In a Panic over Heat Lamp Fires...

[JJMR794]

Quote:
I REALIZE YOU JUST RECENTLY ACQUIRED THESE BIRDS CORRECT? DO YOU KNOW HOW THEY WERE HOUSED BEFORE YOU GOT THEM? WERE THEY INDOORS OR UNDER HEAT LAMPS? IF THEY WERE ACCUSTOMED TO BEING OUTDOORS WITHOUT HEAT THEY WILL BE FINE WITHOUT THE LIGHT, IF THEY WERE ACCUSTONED TO BEING INDOORS OR HAVING SUPPLIMENTAL HEAT THEN I WOULD USE THE LAMP ASSEMBLY WITH A 100W BULB AND A LIGHT COVER OVER THE HUTCH AND GRADUALLY WEAN THEM OFF THE LIGHT FOR ADDED HEAT AND ALLOW THEM TO SLOWLY ADJUST TO THE NEW TEMPERATURE ZONE THEY ARE IN. AT 5 WKS OLD COTURNIX ARE CAPABLE OF WITHSTANDING FREEZING TEMPERATURES SO LONG AS THEY CAN GET OUT OF THE WIND AND STAY DRY... IF YOUR BIRDS ARE USED TO SUPPLIMENTAL HEAT THEN YOU NEED TO GRADUALLY WEAN THEM OFF OF IT. I WOULD NEVER USE A 250W HEAT LAMP FOR ANYTHING THAT ISNT FUZZY AND NEW BORN IN A BROODER... 1ST THOSE THINGS ARE ENERGY HOGS!, 2ND THEY HAVE INHERANT DANGERS AS YOU'VE RECENTLY LEARNED, 3RD THEY ARENT NECESSARY IN 90% OF CASES, A SIMPLE 100W INCANDESCENT IS WAY MORE THAN SUFFICIENT

 

[Rainwolf]

My 5 week olds are in a outside brooder on wire with just a light bulb in the closed on corner. normally 60W by that time.(during cold times)
My outside brooder is solid all but the floor and 1/3 of the front and when it gets windy I have a cover that 1/3 front with a tarp.

Check the feathering under the wing... do you see a lot of skin? If so make sure they have heat but also make sure they have a "cool" spot too. The cool areas help then feather out faster.. kinda like a horse/goat etc... when exposed to colder weather they grow thicker fur or more feathers or in other words acclimatize to the conditions..

I am located in a mild climate, never very hot, never very cold but always wet! so all my cages have open bottom and only 1 side open for air/light, and have a cover for it when it gets windy.

 

[JJMR794]

OH 1 MORE THING... WATCH THE BIRDS... IF THEY ARE TOO COLD THEY WILL SHOW YOU, ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS WATCH. THEY WILL PILE AND HUDDLE IF COLDER THAN THEY FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH... IF YOU HAVE A HEAT LAMP IN THERE AND THEY'RE RUNNING ABOUT LIKE A SUNNY DAY AT THE BEACH ITS LIKELY TIME YOU DECREASE THE HEAT BECAUSE THEY DONT NEED IT. THE BEST TEMPERATURE ZONE GAUGE FOR YOUR BIRDS IS YOUR BIRDS JUST RELAX A TAD... DEEP SLOW BREATHS, AND WATCH. THEY ARE MUCH MORE HARDY THAN YOU KNOW (THIS NEW MOTHER THING IS SO STRESSFUL ISNT IT?

--- DONT WORRY IT WILL PASS

)

 

[MicroFarmMom]

I put the 100 wt easy bake oven bulb in. How soon should I drop down? I know - this is stressful! I was like this for about a week with my bunnies - then it was like - whatever. They too are pretty cold hardy - but the heat would get them VERY easy. Poor little buns!

Thanks everyone for responding so fast - Im paranoid of fire! LOL!

 

[pascopol]

Just speaking about safety....

I never use mine infrared 250W indoors, it is too powerful for indoor unless you live in cold climat and your room is unheated. 250W is also energy waste beside being a fire bomb.

I only use it outdors and always run it through dimmer switch lowering its output.

I always use dimmer switches on all my heating bulbs even less powerful like another infrared 150W and all 100W and less regular incadescent bulbs (used for brooding).

I love dimmer switches.

 

[Robo]

Take them down to a 60 watt in about 4 days, then 4 days later to a 40 watt then see how they do with no heat.

 

[Robo]

Quote:
I have a hot water heater thermostat on my outside brooder that is wired to two 100 watt bulbs. Works good but I still can't use it in the cold.

 

[MicroFarmMom]

how do you run your lights through a dimmer switch? Is it a special attachement I can get - or is this going into full out electrical wiring?

 

[Robo]

Most have a plug in, but I have seen a few you have to wire. I wired a thermostat and didn't kill myself. If I can do it you can. I flipped a breaker by crossing polarity while wiring a fan though.

 

[pascopol]

Quote:
You wire it just like regular wall switch. Make sure you got polarity right, it will still work but you will get shocked if you touch dimmer switch metal body, since instead having ground potential it will be "hot".

If in doubt consult somebody understanding electric.

If you ever wired any lamp socket or light fixture you can wire dimmer switch. Same principle, dimmer switch is nothing else than regular on/off switch with a dial!

There is some on the market you just screw in the lamp socket, but few of those failed on me after a year or so, also they have lower power ratings, I believe about 150W max or so.

So you can use those for 100W bulb or less. If you use one of those you just screw it into lamp socket and screw your 100W or less bulb into the dimm switch socket. Now you have 100W bulb with power range of 0 to 100W.

If you use 75W bulb you have range 0 to 75 W etc. You can not use this type on more powerful bulbs than 100W, it will burn this switch or worse melt it causing fire.

For bulbs over 100W always use ceramic socket and hang it using metal chain or metal wire, no clamps or anything flimsy.

Again I swear by dimmer switches and as far as brooding I could not live without them.

I do not use thermomether in my brooders, since cause of radiant heat , reading could be misleading. Besides I believe this arbitrary 95-90-85 F weekly rule is b/s. Chicks can withstand much lower temps after a week or so, and it is always better to harden them by temps on lower side than to overheat them. Not mentioning various species have varied heat requirements.

I believe inexperienced amateur poultry enthusiasts kill more chickens but overheating in the first few weeks of brooding than any other causes of losses.

I judge amount of heat needed by chicks behavior, (cuddling together or spreading out of heat source).

Then dimer switch comes as a big help, with the slight twist of the dial I can instantly adjust needed amount of heat, without lowering or upping the bulb, or even worse - changing lightbulbs which I hate.


Dimm it ! ! ! ma friends