Heatlamp at night

[Msightler4]

Hello,

I’m raising my first batch of chicks in an indoor brooder; I have a few questions. Do I need to turn the Heatlamp off at night in order to give them a proper day/night cycle? If so, how do I keep them warm at night?

 

[Msightler4]

Hello,

I’m raising my first batch of chicks in an indoor brooder; I have a few questions. Do I need to turn the Heatlamp off at night in order to give them a proper day/night cycle? If so, how do I keep them warm at night?

 

[rosemarythyme]

If that is your sole source of heat, it should remain on 24/7. You need a light-less heat source in order to give them a day/night cycle.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Hello,

I’m raising my first batch of chicks in an indoor brooder; I have a few questions. Do I need to turn the Heatlamp off at night in order to give them a proper day/night cycle? If so, how do I keep them warm at night?

Red is better than white and non light emitting (usually ceramic) is ok but they probably need the heat still. What are your ambient over night temps?

 

[NatJ]

If that is your sole source of heat, it should remain on 24/7. You need a light-less heat source in order to give them a day/night cycle.

You can turn on other lights in the daytime, in addition to the heat lamp, so the day is brighter than the night. That can help a bit with teaching them to recognize what is day and what is night. It seems especially effective when the heat lamp has a red bulb, but the extra daytime lights are white. That makes a big difference in how bright it feels.

 

[Msightler4]

Red is better than white and non light emitting (usually ceramic) is ok but they probably need the heat still. What are your ambient over night temps?

In the room it’s around 70, In the brooder it’s 90

 

[Egghead_Jr]

They really don't care about the light. As chicks they eat and sleep. Middle of the the day they'll just flop and be sleeping in an awkward position that looks like death itself. Just like two year old humans.

By the time they are three or four weeks old they don't need the heat lamp in that 70 degree room or outside. They'll get used to the daylight cycle then.

 

[WhiteCollarWeezy]

I tried unplugging at bedtime but Ive learned raising chicks if I unplug their light even to just clean out their brooder....they get scared and "cheapcheap" until I turn the light back on. Be careful if ever using a red bulb heat lamp they put off ALOT of heat. Can melt plastic and dehydrate your chicks. Observe them....they will let you know if they are uncomfortable.

 

[rosemarythyme]

In the room it’s around 70, In the brooder it’s 90

Well that changes things - is it 70 without the heat lamp turned on, at night? Or does that require the bulb to be on? If it's 70 without needing the bulb then I would start working on weaning them off heat, as they look like they're feathering in well and could be without additional heat if you acclimate them to it over a few days. Raising the lamp or moving it further away, or swapping to a lower wattage bulb, will help with that.

90 in the brooder is too high given their ages (they look 3ish weeks perhaps?) so you really do want to start lowering temperatures to prepare them for moving out.

 

[NatJ]

Be careful if ever using a red bulb heat lamp they put off ALOT of heat. Can melt plastic and dehydrate your chicks.

I would say to be careful using a big 250 watt bulb, no matter what color. Not all of them have the red coating, but they do put out equal amounts of heat.