How many watts??

[johnnalei]

I'm going to switch to a red bulb but does that mean I need to change the wattage? Right now I have a 100 watt bulb that keeps my brooder at 95 degrees. Should the red bulb also be 100 watts?

 

[wordgirl]

I don't think you can get 100w red bulbs at farm stores, but if you get a higher watt bulb, you can either put the bulb on a dimmer, or raise it. I'd try to get a 125w red bulb, if you can find one. The more standard size is 250w, but if a 100w bulb keeps your brooder at 95 degrees, you might not need that big of a bulb (larger bulbs use more electricity, too). I wonder – do reptile bulbs come in lower wattages? That might be what you could use, but they might be more expensive than a normal red bulb from a farm store.

I don't think red bulbs give off less heat than white ones, but maybe I'm completely wrong.

Maybe someone wiser than me in chicken-raising will join this thread and give you better help. This is only our first batch of chicks, and we've still got plenty to learn.

BTW – we use a 250w red bulb on a dimmer, but our brooder might be bigger than yours.

 

[Uzuri]

Quote:
http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/eng99/eng99505.htm

Now ya know

 

[johnnalei]

Interesting. Well, I found a 100 watt red lightbulb on amazon.com, so should work

 

[heronz]

I wish I could find ir bulbs with lower wttage but can't find anything other than 250 watts.
Checked out all the hardware stores(Home depot) etc.-Nothing.