Ok, so I'm preparing now, so I don't have anything to do at the last minute. Now, I was thinking about using an old reptile habitat as a brooder. It has an incandescent light and a heating pad. Do you think that this is sufficient enough for the babies? I also saw on another thread about someone using a blacklight. Can I have some ideas without having to spend any more money? Things I already have: Habitat Incandescent Light Heating pad Blacklight I know there is more to it than that, I just need advice on heating and lighting. Thank you.
They might burn themselves on the heating pad, no real way for them to easily regulate their body heat if they need to sit on a poo covered pad. I'd say go buy a reptile red 75watt heat bulb at least. Skip the regular light. Black & blue light don't work as well as red light for anti pecking.
I have always used my lighting as the heat source. Look at brooder threads for others who have used reptile habitats as their brooders. The only time I use a heating pad is when I pick up chicks from post office if it is cold and I have to work. they go with me in a tote with thermometer, food and water and I fold the heating pad over as a space heater. As I said there are some great msgs and pics on three or more brooder threads.
Well, the heating pad is under the tank and doesn't get hot at all. It's a perfect warm temp. But I would also have newspaper down and something on top of that. I'll try to find the brooder threads you are talking about. I looked earlier, but couldn't find them. Thank you for your input.
Cost of clamp on reflector lamp= $8 at WalMart $9 at Tractor Supply Company TSC Cost of Red heat lamp bulb 250 watt $7 Pretty affordable, really. Just do NOT rely on the clamp to hold the lamp. Tape it to a stick, pipe or board laid across the brooder box.
Fred's Hens : Just do NOT rely on the clamp to hold the lamp. Tape it to a stick, pipe or board laid across the brooder box. AMEN to that! Here's an almost-horror story about a heat lamp: My chicks were in the huge galvanized steel stock tank in the garage. They were about a month and a half old, and I had the red heat bulb in a reflector lamp clipped to the metal stretcher bar across the middle of the tank. Mid morning I go into the garage to check on the girls and the whole garage is filled with billowing smoke!!! The clip lamp had somehow been bumped off the stretcher bar and had set the pine shavings and newspapers in the bottom of the stock tank on fire. My chickens were terrified and piled into a corner as far as they could get from the fire. Fortunately nobody was injured and the fire was caught in time. I was really lucky. The clip part of the lamp got duct taped to the stretcher bar after that. I also put wire mesh over the top of the tank because the chickens were getting big enough to hop up and peck at the light bulb. That's probably why it got knocked off the stretcher bar in the first place.
