that's why i use heat emitters. basically it's a ceramic 'bulb' with a heating element in it. it puts out NO light and as much heat as you desire (by the wattage of the emitter bulb)...Yes I know that now but at the time I got them thats what the feed store people said you needed to use. My bf just got me a eco glow thing from brin sea. I cant use it yet becuawse my chicks are now scared of the darkbut they are 3 weekish old buttons so wont need heat much longer and 6 week old serama who shoudnt need it but insist on acting like newb orns.. I hve herd of humans regressing but chicks never seen it or heard of it but I swear they are thy cry and want to be held just like new babies and they cry when I turn the lamp off even during the day though there warm enough
in the house, i use a 75 watt emitter in a 2x4 brooder, about 10" above the bedding for new chicks. when they start spreading out because they're too warm i swap it out for a 40 watt. after about 4 weeks i turn it off all together. if they're outside, if it's likely to be below 40 degrees, i use a 150 watt emitter and set it about 12-14" from where they sleep. if it's going to be warmer than 40 over night, i'll use a 90 watt.
i don't change the outside ones much, if at all, but go by what the weekly average is likely to be, and will opt for the hotter one than worry about cold chicks. in the summer, outdoor babies get a 40 watt bulb and it's usually turned off by the time they're 4-5 weeks old.
and they last practically forever, short of breaking/dropping one. i've only had 1 in the last 20 years just stop working, and it may have been dropped or damaged when i moved.
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