New brooder too cold?

arpolis

Songster
6 Years
Jun 29, 2013
45
34
104
Tulsa, OK
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:

400


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.
 
Hi arpolis!
welcome-byc.gif


In the reptile cage you have the element under dirt or sand? A non-flammable substrate? And in the chick brooder you have it wrapped in a towel and under a flammable substrate of paper or wood?
Hum,
Karen
I think your problem is the open sides of the cage.
the heat is just dissipating. maybe build a 3 sided wooden thingee like this: l_l
Slip it around the 3 sides but (not the front where the light is mounted). I don't think you will need anything more than 85 watts. GE makes some nice colored outdoor floodlight ones. Make sure it doesn't have a Teflon coating or say "rough and ready" or "rugged" which is the same thing. Those bulbs give off a fume when they are hot which kills chicks. Pull the heat element from underneath the brooder. I think the solid walls will solve the problem
Oh and if you think your birds are delayed, go to Tractor Supply( lowest price) or your local feed store and buy a small bottle of Poultry Nutri-Drench or Pet Nutri-Drops. You can use the same dosage and usage instructions for either one found in Post number one of this BYC thread:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/746509/how-to-deal-with-travel-stress-in-baby-chicks
Best Success,
Karen
 
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I think that temperature is one of the problems. For the first week the brooder is supposed to be 90-95 degrees, yours is too low. Try to raise it up a bit more preferably to 95 degrees. When you put your chicks in they should be able to tell if they are too hot or cold. Cold chicks will cheep loudly and miserably, they will huddled closer to the heat source. Too hot chicks will move away from the lamp. You could also adjust the temp. By those kinds of observations, it's usually what I do. :)
 
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How far above or away from the bedding surface is your 250-watt heat lamp? Try putting it about 18" away and see what temp you get with a thermometer laid right on top of the bedding. You can get a cheap thermometer at a hardware store or the like. From your post I am wondering if you are using some sort of human fever thermometer? That is not how you want to check your brooder temps. It is the air temperature on the floor of the brooder that is important.

I would be really concerned about using a reptile under-tank heating system because if it is too warm the chicks can not get away from it.

I raise all of my chicks (even bantams) starting in a 50 gallon tub in an unheated cold frame/ greenhouse. I use one 250-watt heat light, and if it is under 40 degrees at night and the chicks look at all cold I can add a second heat lamp with a 75 or 100-watt bulb, and this system is plenty warm. I have not lost a chick with this system. I think your problem might be how you are checking the temp.
way from it.

Please try measuring the temp on the floor of the brooder with a regular thermometer such as what you would put outside.
 
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One thing I would give a try, be careful of course, is cover the cage at the top. Not completely covered. By doing so you will trap the heat momentarily. I have large brooders and I use sheets of plywood over them to retain heat when I get into 20 degree temps outside.

Just don't completely cover it, they need ventilation.
 
I would head to big lots and get a large plastic tub and use that as a brooder. We've been doing that since we started our flock three years ago and they work great. They work very well to keep the heat in. When they get older take the lid and cut out a large section out of the middle and adhere or staple some poultry wire over it to keep them in.
 
The thermometer being used is a nice digital probe thermometer. Not a human under the tongue type lol. I was at least awake enough to make sure temp recording was accurate.

The way I am heating this with the flex watt is the same I would with snakes. Even the same bedding being used. I have years of experience with that product and will not cause a fire.

Regardless after these posts and a PM I feel better. I am just going to remove the flex watt, get some cardboard and close in the sides of the corner with the heat lamp and monitor the chicks closely when I get them.

Thanks all.
 
The problem is that the thermometer measures air temp and you're using an infrared light which heats objects, not air. So, folks heat the walls/floor of a brooder with the lamp and then check the air temp. Open walls means heat isn't collecting, not that it isn't enough.

250W is normally far too much in a heated home. So, careful about enclosing that cage -- you don't want to build an oven.. 100W really ought to be plenty. FWIW, I never bother with a thermometer. The chicks will show you with their behavior whether they are comfy, cold, or too warm,
 
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The problem is that the thermometer measures air temp and you're using an infrared light which heats objects, not air. So, folks heat the walls/floor of a brooder with the lamp and then check the air temp. Open walls means heat isn't collecting, not that it isn't enough.

250W is normally far too much in a heated home. So, careful about enclosing that cage -- you don't want to build an oven.. 100W really ought to be plenty. FWIW, I never bother with a thermometer. The chicks will show you with their behavior whether they are comfy, cold, or too warm,
It's good for a newbie to use a thermometer until they learn the behaviors, it's a great learning tool and offers peace of mind for the uninitiated.
 
I found the easiest way to keep the temperature where it's supposed to (90-95 degrees for the first week or so) is to keep 2 heat lamps over the brooder to keep it nice and warm. Once you get the chicks, put them in the brooder and their behavior and actions will tell you if it is too hot or too cold. If they all huddle under the lamp, it is too cold. If they spread out to the edges of the brooder, they are too hot. Just move the lights closer or further away to find a happy medium. I hope this helped :)
 

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