Night light blew on brooder, good source of heat for the night?

[fifenashia]

So my bulb blew at some point last night, they are in a plastic storage container with the lid cut out and chicken wire affixed to it. During the day I use a 75w basic bulb and they seem to be thriving and doing well. Active and eating/pooping non stop!

At night though, I was using a black bulb (also 75w) that didn't keep them up and still put out a small amount of heat to keep them warm. We only brought them home from the store yesterday so I know they need a solid 80-90 degrees in there.

Any suggestions to keep them warm enough tonight? Right now I have a small space heater set on the lowest setting, it shuts itself off automatically to prevent overheating and then turns back on when it cools off. I worry about using that though....

 

[Stacykins]

I would be wary about the space heater unless it has a thermostat. It will suck up power, but it can keep an entire room in the temperature range you want it to be. Does it have a thermostat to set exact temperatures or just a high/low setting?

 

[Matt A NC]

I use a regular bulb day and night. The chicks sleep where they drop and when. At 4-6 weeks old I start turning the light off at night to get them used to night time before moving outside.

Matt

 

[fifenashia]

Stacykins, It does not have an exact thermostat, just a variety of settings. It has the fan, then 2 heat settings (1 & 2), then on the other side you can vary the intensity of the heat and so I have it on 1, and as low on the other side as it would go before shutting off.

Matt, My only concern with that is that I have my year old duck and hen in their too (in doggie crates) healing up after a dog attack this past Sunday. They should be good to go back out to the coop tomorrow night provided the rain moves out. Will the light bother my older ladies do you think?