Quick ??? about heat lamp and heat.....

[Half-a-dozen]

Chicks in brooder (outside) ...humid and hot right now... (NJ) temp. here 74.... overnight low ???probably 60's with the humidity and rain tonight. Mixed ages of Chicks in brooder house from 1 week to 4 weeks.
I don't want to roast them in there, should I leave the lamp (250 watt heat lamp) off tonight???
What would you do?
Thanks

 

[speckledhen]

250 watts is pretty hot. Could you change it to a lower wattage regular household bulb?

 

[morelcabin]

It depends, how big is the brooder? Do they have room to get away from the light? The four week olds would probably be okay without, but the week olds might not.

 

[Half-a-dozen]

yes I can change the watt to a household...100 watts ok???
The brooder house it 4X8 in size and 4 feet high...
Thanks

 

[chicks for better health]

How many chicks?

 

[morelcabin]

Can you move the heat lamp to one end and open up a vent or something on the other end? I only wish I was dealing with your temps...it snowed here last night and is still going to 0 at night here right now. My chicks are huddled right under the lamp at night.

 

[Half-a-dozen]

Quote:
There are about 6- 4 week olds, 6 or so??- 3 week olds and 8- 1 week olds.

 

[Tommy]

I am using 60 watt light bulbs, just standard cheap wal mart bulbs in 2 different brooders. They are in those cheap aluminum round light things. Like 9 bux each.

In one box i have 21 white crested ducks and the box is 4ft by 4 ft by 2ft high. The first week i had them in there i had the light about 6 to 8 inches away and they would stay pretty close to the light when resting.

When I saw they started sleeping farther and farther away from the light I pulled the light up about 6 inches. (just moved the clamp around to where the light was farther from the chicks) They were about 1 week old at this time.

After the second week I moved the light even farther away and now they are 3 weeks old and I am turning the light off during the day.


I have 9 chickens in a similar situation. The box is 2 ft wide and 8 ft long and 2 ft high. Same sq ft, just diff design. This box got divided in half tonight since I have 9 Black East Indies ducks coming tomorrow. Its ready to go and I just put the light over the partition.

All the birds are doing great so far, except 1 duck who has a mental disorder of somekind lol, but he's been like that since I picked them up from the post office. Them buggers are all growing like weeds. Its unreal how much food they go through.

BTW..... I have never raised ducks before and am here to tell ya... they go through a LOT of water.

 

[Half-a-dozen]

Quote:
And yes...the heat lamp is on one side of the brooder and the other side is empty with an open window... ??? 10x10 opening for air.../ circulation etc...

 

[ChickNLittle]

Hey Tommy

Do you by any chance have any photos you could post of the East Indies? Thanks