Plastic Bin Brooder, and preventing fire with heat lamp?

[Orpington71]

I am using a large plastic bin for a brooder for my new chicks, and my mom is freaking out over the heat lamp catching a fire on the plastic. My heat lamp has the metal guard in the spot that the light actually shines out, and a clamp. Is there any way that I can make it extra secure, since the lamp will be on while we are asleep and I’m at school. Thanks in advance!

 

[lazy gardener]

My primary recommendation would be to ditch the heat lamp, and ditch the plastic tote. Pick up a cardboard appliance box (so your chicks would have more room, no matter what heat source you use) and use a heating pad to brood the chicks instead of a heat lamp.

Check out these sites:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...d-in-the-brooder-picture-heavy-update.956958/

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/yes-you-certainly-can-brood-chicks-outdoors.68067/

But, if you are going to stick with your tote, and your heat lamp, only use as many watts as needed to create a very small foot print of heat in the tote. The other end should be room temperature or less. If you can't create that kind of temp gradient, then your brooder is too small, and not safe for your chicks. The heat lamp should be secured by at least 2 means. consider the clamp to be essentially useless. The primary means of securing it should be with a wire or chain, which is well secured from above, and well secured to the heat lamp.

 

[Abraeri]

Also just wanted to add that you should make sure that your heat-lamp isn't teflon coated as this is fatal to poultry. Saw a post the other day of someone who lost a bunch of chickens to a teflon coated heat-lamp - I never would've thought that was a problem. If you aren't sure check on the cover and it should have a warning if it shouldn't be used with poultry.

 

[Orpington71]

My primary recommendation would be to ditch the heat lamp, and ditch the plastic tote. Pick up a cardboard appliance box (so your chicks would have more room, no matter what heat source you use) and use a heating pad to brood the chicks instead of a heat lamp.

Check out these sites:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...d-in-the-brooder-picture-heavy-update.956958/

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/yes-you-certainly-can-brood-chicks-outdoors.68067/

But, if you are going to stick with your tote, and your heat lamp, only use as many watts as needed to create a very small foot print of heat in the tote. The other end should be room temperature or less. If you can't create that kind of temp gradient, then your brooder is too small, and not safe for your chicks. The heat lamp should be secured by at least 2 means. consider the clamp to be essentially useless. The primary means of securing it should be with a wire or chain, which is well secured from above, and well secured to the heat lamp.

Thank you very much, the bun is quite large (larger than I’ve seen for most people) which will be very useful in them regulating their temp. I will definitely hang the lamp from a rope or chain along with the other precautions, because you can never be too safe. I would love to do the heat mat way, but it would be inconvenient since I have already bought supplies, thank you for the response, have a nice day!

 

[Orpington71]

Also just wanted to add that you should make sure that your heat-lamp isn't teflon coated as this is fatal to poultry. Saw a post the other day of someone who lost a bunch of chickens to a teflon coated heat-lamp - I never would've thought that was a problem. If you aren't sure check on the cover and it should have a warning if it shouldn't be used with poultry.

Thank you, it’s not coated in Teflon, it doesn’t state that on the packaging. Also I got it in the chicken section in tractor supply, (it’s a producers pride bulb) so I’m sure they wouldn’t sale anything like that. Thank you for the advice, have a beautiful day!

 

[aart]

Welcome to BYC!

Even a 150W heat lamp could easily be too hot in a bin, especially inside a house.
And the metal shade can get hot enough to melt plastic, be very careful.

How big "quite large", in inches by inches?
Pics of set up would help a great deal.

I highly suggest a thermometer and a dimmer cord for newbies using heat lamps.

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'. 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

 

[Orpington71]

Thank you for the detailed response (sorry for the delay, I’ve been busy with my new gals). The brooder is a plastic sterilite bin with dimensions of 34” L x 20” W x 15” H. Is this an adequate size? Pics attached of setup and lamp. Thanks!

