Red vs. White Infrared Bulb

[cow_girl]

Im not sure if this has been discussed before.. I couldnt seem to find anything on it... But Im wondering what is a better light, the white ones or red?... I had a 250W White Infrared bulb, but I couldnt get it over 80 degree in the brooder at night... the chicks seemed happy though, eating lots, running around, but always bunching under the light / seemed cold... they have had the white bulb for the last 2 days ( since I got them )... well today I switched to a 175W Red Infrared Bulb, and the brooder temp is up to 95 degrees, but the chicks dont seem that active anymore, the odd one is eating / drinking.. but they seem to be sleeping a lot more .. not always under the light, just kind of all over... Should I switch back to the white....Which bulb do you use / recommend??

Also, its very cold here at night and my chicks are in the shop, so I find that through the day I can keep the brooder at 90-100 F easy.. but at night with the white bulb its been down to 75 F. : ( I guess Ill have to check later tonight and see what the temp is with the new red bulb...

 

[Gonzo]

The red one has a calming effect on chicks and helps prevent picking..

 

[WoodlandWoman]

It's normal for chicks that young to sleep a lot. I would stay with the red, as it's better for the chicks.

 

[Redhead Hen]

I have my brooder outside in the coop. We have a 250w red brooder lamp hung up and at the right level to provide the right temp for our new chicks. The only reason we got the red one was because it seemed to be the favored light to use in brooders. My husband did some internet searches on it - he loves searching for info on the web! Ha! But I too have read that the red light will be better for the calming effect.

Here are a few links to threads on here talking about this ...

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=303383
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=4004789

This one was for quail, but it should not be too different for chicks ... maybe different temps, but still the same idea.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=3828720


Hope that helps ya out! Call the stores before going there. We called 2 TSC's before finding one that had red lights in stock! It's that time of year ... everyone wants one! Hehe!

Good luck!

 

[SugarHouse Mama]

I started with a white bulb. Then found out a few days later that the red bulbs are better.... I think it was on the Martha Stewart show??? or maybe My pet Chicken.

Anyway, I went and exchanged it at the store for a red one. I was surprised. Not only was the red light more pleasant for the people in the house (that white light was sooooo bright!) the chicks seemed happier too. They were more calm and I swear they ate more. Less episodes of frantic chirping. One of my EEs even started signing almost every morning!

When I did the exchange at the store, I also bought a shatter proof bulb. I heard another customer at the store talking about how she had to get a new bulb because the chicks flicked water on the other one and it blew up. Little shards of glass were everywhere. I didn't want that happening to my chicks - or my family.