Keeping chicks warm

[switters]

We just got our babies today. So cute! Here's a video - sorry about the quality.

My question is how high up off the floor of the brooder should the heat lamps be? They are 250 watt infrared bulbs. We built a brooder with 2 foot high walls and a top. I tried putting the lamps on top of the brooder, over the chicken wire sections, but it seemed that wasn't warm enough for them. They were huddled together. So we took the top off and lowered the lams a bit more, but it's still really hard to tell what the temp is in there. I have a thermometer but I don't really trust the reading.

 

[mountainchick5]

I started off with ours about 1 foot from the ground. I know those thermometers can be tricky. I trust the chicks more. The second group of chicks I have now in the brooder, seem to get warmer and I've had to raise the heat lamp and lower the temp sooner. Trust the chicks, they'll tell you

Neat Brooder, did you build it yourself?

 

[switters]

Thanks for your reply. I think the thermometer is working because we experimented with different heights for the lamp and the temp on the thermometer did change. As you said, having the lamps about a foot off the ground seems best (temp is 95 degrees).

Yeah, we made the brooder out of old wood scraps we had laying around. 100% recycled materials

(except for the chicken wire, that is).

 

[cmom]

You will have to determine the height of your lamps by the temp. I use a 60 watt regular light bulb. The temp should be 90 to 95 degrees the first week and decrease it 5 degrees per week thereafter. When they are feathered out then you won't have to worry about the heat.

 

[write2caroline]

It was tough to figure plus mine seemed to want the heat for longer when they were about 3 weeks old. So we were at 90 degrees a little longer. My set up was in my house and we keep it about 76 degrees unless my father comes over and switches it to 72 degrees when no one is looking. I had a 250 watt red heat bulb and week swapped it for a 150 watt red heat bulb. I try to keep the thermometer at chicken height with velcro on the side. I just watched the girls - when they were too hot they moved away from the heat and when they were cold they were right under it.
Cal
Jax FL