How much damage is this red 250w bulb going to do to my electric bill?

[cletus the rooster]

i have been using a 75 watt and a 100 watt red heat lamp from zoo meds.does not interrupt sleep patterns.for reptiles but there is that awkward dinosaur stage

 

[Intheswamp]

You might as well go ahead and figure all the taxes in while you're at it....you gotta pay that, too. Last time I figured it here in south Alabama we were at .15 per kwh. A 250W heat lamp running constantly would cost around .90 a day....$27.00 per 30-day month.

Ed

 

[BethieofVA]

After the first two week, I have switched over to a 100 watt light bulb, white. They seem to have no problems. In the day I turn it off and back on at night. They are still in a brooder in the house. It doesn't produce a lot of heat, but they sure seem to like it better on, so they can see. They sleep off and on regardless whether it is on or not btw.

 

[Intheswamp]

I've seen some pictures in some older books (and maybe on the internet?) of installing a lightbulb inside of a coffee/gallon can. This is placed on the floor of the brooder and the chicks gather around it rather than under it. I suppose varying wattaged lightbulbs could be used under it. It wouldn't work for a large number of chicks but for a dozen or so it probably would be fine.

Ed

 

[bugflipper]

I use a 60 watt ceramic bulb. It doesn't put out any light, only heat. It has lasted for 15 years and counting. http://www.virtualvillage.com/60w-c....html?utm_source=googlebase&utm_medium=shcomp I also put a rock directly under it so if the power goes out the chicks can still have residual heat until it comes back on.

 

[MuranoFarms]

The most mine went up was $80 for the month I had 2 incubators and 3 brooder bulbs (250 watts) going ALL month long! DH doesn't look at the bill, so no worries there. Although, even if he did.....it was his idea to put one out in the coop for the full grown guineas! Yeah, Like they were cold!

Like a previous poster said, you can use a lower wattage bulb after the first few weeks. Just make sure to monitor the chicks right after you switch to make sure they're warm enough.

 

[chickencrazymom]

I don't see the need for a 250 watt bulb if you keep your chicks inside your house. Our house is kept at 68 , and I get away with a 100 watt for the first week and then go down to a 75 watt for the next week and so on , I've done this two years with multiple batches of chicks , adn never had any problems. On the other hand , I do use a Huge tote with a hole cut in the top , with welded wire covering the hole , so they are mostly covered ,so it holds the heat better. I would only consider using a 250 watt if I needed to keep the chicks outside in the coop , they would need it then. Just my thoughts !

 

[NYREDS]

This time of year I'm running 2 cabinet incubators & several brooders. I try not to think about the electric bill.

 

[bad_coffee]

Is someone complaining or are you just 'getting prepared for sticker shock?" Do you leave your computer on all the time? Chances are you have a 250-500w power supply running 24/7 if you do. Also things like phone/ipod chargers, laptop power supplies, (anything with a wall-wart power supply) is using up juice even when you don't have it plugged into anything. Sure, it's not much, but think about all of them being plugged in 24/7/365 and it adds up.

Personally, I just figure the cost of running the heat lamps as part of raising chickens. Just like food, bedding, and the chickens themselves, it's all part of the deal (bill.) I didn't notice a dent in the electric when I fired up my 150w and 75w heat lamps. NYC has some high elec rates, so a buck or two on the bill isn't going to matter, when it's $100 a month.

B