Help! New chick coming tomorrow. How high should my red light be?

[CityClucks]

Your brooder looks great - your peeps will be very happy there! I think you'll want to be able to raise your light higher - I'll bet your thermometer is pretty accurate. Good luck with your chicks - let us know how they are doing!

 

[seminolewind]

Quote:
I agree with this. I watch what the chicks do. However, for starters, I would try to get the warmest area to 90 degrees. I also double secure my light and holder.

 

[Guinea Goonie]

Do they make a red heat lamp that is less than 250 watts ?

I am in great hesitation in getting one because they get so

darn hot right under them. I am using a 250 watt white lamp and
it does not get near as hot as the red lamp.

If I have my druthers i would use only ceramic heat coils, but they are very expensive and the 150 to 200 watt ones are hard to locate.

I really dislike the white lamp as it tends to get the chicks going at all times of the day and they seem stressed after awhile.

What is they say ? after awhile you just get tired.
Well I am tired and it is after awhile.

 

[Judy]

Ceramic heat coils are a whole other thing, expensive, and I don't see any point, I agree.

A ceramic base heat lamp, around $8 or so at TSC, is just a metal shade with a ceramic thingy where you screw the bulb in. What my Ace sells, which is intended for a shop light, has a plastic thingy to screw the bulb into.

OK so I am not an electrician.

I have one that has a plastic base for the light bulb, and used it for a while for my heat lamp, til I read about the fire threat here. They are fine for a shop light. Managed not to burn my coop down. But still.

At my local TSC, they use the ones with the ceramic thingys that hold the heat lamp over the chicks. They were displayed near the chicks for around $8. They even come with a wire thingy that lets you run a second way of securing them (I used metal clothesline wire) so they cannot fall and set the wood chips on fire if the primary clamp system fails.

This does not include the bulb. The 250W red heat lamp bulbs are also around $8 here. I have read they come in 100W but have not seen them. I would have bought 100W only if I had found them.

 

[dapper]

I really think the heat right under the light is way too hot. You don't want to fry them yet.

I always thought it was supposed to be 95 degrees under the light for the first week and decrease the temp by 5 degrees every week. I have seen 85 watt red floodlights all over the place, and at Lowe's they have 120/125 watt brooder bulbs. They are white bulbs. Once you get the temps correct you will need a way to move the lamp up every week to decrease the temp about 5 degrees.

 

[tgrlily]

Quote:
I'm a newbie too, but here's my 2 cents

Put your thermometer directly under the light to check the temp where it's hottest. If it's too hot, you may want to try a lower watt bulb... I found 85 watt red bulbs at Walmart & that's what I'm using in the small brooder.

I'm terrified of fire & the light in the stick would make me very nervous. You might want to try putting the loop through your baby gate then putting the stick back through it. I'll post pics of my brooders on another thread so I don't hijack yours!

Good luck with your new chickies!

 

[Grammahen]

Oh, no post it here, I don't mind. I would love to see it. I have hung the light from a hook on the ceiling and now it is 95 right over the lamp. I can bring it up or down now to adjust it. I will post pics later of my chicks!!

Hope I get some. We are going to the chicken swap in Milford, NH Woo Hoo!!!!

 

[Chickenaddict]

Quote:
Try a red flood light, I got one at fleet farm for a few bucks. Its 100 watts and works great. Its not infared but its red.

 

[tgrlily]

I can't seem to figure out how to add pics here, or I would.

 

[ghulst]

Since it looks like you have it in the house use only a regular 60 watt light bulb and lowere it to about 3". It acts like a mother hen. Much saver and cost effective.