Hello all!
I feel like a bad new chicken dad here because I was supposed to get new chicks today and did not. The usps is a little slow and not going by what the web site says. so I played with the brooder today to take some of the itch off. I put it all together and looks like this:
I took a digital thermometer and stuck it in the bedding in the middle of where the heat lamp is directed and it is way too cool. I should have checked this before the chick arrival date. The room this is in is a sun room that I am slowly walling in and eventually will connect to the central heat of the home but not there yet. So right now ambient temps may be 50*F at night and 70*F or warmer in the day. The thermometer was reading in the 60*F range. The heat lamp is what was recommended by the place I am getting the chicks from. "250 watt heat lamp".
What I did just now is hook up a 12" X 12" section of flex watt heating element and put it under the bedding. It is the stuff I put on the bottom of my snake cages. It has a towel clamped around it since the element itself can reach temps of 120*F - 130*F. I have left that in there for about 20 min now and the thermometer is reading 89*F right at the bedding. What are the expert opinions on my situation here? Think I need to change anything? If the flex watt heats up too much I do have it on a rheostat and can dial It down a bit.
I just re read the post and it seems a little scatter brained so I hope it makes sence but it is late and I have to be at work at 6AM so I do not think I can clean it up any. Any help, compliments or criticism is all greatly appreciated.
I feel like a bad new chicken dad here because I was supposed to get new chicks today and did not. The usps is a little slow and not going by what the web site says. so I played with the brooder today to take some of the itch off. I put it all together and looks like this:
I took a digital thermometer and stuck it in the bedding in the middle of where the heat lamp is directed and it is way too cool. I should have checked this before the chick arrival date. The room this is in is a sun room that I am slowly walling in and eventually will connect to the central heat of the home but not there yet. So right now ambient temps may be 50*F at night and 70*F or warmer in the day. The thermometer was reading in the 60*F range. The heat lamp is what was recommended by the place I am getting the chicks from. "250 watt heat lamp".
What I did just now is hook up a 12" X 12" section of flex watt heating element and put it under the bedding. It is the stuff I put on the bottom of my snake cages. It has a towel clamped around it since the element itself can reach temps of 120*F - 130*F. I have left that in there for about 20 min now and the thermometer is reading 89*F right at the bedding. What are the expert opinions on my situation here? Think I need to change anything? If the flex watt heats up too much I do have it on a rheostat and can dial It down a bit.
I just re read the post and it seems a little scatter brained so I hope it makes sence but it is late and I have to be at work at 6AM so I do not think I can clean it up any. Any help, compliments or criticism is all greatly appreciated.