied) and with the convenience of a generous (about 10 feet) power lead.
Different sizes of chicks can be accommodated thanks to the 4 adjustable legs which allow use at a wide range of heights. One end of the panel may be set lower than the other.
An indicator light confirms the brooder is connected.
The low cost of the EcoGlow makes it possible for larger numbers of chicks to be warmed by multiples of brooders.
For brooding a smaller number of chicks see the smaller EcoGlow 20 chick brooder.
Dimensions: 22" long x 16" wide x 9" high
The EcoGlow chick brooder is subject to EU Design Registration No. 007779729-001

 

[Trefoil]

I believe the eco glo is only good down to 50° ambient temps. I've used the ceramic heat emitters and they worked, you can't tell if they are working by sight though. It is said that if you use the red bulbs that it doesn't cause day/night confusion. If you use heat lamp bulbs, be certain that they are meant for brooding because the shatterproof ones are teflon (or something) coated and give off poisonous fumes. What size bulb you need depends on the ambient temperatures where you are going to brood and how far away you intend to hang the bulbs.

 

[PavoFowl]

Okay, I am going to be using the big rubber maid totes, 22" x 38" x 20" tall. (Edit- 10 guineas in each, and then the 6 pea's in their own.) It will likely be over 70° at night, June- August in south Texas is pretty warm. I was told 250 watt red bulbs would be enough to maintain the temperatures needed for the hatchlings. Not sure if ceramic have similar heat outputs. @Trefoil, if you have used both, which do you prefer? I will be checking on birds probably every hour in the day and at least once through the night, but if it goes out at night that's when I'd need it most. Now having second thoughts on the ceramic, too. Agh!

 

[Trefoil]

Its not that warm in Michigan. I bought the ceramic emitter off ebay and it didn't last the season, that said, I've also had heat bulbs that didn't last a season. I now brood in the house for the first couple of weeks and use incandescent bulbs. If I was brooding outside, I would use a larger brooder and 2 lamps, in case one went out. But I'm paranoid and as I said, its much cooler in Michigan.

 

[DylansMom]

We used the red heat lamp bulbs and brooded in the big plastic storage totes. The red bulbs did allow them to see enough that they were active throughout the night. We just started to remove the food when they reached 1 week of age. That way they were not eating between dusk and dawn, we felt this mimicked the behavior of the chicks being raised by the hens and so it would be fine. Our first batch of chicks were overweight and had leg issues all subsequent hatches were perfectly fine since we were pulling the food dish out.