I Would Like To Know What YOU Use

[Saltiena]

I have a 250 watt red flood light bulb, thats what the feed store told me to use,my brooder is all cardboard and i have chicken wire on top, will the bulb be to hot for 30 chicks (mabe more)

AND i would also like to ask you how many chicks you have, and what bulb wattage do you use

 

[Motherhenandflock]

Here's what they say over at M McMurray:

HEAT: The temperature where the birds are should be 90 to 95 degrees for the first week. Reduce the temperature 5 degrees per week until you get to 70 degrees. Then they shouldn't need any more heat. A good source of heat is a 250 watt bulb. (Red bulbs are better than white. They cause less picking.) Hang it 18 inches from the floor. The temperature directly under the bulb will be higher than 90 degrees but the birds will adjust themselves to the area they like. Use 1 bulb for each 50 chicks in cold weather. Use 1 bulb for each 100 chicks in warm weather.

If your chicks huddle under the lamp, they are cold, if they are way far away, they are too hot, if they are milling around eating and just looking happy, they are just right!

And as far as how much room they will need:
SPACE: Try to provide 1/2 square foot per bird at the start. For starting 50 chicks use a draft shield (see below) and make a circle about 5 to 6 feet across. For 100 birds, make the circle 7 to 8 feet across.

Hope that helps!

 

[Motherhenandflock]

The whole page on the McMurray website is very helpful. Here's the link to it. Hope it will work. My computer savvy teenagers are sleeping in this morning so I have to click on my own.

http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/chickcare.html

 

[WoodlandWoman]

Saltiena, you might want to set up your light, with a thermometer, before you get your chicks. If it's too hot, raise the bulb. If it's too hard to raise your bulb high enough, so that it's not too warm, then you'll have time to get a lower wattage bulb.

I've used a traditional heat lamp in the past, where I could hang it from the rafters, using a chain. This time around, I'm only going to brood a few chicks, as pets. They'll be in my living room to start with and it's warm, now. I plan to use a lower wattage bulb, in a swing arm style floor lamp.

 

[iopele]

I've got 11 chicks (hatched Monday) and bought a 150 watt heat bulb. I couldn't get the thing high enough to keep the brooder below about 110F, so I got rid of that bulb and put in a regular 75 watt household bulb. It's working just fine and keeping my chicks around 90F. However, this morning I noticed they were all piled up against the far side of the bedding box from the heat lamp, so even though the thermometer only read 92F, I raised it a little to cool it off some.

Keeping a thermometer in there is the best idea, IMO. I've borrowed a digital one with a sensor on a wire that I can raise and lower and move around the box, but it doesn't have to be anything that fancy. Just stick a thermometer in there and keep an eye on how your chicks are behaving and you'll do fine.

 

[Weewanona]

iopele

that avatar is too funny

 

[Saltiena]

i have a dimmer on mine for like a table top lamp and i plan to change the tempurature that way so i can just attach it to the wire top, will the 95 degrres burn the wire?

 

[demonique]

I had to use 3-4 250 watt bulbs for my 25 chicks. But it was darned cold where I live! *lol* I still have three burning in the coop to provide light and heat for chilly nights. I shut them off during the daytime if it looks like it'll get above 75 degrees.

 

[mlheran]

Quote:
It shouldn't (if it's heavy wire), but you wouldn't want to touch it!

Saltiena - I started with six chicks, added a few more, added some ducks (in a separate brooder), and then added some banties...

They all had the same set-up to start -a big plastic storage bin! I use a red 250-watt bulb in a ceramic socketed lamp. I quickly learned that it's a pain in the rear to adjust the temperature by raising and lower the light (I didn't have anything I could rig up well enough), so I dug out my home-made stained glass rheostat. It's basically a wall socket on a dimmer switch, and I can just plug in the lamp and turn the knob to get a comfy temp. I made the rheostat several years ago for around $10, and have been meaning to dig up the plans so I can make a few more. It's not that pretty to look at, but it's all function -and great for turning things down that don't need so much power.

I imagine you could do the same thing with a regular lamp dimmer, but because I had the light on 24/7 and it's such a high wattage I wanted to go with something that I was sure would handle it.

 

[Saltiena]

thanks that helps alot