Lightbulbs *Chick Pictures*

[Andora]

I'm about to get my first baby chicks! I'm trying to get everything set up. I'm going to keep them in our back room in a wire dog crate, to keep them safe from my cats and dogs. I'm getting a clamp lamp for heat, but I'm not sure what kind of light bulb to get. Do you use a regular one? Do I need a red heat light, or a regular reptile heat bulb? What wattage? I don't want to get the wrong thing! Also, do you leave the light on all night for warmth?

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

Get a red heat lamp. They have them at tractor supply, and feed stores. The light must be kept on 24/7. Start at 95 degrees and each week decrease the temp by 5 degrees until you get to 60 degrees. Though if it gets very cold at night I would still leave the lamp on.

A 250 watt bulb is good. Make sure to get a red lamp. Also, get a cheap digital thermometer to keep in with the chicks so that you can make sure the temp doesnt get too hot.

 

[Andora]

Thanks!!

I'm going to run to Petsmart and see what they have since it's 5 minutes away as opposed to TSC, which is 25 minutes away...

 

[JohnL11935]

If shopping at PetSmart (or similar) look in the reptile section. They usually carry an assortment of red heat bulbs.

 

[Nemo]

Put the lamp near one end of the crate. The chicks will regulate themselves by moving to/away from the lamp to stay comfortable.

And, you can adjust the temp as the weeks go by by raising the lamp.

[EDIT]
Almost forgot... Good Luck!

 

[Andora]

I got them today!! They are sooo adorable and frighteningly fragile. Here are some terrible pictures I took in the dark tonight. Hah.

You can see the set-up...is it alright to have them on just the wire? That's how the guy I bought them from was keeping them, but his wire was closer together. I think tomorrow I'll lay some finer wire over the floor so no one accidentally gets caught. I do like that they aren't sitting in their poop or making a huge bedding mess!

I can't for the life of me remember how many weeks old he said they were. I'll find that out tomorrow too. Their temp is right around 90 degrees on the hot side. I'm so terrified that I'm going to kill them all!

Squinting in the sudden flash...this is either a buff orpington chick or a buff orp/rhode island red cross, the guy wasn't sure which.

This should be a Welsummer...I already suspect it's a roo because it's so feisty!

 

[Opa]

And now the fun begins. Do to a clerical error chicks that were supposed to be sent to one of my sons were sent to me instead. As a result I contracted an incurable case of chicken fever. I went from no chickens to 40 in less than 5 months. Enjoy your birds!

 

[SterlingAcres]

Cute...

Just because it's feisty doesn't mean it's a roo. I've got one EE hen that's a crazy biotch. Seriously, I should have named her Spazz.

 

[LilBizzy]

I'm no expert, by any means, but those chickies don't look more than a week or 10 days old to me.
Also, Alot of people suggest not to have a wire bottom. When we had our first chicks years ago, we did have a wire cage for them, AND we used newspaper ( another no-no). Although everything turned out fine, I understand why they werent the best choice. NEwspaper is slippery and can cause leg troubles. With wire, they can fall thru it, well, their legs can slip thru it. With my newest chickens, I gave them a solid surface and some pine shvings.

 

[needmorechickens!]

I would put them something more solid down. Their little legs get hurt easily. You can use some newspaper with paper towels on top. (the paper towels don't cause the leg problems like newspaper because they are not slippery.)

They are adorable! They do look a week old or less...
~Rebecca