 

[aart]

Great details and pics!
That should be ok for about a week or so, but they will outgrow it fast.
It will get crowded and they will be able to jump/fly out before too long.
Do you have a plan for larger enclosure?
Is your coop ready?

You can see they are sleeping away from right under the light,
but not at the very far end, so heat probably OK for now.
Put the thermometer on the other side of feeder and see what the temp is there,
it should be at least 10F cooler.
What was the temp on the therm at the time of the pic being taken?

Is the lamp shade touching the plastic?
Can you put and leave your hand on the lamp shade near the bin for more than a minute?
Can you raise the lamp shade to lower the temp on the brooder floor and to get it away from the bin edge?

I would suggest a smaller bulb(see above) with a dimmer cord and a metal wire mesh cover on the bin.
You can take the big loopy guard off and set the lamp shade right on the mesh.

I was using regular incandescent bulbs(100W) in this pic(my first brooder), before I switched to red reptile bulbs before I switched to a heating pad. If you use a regular incandescent bulb make sure it is NOT a 'safety coated' bulb, the coating fumes can kill them quick.

 

[azygous]

Did you know McDonald's uses heat lamps just like the one you have over your tote to keep hamburgers hot enough to serve? 250 watts can "cook" meat. Hanging low over a confined space such as a tote creates an "oven" effect.

Chicks need a heat source to replace lost body heat, but then they need a space far enough away from the heat in order to get rid of excess body heat. At this age they regulate their temperatures as snakes and lizards do, by moving out of warm spots to cooler spots. Just as a lizard will "cook" if it remains in the hot sun, so will a baby chick if it can't get out of the hot zone.

Totes really don't make good brooders. If you go to a store that sells refrigerators and stoves, you can get a huge cardboard box that is free and sturdy. Bring it home and cut windows in it. Cover the windows with clear plastic and you have a chick condo. Cut a door in the side, leaving a hinge at one side, and you have an easy side access to play with your chicks and to clean the brooder.

And instead of 250 watts, try a 100 or 150 watt incandescent bulb.

Better still, ditch the light and use a heating pad rigged into a cave and let your chicks sleep in soothing dark at night. They'll be much happier and healthier.

I have some pictures of what my old brooders looked like in this article. You can see how I rigged a cardboard box to sit on a table, making it comfortable and easy to access your chicks without scaring them by grabbing them from above. http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/r...rooder-and-start-raising-your-chicks-outdoors

 

[Orpington71]

Great details and pics!
That should be ok for about a week or so, but they will outgrow it fast.
It will get crowded and they will be able to jump/fly out before too long.
Do you have a plan for larger enclosure?
Is your coop ready?

You can see they are sleeping away from right under the light,
but not at the very far end, so heat probably OK for now.
Put the thermometer on the other side of feeder and see what the temp is there,
it should be at least 10F cooler.
What was the temp on the therm at the time of the pic being taken?

Is the lamp shade touching the plastic?
Can you put and leave your hand on the lamp shade near the bin for more than a minute?
Can you raise the lamp shade to lower the temp on the brooder floor and to get it away from the bin edge?

I would suggest a smaller bulb(see above) with a dimmer cord and a metal wire mesh cover on the bin.
You can take the big loopy guard off and set the lamp shade right on the mesh.

I was using regular incandescent bulbs(100W) in this pic(my first brooder), before I switched to red reptile bulbs before I switched to a heating pad. If you use a regular incandescent bulb make sure it is NOT a 'safety coated' bulb, the coating fumes can kill them quick.
View attachment 1267622

My coop is half way done, (it will surely be done by the time they’re ready) and if need be, I can move them to a larger enclosure. I moved the lamp and it’s around 95 under it now, and the cool side (behind the feeder) is around 88. The pic was taken before I adjusted it, so it was over 100 when taken. The lamp is on a chair now, no where near the plastic. I’ve been suggested the incandescent a lot, so will most likely take the red bulb back. Where did you get the incandescent from? Thank you!