HELP! Heat lamp vs mama heat pad vs brinsea warmer

[flocktastic]

I know this is highly debated topic for many - I'm about to have chicks in the brooder (tomorrow or Wed) and my husband is insistent that a heat lamp is fine - he was raised on a farm, that's what they always did and everything was always fine.

We're keeping the brooder in our garage so we are right nearby and can constantly check on it and it's a 6ft long metal trough from our farm. (Layered with towel and pine shavings)

I'm concerned about fire from everything I've read and thinking about the brinsea warmer or doing the mama heating pad set up...

Thoughts?? I will temporarily HAVE to use the heat lamp until I can get one of the other options - any other heat lamp users out there? Any tips? I'm not sure on the height and I have a thermometer and am about to start getting it all set up. But best safety tips for the time during which I'll use the lamp? Or should I stick to the heat lamp for now? It's a 250W bulb... Thanks for any input!!


ALSO - should I add any probiotics or electrolytes to their water right off the bat??
This is my first time brooding...thanks!!

 

[ShanandGem]

I used both a MHP and a lower wattage heat bulb (150W) since I was brooding outside in the coop and it's darn cold. The chicks seemed to like being able to leave the cave during the night but still stay warm under the bulb. I switch to a ceramic heat emitter at night so it's dark and they sleep. Even with all that power to the chickens, this morning my thermometer said the mouth of their cave was only 67 degrees.
I was nervous about using just MHP (although they love it and it's funny to listen to them all scrambling for a spot in it at lights out time) just because I don't think home use heating pads are intended to be powered on for weeks at a time. I figured if one or the other of my heat sources failed there was always the other.
If your husband is set on the heat lamp you could build a MHP and put it at the other end of the brooder? If nothing else they love to climb on it as they get older. And if you wrap the heating pad carefully it could be repurposed in the house later.
Edited to add: My heat lamp warms the mouth of the cave. The rest of the brooder is very cool.

 

[flocktastic]

I used both a MHP and a lower wattage heat bulb (150W) since I was brooding outside in the coop and it's darn cold.  The chicks seemed to like being able to leave the cave during the night but still stay warm under the bulb.  I switch to a ceramic heat emitter at night so it's dark and they sleep.  Even with all that power to the chickens, this morning my thermometer said the mouth of their cave was only 67 degrees.
I was nervous about using just MHP (although they love it and it's funny to listen to them all scrambling for a spot in it at lights out time)  just because I don't think home use heating pads are intended to be powered on for weeks at a time. I figured if one or the other of my heat sources failed there was always the other.
If your husband is set on the heat lamp you could build a MHP and put it at the other end of the brooder?  If nothing else they love to climb on it as they get older.  And if you wrap the heating pad carefully it could be repurposed in the house later.
Edited to add:  My heat lamp warms the mouth of the cave.  The rest of the brooder is very cool.

Do you think 250W is too hot? That's the one my husband said to get (again because that's what thry always used lol)

 

[ShanandGem]

How cold are your nights? We are well below freezing here the minute the sun goes down (the coop is no warmer, need to insulate once they're big enough to put in the tractors) and I ditched the 250W for a 175W within the first few days.

 

[flocktastic]

How cold are your nights?  We are well below freezing here the minute the sun goes down (the coop is no warmer, need to insulate once they're big enough to put in the tractors)  and I ditched the 250W for a 175W within the first  few days.

I think the lowest we'll get at night all week is 38 but most nights right now are 40's to even right around 50...(I'm in North Texas)

I should add our garage stays cooler right now during the day than it is outside

(Also is it advisable to go ahead and add electrolytes and probiotics (for chicks) to their water right away?

 

[flocktastic]

This is an extra long trough...the lamp is doubly secured at the end and free of anything touching/interfering with it (there's a guard on it too of course)

 

[ShanandGem]

I am only raising my first batch of chicks so am no expert. I do put 1/4 tsp yogurt in their water dish (I use shallow heavy porcelain dishes and change them often) for probiotics. Never did the electrolytes.

 

[ShanandGem]

I do like your heat lamp set up because there's a ton of room for them to get away from it. I feel like my chicks benefitted from having it dark at night. Beside my traditional red heat lamp I hung another reflector with a 150W ceramic emitter and switch them out at bedtime. You can buy the ceramic heat emitters at big pet stores (they're for reptiles.)

 

[realsis]

I just broke down and purchased A Brinsea Ecoglow brooder. Wayfair online has the 20 chick for 10% off!!The Brinsea is VERY inexpensive and economical to run. the chicks are warmed by RADIANT HEAT that's what makes BRINSEA DIFFERENT. you have NO FIRE RISK AND CAN'T GET BURNED FROM IT. it's very much worth the price. you can raise and lower it as the chicks grow. it has a 2 year warranty. I've personally wanted one for a long time and when I saw Wayfair online has it for 85 dollars I broke down and finally got mine! I'm so glad I did.I wanted to try something different this year and came very close to using my germination pad as a "mamma cave" but I just wasn't entirely comfortable with it. even though it had a thermostat when I tested it the temperature just didn't seem true. This Springs chicks are only 10 and I couldn't bare to loose any expirmenting. That's why I decided to go with Brinsea. it's a trusted name, is very very cheap to operate, works very well and completely safe. you have to go with what you personally feel most secure and comfortable using. if you do decide to use the Brinsea go online to wayfair because it's still on sale and they ship very quickly. I know 85 dollars is still a lot of money, ( at least to me it is) but I feel it really is worth every cent. Best of luck however you decide to brood. Like I said, it's just a personal choice and it should be something you have faith in and feel 100% confident and comfortable using. no matter which choice you make. Weather you go with heat from the heating pad or heat from the light bulb or the Radiant heat from Brinsea, I wish you the best.

 

[ShanandGem]

I just broke down and purchased A Brinsea Ecoglow brooder. Wayfair online has the 20 chick for 10% off!!The Brinsea is VERY inexpensive and economical to run. the chicks are warmed by RADIANT HEAT that's what makes BRINSEA DIFFERENT. you have NO FIRE RISK AND CAN'T GET BURNED FROM IT. it's very much worth the price. you can raise and lower it as the chicks grow. it has a 2 year warranty. I've personally wanted one for a long time and when I saw Wayfair online has it for 85 dollars I broke down and finally got mine! I'm so glad I did.I wanted to try something different this year and came very close to using my germination pad as a "mamma cave" but I just wasn't entirely comfortable with it. even though it had a thermostat when I tested it the temperature just didn't seem true. This Springs chicks are only 10 and I couldn't bare to loose any expirmenting. That's why I decided to go with Brinsea. it's a trusted name, is very very cheap to operate, works very well and completely safe. you have to go with what you personally feel most secure and comfortable using. if you do decide to use the Brinsea go online to wayfair because it's still on sale and they ship very quickly. I know 85 dollars is still a lot of money, ( at least to me it is) but I feel it really is worth every cent. Best of luck however you decide to brood. Like I said, it's just a personal choice and it should be something you have faith in and feel 100% confident and comfortable using. no matter which choice you make. Weather you go with heat from the heating pad or heat from the light bulb or the Radiant heat from Brinsea, I wish you the best.

That's a great price for the Brinsea. They are mucho dinero up here.