Putting Chicks Outside: Heat Lamp Safety

[Dogsothoth]

Ok. Current set up. Obviously needs work, I feel like it’s very unsafe. What would you do to fix this? Aside of the very obvious extension cord adjustments, is there any way to make this safe at all? Lol. There’s also a top on it that the big chickens cannot jump through of course.

Please be gentle, don’t roast me - I’m not leaving this set up like this in any unsafe manner until you experts advise me. My family says I’m overthinking it... am I? Lol.

I feel like they don’t need the light really, though. They have no heat lamp inside at 65-70 degrees. It drops to about 47 at night here though. Here’s a chick for example.

 

[SilverBirds]

How old are they? They look feathered enough to not need a lamp. If the lamp is needed I'd try not to let it touch the metal. It could melt it or the metal could get really hot and burn them. It looks to be on the smallish side. How many chicks are you putting in there?

 

[Dogsothoth]

How old are they? They look feathered enough to not need a lamp. If the lamp is needed I'd try not to let it touch the metal. It could melt it or the metal could get really hot and burn them. It looks to be on the smallish side. How many chicks are you putting in there?

I’ll show you with chicks inside. To be truthful, I’ve had this metal on metal (pen touching lamp) set up for weeks I considered the same issues so I sat around & made sure it didn’t melt or turn hot to touch. So there’s that at least, but good looking out. I’m thinking I’m probably overkill by doing the light to begin with, but there’s various ages in there. Let me grab a few pictures for ya.

 

[Dogsothoth]

How old are they? They look feathered enough to not need a lamp. If the lamp is needed I'd try not to let it touch the metal. It could melt it or the metal could get really hot and burn them. It looks to be on the smallish side. How many chicks are you putting in there?

Here’s my youngest that I’m thinking should just be kept inside. What do you think? I believe they are 2wks. The yellow one shown is massive lol but the rest are about as feathered as the black & white chick shown.

 

[Dogsothoth]

How old are they? They look feathered enough to not need a lamp. If the lamp is needed I'd try not to let it touch the metal. It could melt it or the metal could get really hot and burn them. It looks to be on the smallish side. How many chicks are you putting in there?

Bout 13 chicks right now.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Ugh the heat lamp makes me nervous in there, as a chick jumping around could fly into it and burn themselves (or even knock it down). It really needs to be securely attached by hang loop to something solid - doesn't look like the hang loop is being used, and the walls of a wire pen like this aren't the most stable of surfaces. But since you have adults outside the pen I'm not sure where would be a good place to put it.

 

[saysfaa]

I would take the lamp out and give them a huddle box instead. I think they are feathered enough to be fine with just a deep pile of bedding but huddle boxes are pretty easy and if it makes you (or your family) feel better, a couple of hot water bottles (maybe milk jugs) wouldn't hurt anything.

Next time, if you want to use a heat lamp, move the bales of straw back at least another couple of feet, find a way to hang the lamp by its clamp a chain to something very sturdy and so the cord doesn't rub on wire. For something sturdy in the picture of your space - I might look at a bracket from the posts and beams in the wall or a sawhorse type thing or a beam from the wall beams to a saw horse type thing. Both with something to keep the adults off it.

I don't think you are overthinking it; I've seen barns burn down from heat lamps that had been "used like that for years with no problems." Dust is sometimes a factor - dust is extremely flammable. I use a wool hen wool strips hanging from the roof of a huddle box; it is enough for chicks from day old on.

 

[3KillerBs]

For heat lamp safety remove that clamp and hang the lamp by a chain.

The heat lamp shouldn't touch anything and shouldn't be in a position that a chick could jump up onto it.

If you have nothing to hang the lamp from, Premier 1 has a stand for them: https://www.premier1supplies.com/p/heat-lamp-stand?cat_id=173

 

[gimmie birdies]

You could go to a hardware store and get a long wooden pole to hang the lamp from. I have a metal curtain rod I hang mine from and clamps. Normally I chain my lamps or clamp them very secure, I did have one set on top of metal wire shining down into the brooder, in a shed away from adult hens. I had a 2 week old leghorn that was active and escaped and managed to kick the lamp off the top of the wire on to the floor of the brooder. There was not active fire from it but it did melt a hole. Even if you think the chickens cannot get to the lamp, be sure it is really secure. I was sassy enough to think it could not happen to me.