light all night...

[Railz]

will my new chick (only a few hours old) be ok with the heat lamp on all night... i mean with the bright lighting? i have ordered some red bulbs but untill they arrive i only have the incubator and a bright heat light in my brooder, the chick can stay in the incubator tonight (?) but tomrrow night will it be ok to sleep under the unnatural light??? or will it be too much?

 

[azygous]

Have you considered using the heating pad system of brooding instead of a heat lamp? That way the chicks can have natural daytime and night-time.

It really is desirable to give chicks the benefit of a long dark period to establish the natural rhythm of day and night. It also decreases the stress chicks experience and prepares them for life in the coop.

Actually, under the heating pad cave system, you can brood outdoors right in the coop or run, by-passing the mess in your house. Check out the thread on this page, "Mama Heating pad in the Brooder.

 

[Ridgerunner]

That’s the way Dad raised his, a regular incandescent bulb. That was before we had a lot of the stuff available that we have now, several decades ago. We can do “better” now and I use a red bulb, but his chicks were fine.

It’s nice to live in an “ideal” world, but I occasionally have issues that “I deal” with. You are in one of those situations. They will be OK.

 

[Delphi]

How long can you keep the chicks under that fluorescent light though if needed?

 

[Egghead_Jr]

How long can you keep the chicks under that fluorescent light though if needed?

A fluorescent light likely wont provide enough heat. It's not the light chicks need in brooder it's the heat. 90F is a good temp under light on one side of brooder then they can move to any area of temp they choose.

I used incandescent bulbs in a clamp on metal hood drywall light for years. No problems. Depending on brooder size and age would use 100, 75, or 60 watt bulb. Now that I hatch many chicks and use a livestock water trough to brood I use a 125W heat lamp. Again, it's a non red bright light. No problems.