Is a 250 watt bulb too HOT???

[Hanh3197]

I've read that sometimes it's too strong and gets the room it's in really hot/warm...
any input???

 

[ruthless]

It depends on where/when you are brooding your chicks. If you are inside a building such as the house and the temps are warm inside than the 250 wt is too hot. I successfully use 75 down to 40 wt bulbs in a normal temperature house.

If you are brooding outside and it is cool or cold then you may need the bigger heat bulb. Put a thermometer under the bulb where the chicks will be and check the temp.

 

[chickenbythesea]

we live in a cool coastal climate on the atlantic coast so a 250 watt heat light is definitely not too hot. We were instructed to raise it a little bit each week until they're feathered and no longer need it.

 

[BoltonChicken]

By ALL means put a thermometer under that lamp before you put chickens! If the chicks are a week old raise the lamp until the temperature reads 90 degrees. Thats where you should start. If the chicks huddle together underneath the bulb, then they are too cold and you should lower it fractionally. If they scatter away from the bulb, then it is too hot and you should raise it. For every week of age lower the temp under the bulb 5 degrees by raising the lamp. After about four weeks you should be able to do away with the bulb entirely, providing that the night time temperatures do not fall below 60 degrees. If they do, then you should have the lamp on at night when temps fall below that level. After six to eight weeks they shouldn't need any lamp at all.

I feel that 250 watts is too much inside a house unless you have a huge brooder with more than say 20 chicks. With 10 chicks I would use 100 watts. With my five chicks I used 60 watts and it was plenty.

 

[turbodog]

I agree that a 250 watt lamp is too much indoors or even outdoors if the ambient temps are high. I used a 65 watt flood lamp in my brooder and it put the temp right at the 88-90 degree mark with the lamp about 18 inches up. But I only had 8 chicks max at a time, so they were able to snuggle up under the light spot easily. I think more chicks would have required a higher wattage lamp mounted higher to provide the necessary warmth to a wider area.