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ChickenBoy19

ChickenBoy19

In the Brooder
Joined
Feb 10, 2016
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Location
Chicago Land, Illinois
Hello everyone i am totally new to backyard chicken keeping. I'm getting RIR's Feb.22...
I've done some research but i have one question: What kind of bulb do i need to have in the brooder if i only get five chicks?
 
Hey ChickenBoy,
Congrats on the soon-to-arrive chicks. I assume you will be using the light as a heat source for your brooder? If so, look for something along the lines of an infrared heat bulb or an incandescent heat bulb (commonly 250w). If you get one of the infrareds that doesn't emit heat, you probably do want a small light source for them if they are not in a lit room. Red bulbs can also be used to minimize picking- but I wouldn't expect that to occur much with just a few chicks. You can normally find heat bulbs easily at places like Amazon or even in local country stores (such as Tractor Supply Company, or Atwoods, or whatever is common in your area).
You may also want to check out The Learning Center, you might find some of the articles useful such as https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/...ks-the-first-60-days-of-raising-baby-chickens
 
Last edited:
Welcome to BYC! Please make yourself at home and we are here to help!

Good luck with your future chicks!

You really can use any size bulb for your chicks just as long a they are kept warm. Some people use huge bulbs such as a 250 watt whereas others, like myself, only use a 60-100 watt bulb. Just remember these temp guidelines:
1st week: 95-90 degrees F
2nd week: 90-85 degrees F
3rd week: 85-80 degrees F
4th week: 80-75 degrees F

You probably will have noticed that each week you need to decrease the temp in the brooder by 5 degrees. Hopefully, by the 4th, 5th or 6th week, you can remove the heat source since the temp in the brooder will be the same as room temp.

Like @doc637 said, red bulbs are a good choice as they have been proven to reduce pecking/cannibalism and even keep chicks more comfortable.

Hope this helps! Be sure to check out our learning center! https://www.backyardchickens.com/atype/1/Learning_Center

Welcome to our community.
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Hi and welcome to BYC. You have some great advice already (which is good cos i know nothing about using incubators
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) so I'll just say a big hello!

CT
 
ChickenBoy19 said:
Hello everyone i am totally new to backyard chicken keeping. I'm getting RIR's Feb.22...
I've done some research but i have one question: What kind of bulb do i need to have in the brooder if i only get five chicks?
Click to expand...

Hi and welcome. You will find all kinds of information on this site and learning center. The temperature is more important than the type of bulb but I have read several warnings about using the coated bulbs with chicks.
You can also look up "Mama heating pad" for using heating pads with chicks. In addition to the heat lamps I sometimes use I also have a Brinsea Ecoglo20 which mimics a mother hen and the peeps can get under it. It's perfect for raising smaller numbers of babies.
 

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