help please!!!

[MomtoSyd&Emma]

We bought the largest rubber maid type storage bin that our Walmart had today, brought it home, cleaned it, prepped it for our chick run! Went to TSC and bought 3 RIR, and 3???? (I will post pix later) anyway, came home read the care sheet and it said to NEVER use a plastic bin as they can melt, the light can fall in and catch fire!!!!!???? I am terrified of this happening, dh built a hardward cloth/wood top for the bin! Suggestions? Am I over reacting? I am a worry wart though!!!

 

[imthedude]

i would say that's pretty extreme lawyerspeak. if you rig your heat lamp securely, then there shouldn't be an issue. i used a large plastic storage bin as our second stage brooder (on stage 3 doubled up cardboard boxes now), and it worked just fine.

 

[WoodlandWoman]

It will be ok! Lots of chicks are raised in plastic tubs.

You should secure your heat lamp so it can't accidentally fall. If you didn't use a plastic tub and a heat lamp fell, it could still cause a fire. Bulbs are really hot. Just be careful with them.

Is your lamp going to be hanging over the brooder? I like to use a metal chain to hang mine. You just want to make sure that it can't be bumped off into the brooder or against something else that it could set on fire. Sometimes other pets in the household can cause problems and knock into them, that kind of thing.

The hardware cloth cover is a great idea and works well to keep them in the brooder, too.

 

[Purple Veg*n]

Quote:
It also works very well to keep our five cats out of there. They just look at the chicks

We have our heat lamp clamped to a coffee cup stand with cups on the other three sides to keep it stable. It's sitting on the breakfast bar directly above where the brooder is. You can't see that in the pic but I plan to put a pic of it on my chickie page.

 

[MomtoSyd&Emma]

Thanks you all!! I feel so much better! I came home and my DH had wired it to the ceiling joists as they are in our basement in our den area lol

 

[debilorrah]

I have to say this. Another member here hatches and sell chicks by the hundreds. Last year her rubbermaid brooder caught fire and they lost all the chicks in the barn. I know alot of people use them, but in this case the lamp fell on the container. Make SURE that your lamp is extremely secure. I would hate to see the same thing happen to you.

 

[MomtoSyd&Emma]

Quote:
Thank you, Chris wired it REALLY well and its clamped to the ceiling area (we had our daughters baby swing on these LARGE hooks) and its wired to the hooks and clamped onto them to!

 

[debilorrah]

MomtoSyd&Emma :

Quote:
Thank you, Chris wired it REALLY well and its clamped to the ceiling area (we had our daughters baby swing on these LARGE hooks) and its wired to the hooks and clamped onto them to!

good! I saw this post and immediately thought of the gal who lost sooo much last year. Be careful!​

 

[MomtoSyd&Emma]

I tried and tried to get this pic to rotate but I cant, lol anyway here is how its all wired up

 

[debilorrah]

LOL! That should do it. Test the plastic every now and then to see if it is too hot to the touch.