Red light bulb in brooder

[woodmort]

Am I the only one who uses a red light in a brooder? Back in the day--early 50's--this was a recommendation to prevent injury. The idea being that the red light would cover the sight of blood so the chicks wouldn't pick at any that had wounds. It used to be I'd use a red heat light on the floor brooder, then when I went to a battery brooder it was a 10w LED bulb. Now that I use a plate brooder I hang the LED over top of the brooder. Never have had a picking problem even when the chicks were somewhat crowded.

 

[Wezdin]

I use a red bulb because i have heard that it does not keep them awake.

 

[woodmort]

I use a red bulb because i have heard that it does not keep them awake.

Never seems to be a problem there, they sleep just fine.

 

[Kessel23]

I use one but I have read about negative side effects caused by it. I never saw the data for the studies or anything so I am not positive how they tested all of those things.

If someone here has them link it for me please.

 

[woodmort]

Done it for over 30 years and well over 200 birds--chickens, guineas, geese and ducks--with no problems.

 

[The Moonshiner]

I think a lot of people do considering how many chick pics I've seen where they're obviously under a red light.
I've used them at different times more so years and years ago. I don't worry about them now days just use regular bulbs most of the time unless I see some at the end of season on sell for super cheap.
I actually still use bulbs for heat.

 

[Blooie]

If it works well for you, by all means, stick with it! My first batch was raised with a red heat lamp, but I swore, never again! So I looked into commercial brooding plates, but couldn’t justify the bite to the budget for something that would see occasional use.

Now I use Mama Heating Pad and brood them out in a wire brooder pen in the run. Every batch, every time! It totally mimics a broody hen, from the darkness and softness underneath to the steady, even heat. They duck under for a quick warmup and then pop back out, exploring and learning to be chickens from the adults around them. If they get spooked, they dash under until they feel secure. They love to lay on top of it, and tuck themselves around it too, just as they do with a broody. They go to sleep at sunset and wake up with the dawn instead of catching an hour here and there. They aren’t eating all night long, which I think overloads still-immature digestive systems, so not one batch of my MHP chicks has ever had pasty butt, unlike my first (and only) batch of indoor, heat lamp raised chicks. They are totally off all heat by the end of 3 weeks, and mingling with the flock. By 4 weeks the brooder pen and heating pad comes out of the run and they are fully integrated with the flock.

To me, light is light, no matter what color the bulbs are. I do understand that the red bulbs are probably better than white light. So as I said, you’ve had fantastic success with what you’re doing and there’s no need to change horses in the middle of this stream. Just thought you might be interested to learn about an alternative. I always love learning different things!

 

[woodmort]

Keep in mind, I generally do 18 to 36 chicks at a time so need room. Back in my HS days I was brooding 50+ broilers in which case I used a big brooder--large, cone-shaped with a heat lamp in the middle and a thermostat that the HS ag teacher let me borrow Once I got back into chickens 30 years ago it was just a heat lamp suspended from the ceiling and a cardboard barrier to keep the chicks close. Later I bought a battery brooder that I used for years. The big advantage was that I could put it on saw horses so the chicks were closer to eye level. The problem was it was a pain set up and to clean. Also the height was a restriction. This year I've moved to a 50-bird brooder plate. In all cases I used a red light in some form. BTW, I also have brooded half a dozen chicks in a large cardboard box with a 100w light bulb.

 

[aart]

I like the heat plates.....or my DIY Pseudo heat 'plate' using a heating pad.
I do still use a red light, 100W reptile bulb on a dimmer, over feed/water station the first day or two to make sure they are eating and drinking well.
The plates/pads are nice, lower power consumption, safer(provided all power lines/connections are safe).
But they definitely have a capacity limit, if I was raising more than ~15-20 birds I'd go with a heat lamp.

 

[Blooie]

Yep, there are absolutely limits on the heating pad. But for most of us who just raise a few at a time, I think they’re ideal. The most I’ve had at one time was 17, I think. But by a couple of weeks old they are out of it more than under it anyway, so we made it work.