My Brooder...Comes with questions...

[DaddysChickens]

I have completed my new Brooder...Yay! BUT, I need some info regarding temps...I have been told and read that the first week should be 95 degrees...So heres what I have...I can't post pics yet and will describe...

My brooder is 2' x 8' x 18" and is approximately 2' off the ground...All 4 walls are solid wood with the front wall being plexi so the the little ones can see in. The lid is 1/2 x 1/2 wire 18" above the flooring surface...I have 4 lamps sitting on the top 18" above floor one lamp for each 2'x2' area...

The problem-I cant seem to get the temp above 75-80 degress....This is the average temp noted from teh front and center of length wall and two back corners...Them are located approximately 2 " off floor surface...I guess what I'n trying to say is this is the average temp not directly under the lamps...

WILL THIS BE SUFFICENT?

Any advice would be great....

 

[A.T. Hagan]

Your chicks will tell you if they're warm enough or not.

What you want to see is this:

Or if you'd like an actual photo like this:

There are two lights in there thus the double ring.

I found it difficult to measure temperature accurately when radiant heat is involved. The thermometer would read low when I knew good and well it had to be higher than that from the way the chicks were behaving. They know if they're comfortable or not.

 

[DaddysChickens]

The diagram is very helpful. I will make adjustments as I go I guess...It does seem difficult to get a accurate temp. I installed tstats in the referenced locations but I'll let the chicks make the call. I wanted to experiment a little and get some feed back before they get here...Thanks...

 

[catdaddy66]

It is always good to test the brooder and temps prior to the chicks arriving. That way you get a good estimate of the temp, power of the lamp, etc. The final determination is done by the residents of chicken village.

 

[gryeyes]

Another issue: infrared heat lamps do NOT heat the air at all. They heat the objects under them. You can easily be fooled by INFRARED heat lamps. Those are the type I use, so I don't even use a thermometer, I just set the lamp at a guesstimate height and watch the chicks. Their behavior dictates whether I raise or lower it. Once it's all set, I just raise it a bit each week afterward.

 

[DaddysChickens]

Quote:
Thats an interesting comment. I will have to look into this a little more as I was working on the premise of conditioning the space similar to a house. I assumed if the average of the area is 95 they would be more comfortable opposed to just the small area under the lamp...

Maybe a few others might weigh in....

 

[PotterWatch]

I don't bother to check the temp in my brooder. I judge by how the chicks are acting. You don't really want the entire brooder to be one temperature. You want there to be some spots that are cooler and some that are warmer so that the chicks can regulate themselves. As long as you have enough area under the heat lamp where they aren't piling on top of each other, it's probably fine.

 

[newchickmom]

I have a large brooder, (8X2.5 ft). I put the heat lamp at 1 end so the chicks can wander around as they like.

 

[Gypsy07]

Quote:
Just what I was going to say! You don't want it to be all the same temp in there.

 

[Lil_Miss_Farmer_Chick]

We had a house brooder with a size similar to yours. We put one 250w red light in the center with the food and water on the left side and a small roost and stick on mirror on the right side end. They seemed to be happy the whole time they were in there. We had a thermometer screwed in the wall in the middle section with the heat lamp. It always read about 5 degrees cooler.

I did find that when the temp. was to hot, they all seemed to get pasty butt. When we raised the lamp a bit, it cleared up.

I think they are a bit hardier than we give them credit for. I have 6- 3 week old babies in the coop and even when it is 15 degrees in there, they will be out running around for 5-10 mins. before going back under mama.

The best way to judge it is by the little fuzzy butts reaction to their environment.

Good Luck with your babies, and don't forget to post pics