Hello!! I'm having a problem with my heat lamp temps. Our chicks are only 5 days old and the temps here on LongIsland the past few days have been getting inti the high 80's - low 90's. We are keeping the brooder in our sunroom (solid roof, glass windows on 3 walls, solid 4th wall) and the temp in the brooder out on direct heat is hitting 100 or above. We have the heat lamp as high as it can go without drilling holes in the ceiling. Is it ok to turn it off during the day and keep a close eye on the brooder temps? I don't want anything bad to happen to the chicks (we have only 3). Bringing them inside our house is not an option. I have 3 dogs and 3 house cats. Is ther anything else I can do to keep them cooler. All the windows are open in th sunroom and we have a big floor standing fan on also. Thank You. I forgot to mention we are using a 250w bulb that came with the brooder. The temp in the sunroom is 84.
You can turn that lamp off when it is that warm. If they are five days old, they can easily handle temperatures in the upper 80's. Too much heat is more danger than too little as long as it does not get real cool. Get rid of the extra heat and watch them to see if you need to turn it back on. Is there any way to open a vent up high to let the hot air out of your sun room?
I agree with Ridgerunner, and even if they do need some heat at night, switch to a lower wattage bulb, red if you can find it. I use a red, outdoor, 100 watt flood light I found at a "Mom & Pop" hardware store.
Take out the 250w bulb and use a 40 or 60w bulb. You can find red spot lights at Home Depot. Turn it off during the heat of the day, then check the temps when it cools off. To much heat is worse than not enough.
what are the chicks doing? Follow their lead, if they are spread all over the place, panting...too warm, if bundled together, too cold... they know what they need, and at 5 days old...can handle it
Thank You. We don't have vents in our sunroom. My husband is going to put a hook in the roof to raise the light higher. We figured we would have to do that anyway because we have to keep raising the light 5deg on Tuesday's. He is making their tractor today so we can start bringing them outside to get use to it when they are 2 weeks old. What age can they live out there? Also if the temps in the sunroom are matching or higher then the brooder light is at their different stages, should I just stop using the light?
I agree with turning it off when it's that warm out. Saves you money and makes them more comfortable.
Quote:They are all sitting/playing/sleeping at the far end of the brooder away from the light. They were splashing their water just a little while ago.
