Official BYC Poll: What Heat Lamp Setup Do You Use?

[Sonya9]

Im very new to chickens, i have 4 chicks that are about 8 days old. I dont know how to measure the temp in the brooder, so i have a meat thermometer stuck halfway into the bedding. It says they are at about 90 degrees, but they seem to be panting at times. Im using a 250W red lamp, i have them in a plastic tote from walmart with woodshavings as bedding. I got my advice crom the guy who i bought the chicks from, who works at my local ACE. Am i baking my little chickies?!?!?!

One side of their brooder should be 15 to 20 degrees cooler. You can kill them quick by trapping them under a heat source with no space to get away from it.

I am surprised they are still alive. It is best to do your own research and check 2-3 sources.

 

[ChickNanny13]

I don't use a heat lamp. Use a MHP (nite) and a regular 40W iridescent light bulb in a trouble light during the day. The spend their nights under, days on top.

 

[SueT]

I like ceramic heat emitter bulbs because
1. They are inexpensive (under $10)
2. They screw into a regular clamp light fixture like a heat lamp.
3. They put out heat but no light—chicks sleep all night!

I use a 75 watt for up to 6 chicks. You can get higher wattage.


I think this mimics a mama hen because it is warm under the fixture, but ambient temp elsewhere. I have watched my broody hen raise chicks and noted that even when very small, they spend a LOT of time NOT under her, even outside in chilly temps.

 

[BDutch]

A mama hen is THE other & perfect heat lamp.

But only for the chicks she hatched herself.

 

[Honor_Fox]

I use a heat lamp that has a big clip on it. I clip it onto my ladder in our garage, and can adjust it closer or further away from the ducks in order to get the temperature right.

 

[Ascholten]

Just a general caution if you use lamps be careful. I had a heat lamp in my coop way up in the top of it in the corner, way out of the way, it was a light bulb type. Well, chickens can be retarded sometimes. She was jumping up to get on the perch, one of the others did not like it, they somehow squabbled a jump off of sorts occurred, and mid hop, wings flapped, and somehow this bulb way up in the corner got broke. I was there when it happened or i'd never have known how they managed that. Glass everywhere from the broken bulb. Luckily this happened when it was NOT turned on. If it was on, it could have been a big problem. Glass shards to cut them, electricity from the hanging filament, fire??? No telling. Not to mention the base of the bulb with very sharp shards of glass still hanging on it. If they decided to continue quarreling and hit that thing again that would have sliced someone clean open. And YES the bulb was caged. They knocked the whole thing hard enough to break the bulb and knock the cage off the bulb.

Heat rocks like you use for lizards might work too, the heat comes up through the straw and up into the coop for them. If they poop on it, it washes right off, just like it does when your lizard poops on the rock. A convection heater can work in a pinch,blow warm air in there, I hung the heater OUTSIDE the coop, blowing into the window. set it to 500 watts, worked nicely. Kept them warm but not overly hot. The wind was howling that night so I was worried the air would cool them too much, so did that for extra heat, otherwise I dont bother, it rarely gets cold enough in Florida to worry.

Aaron

 

[cherrynberry]

I use an 100volt lamp, not sure how many watts jt is

 

[Poultry mum]

Home made brooder made from a plastic container/storage roller box with windows and roof cut out covered by good old chicken wire held on by cable/zip ties.... and a 25w ceramic heat emitter.....
things done the Aussie way...

 

[oellian]

I have a 2' x 5' space set-up with a thermal gradient: At the hot end is a fenced-off area with an electric oil radiator controlled to 80' by a thermostat at chick level (3" above the litter), a seed germination heat mat on the floor at the same end just on the chick side of the fence, and controlled thermostatically to 95 degrees, and a 125W heat lamp 12" above the matt at the same (hot) end of the space. At the far end there is no heat source at all. This allows the chicks to find the sweet spot at which they feel the most comfortable, and doesn't require or allow any judgment calls that can go sadly wrong. I've seen some small brooder spaces that could be either ovens or freezers if not carefully and constantly monitored and correctly controlled. Waaaay too much room for errors.