Heating Hassle!

[kesali]

The chick brooder temp this week is supposed to be 85F. Maintaining proper heat was no problem the first weeks because the day temp highs were in the high 40's and low 50's. Today the high temp actually reached 61F!! My brooder is in the garage and it has been a terrible day to maintain the 85F. At night the temp drops to freezing, so the brooder temp is around 80F in the am. But...today it went to 100F as the sun heated the garage and the chicks were crammed at the far end of the brooder. I managed to get the temp back to 85F, but it is a real hassle juggling the temp during freezing nights and "heat wave" days! I had to constantly watch the temp all day trying to maintain the correct temp. When I am done writing this I am going back to garage and see if I need to raise/lower the heat bulb (250-watt red). Anyone else have problems maintaining a fairly steady temp?

 

[oldcluck]

It can be a challenge but one way to cope is have the brooder a little bigger than what the bulb will heat. Then chicks can get away from the bulb when they are hot and huddle under it when they get cool.

 

[Nicole01]

We have the brooder in the basement. The temp stays the same and it's been working out very well for us. I use a xlarge wire kennel for the brooder with the lamp inside in the corner. My oldest is 7 weeks and the youngest is two weeks in the brooder. One end is roughly around 80 while the other end is about 68 or so.

I don't know what you can do with the heat. Maybe bring them inside? Good luck.

 

[BoltonChicken]

Personally, I would drop the bulb wattage to between 100 and 150 watts. That way you wouldn't have
it too hot for the chicks when the outside temp rises.