New Chicks

[Hidrainja4]

if you are handy- ohio brooder I got my neighbor to build it for me about $30 in materials. can fine detailed plans on line for free.

 

[NewChkinTown]

Not the same.
Not fond of a the heat emitters, found they are very hot right underneath but 'circle of warmth' is small and cools quickly towards perimeter.

Here's my notes on chick heat, hope something in there might help:

They need to be pretty warm(~85-90F on the brooder floor right under the lamp and 10-20 degrees cooler at the other end of brooder) for the first day or two, especially if they have been shipped, until they get to eating, drinking and moving around well. But after that it's best to keep them as cool as possible for optimal feather growth and quicker acclimation to outside temps. A lot of chick illnesses are attributed to too warm of a brooder. I do think it's a good idea to use a thermometer on the floor of the brooder to check the temps, especially when new at brooding, later I still use it but more out of curiosity than need.

The best indicator of heat levels is to watch their behavior:
-If they are huddled/piled up right under the lamp and cheeping very loudly, they are too cold.
-If they are spread out on the absolute edges of the brooder as far from the lamp as possible, panting and/or cheeping very loudly, they are too hot.
-If they sleep around the edge of the lamp calmly just next to each other and spend time running all around the brooder they are juuuust right!

The lamp is best at one end of the brooder with food/water at the other cooler end of the brooder, so they can get away from the heat or be under it as needed. Wattage of 'heat' bulb depends on size of brooder and ambient temperature of room brooder is in. Regular incandescent bulbs can be used, you might not need a 'heat bulb'. If you do use a heat bulb make sure it's specifically for poultry, some heat bulbs for food have teflon coatings that can kill birds. You can get red colored incandescent bulbs at a reptile supply source. A dimmer extension cord is an excellent way to adjust the output of the bulb to change the heat without changing the height of the lamp.


Or you could go with a heat plate, commercially made or DIY: http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/pseudo-brooder-heater-plate

From all the research I've done the heat emitter bulb is a reptile light/heat source. No light, only heat. Predominantly used for reptiles I should say. I decided to go with one based on previous posts/threads I found on this site of users trying them with great success. So fingers crossed I should add that I also got a reflector for the bulb so it should spread the heat more evenly.
My plan is to use a large tote as a brooder box so my chicks will have one side with heat and the other not. We live in an old home not wondefully insulated lol so we keep it at 70. It feels cool to us during the day but good for at night. I'm hoping this will be okay for them
My plan is to keep them in my mudroom which is our main entrance in to the house, so the temp can fluctuate with constant coming and going. I also have a spare room that is above our furnace that gets pretty warm if the door stays closed, so i can potentially use this if I don't like the lamp. I just want to promote healthy chicks and not lose any.

 

[aart]

I should add that I also got a reflector for the bulb so it should spread the heat more evenly.

Mine was 75W in a typical metal lamp shade made for heat lamps.
Let us know how yours works out, but check the temps on the brooder floor from right under the emitter then outwards to see just what you've got.