red heat lamps...

[Fluffy-Butt-Farms]

ok, since i have 120 eggs going on between now and the middle of october... (most my friend is hatching out since my incubator and i hate each other) i am trying to build a 3 tier brooder. basically, it is 6 feet high (ok, so my family is all tall) and each brooder is 2 feet across, by 1 1/2 feet high and wide with a wire front and plywood sides. My question is....if i use red heat lamps on one side...do they get really hot (like to the touch)? dont want to burn the birds. or do i just use a light bulb and put a wire cage somehow around it???

 

[Kriquet]

I have hardware cloth covering my brooder and the 250 watt heat lamp is clipped to the side if the tank. This arrangement puts the lamp and the wire within inches of each other and it's never hot to touch - it doesn't seem to conduct much heat which us great! The lamp itself is fairly warm/hot to touch so you need to be sure that however you attach it that it's secure.

 

[walkswithdog]

If you hang a heat lamp from above it's easy to adjust, monitor temps at chick level with a thermometer. I swear I've had some lamps seem to put out more heat. And it's EASY to get the lamp too close to the chicks and too hot.

And wayyyy too many people here have had them set fire to combustible material.

When you can, hang on chain, not something that may untie or slip or burn.

 

[Fluffy-Butt-Farms]

ok, i can't really put the heat lamp on the top of the cage, there really isn't a top except for the top one. that's why i'm trying for the sides...but i guess i can find a way to put it outside the cage. sounds like i'm redesigning

 

[Junkmanme]

Unless you plan to have the brooder OUTSIDE, I think a HEAT lamp is Over-kill.

I suspect that you could use regular incandescent bulbs, one or two for each LAYER of the brooder and set to the side of each.

I think I would use two on each layer and also use a dimmer switch for each set of 2 (each layer). With the dimmer switch (rheostat), you could adjust the wattage of each layer of lamps (for heat control).

Just a few thoughts about it,

-Junkmanme-

 

[SunnyDawn]

I agree with Junkmanme. If you want to stick with red lights (discourages some pecking problems) use red party lights. I used one red and one regular incandescent in each of my brooders and they worked very well.

 

[Fluffy-Butt-Farms]

thank you....

i know how to do a dimmer switch, and going to incorporate that into my drawing.

 

[Junkmanme]

For what it's worth..........I've used RED spray paint on a regular light bulb and it has worked fine.

-Junkmanme-

 

[Elite Silkies]

Quote:
I was wondering if that would work, but was unsure of the paint getting that hot and maybe smoking or flaking off and them eating the paint.

 

[txchickie]

Quote:
Man, I have ALWAYS wondered if that would work! I figured the fumes or something would off-gas in the heat and I'd kill my chicks and myself in my sleep