Sorry i'm posting all these topics-heating question.

[Ali1010]

I know I've been posting a lot of topics....but here's the deal...where I live, it is SO hot. Not even joking, it's been in the 100's the past few days. Wonderful for my leopard gecoks (I dont even need their heat lamps, their temp. in their tank is high enough), but not for my other animals. My question is, if it's still this hot when I get my chicks, do I need a heat lamp? Also, I have a few extra reptile heat lamps with 60 watt bulbs....can I use this? Also, has anyone put their chicks in bins? Would bins melt from the heat lamp? Aren't boxes dangerous and a fire hazard when working with lamps?


Sorry for all the questions, I just want to do this right!

-Ali

 

[VTGIRL]

Hi Ali,

I wouldn't think there would be an issue with you posting questions, that's what these forums are for

Assuming your chicks are a day or two old they will need to have temps in the mid 90's to keep warm until they start to feather out. If you have those temps without having to add a lamp I'm not sure why you would need to (of course I am no expert). Perhaps the chicks will need the light in addition to the heat? I also think your 60 watters will work perfectly fine. that is what we used. We just lowered and raised them as the temps changed. Not sure about the plastic bins melting but if newspaper doesn't catch fire with a 60 watt bulb less than five inches from it I wouldn't think a plastic bin would melt.

Just my two cents

Jody

 

[cmom]

I don't know what the night time temps are where you are so you will probably only need some heat at night. I have used a 60 watt bulb and it worked perfectly fine.

 

[Ali1010]

The night temps are a bit low...so, maybe I can just use it at night?


Thanks you guys!

 

[BorderKelpie]

I use the CHEs that I had for my snakes The bins I use are Rubbermaids. I cut a good sized hole in the lids, sewed in some hardware cloth and just set the CHEs on the wire. So far, so good.
(This is the set up I had for my juvie snakes, seems to work just fine for the chicks.)
BTW, I have a Leopard Gecko, too, and a Boa constrictor. I have turned the CHEs off for them about 3 weeks ago. Poor things were hot. It gets warm here, too.

 

[Ali1010]

^ glad to here I'm not the only one, although it does cut down on electricity costs! =P

Mmkay, I'll use the bins.

 

[kipper]

I haven't read your other posts, so I don't know how many chicks you are getting. We use bins, in fact we have 3 Cochins in one in our bathroom right now! My dh cut a big hole out of the top and covered it with hardware cloth (stapled). Our lid had latches and it is secure enough to keep out our cat (under supervision!) We have had up to 25 new babies in one, but begin putting them in additional bin brooders as they grow.

We used this type of brooder because it has been a long, record hot summer here, and we can better control the heat inside our house than in our garage or sheds. As far as using a bulb, I vote yes. But invest in a dollar store thermometer (I actually bought one at Walmart fo 1 dollar) and mount it down at chick level to see what their temps are. I use electrical tape to do this, and they usually yank it off the inside of the brooder before long, but by that point you will get the hang of all this. Go by this temp, use a light if needed. Be sure to secure it well! I don't know where you live, but when I lived in the desert the temps dropped at night, so keep an eye on this.

It doesn't have to be exactly 90 or whatever temp you are shooting for, but somewhat in that range. I also suspect this may be a good yime of year for you to get chicks as your temps (I am guessing here) are going to be nice outside soon. Good luck!

 

[Ali1010]

I'm only getting two, so I'm wondering now if I can just use a 10 gal. tank...just for a week? Also, what should I use as a substrate for them? And what should I feed them? XD And what temp. am I searching for? 90? And what if it gets to hot....what should I do then?

you can see I've done no research on raising chicks. /fail.

 

[fiddleblue]

Barbara Kilarski's book Keep Chickens is a great overall book on chickens, highly readable, yet with sufficient info to get you going. I am starting on this project of raising chicks too. Kilarski and Storey's Guide both state that for their first week of life, the temperature (measured below the light, 2 inches from the floor) should be about 95 degrees. Lower the temperature 5 degrees each week thereafter, for the next 5 or 6 weeks, at which point no more heat is needed (assuming, I guess, that the ambient temperature is "room temperature" or about 65 to 70). I'm using my newly built henhouse as the brooder, which turns out to be tricky because its ambient temperature fluctuates a lot more than would the temperature inside a house. I have to keep lowering and raising heat lamps, turning one or two off ( I have two set up, in case one fails) on hot days or hot times of day. If it gets too hot, raise the lamp to a higher point above the brooder. It helps to have the lamp attached to a chain that you can tie off with a piece of tie wire at the right height. You can also tell if the heat is the right level by the behavior of the chicks: if they are all under the lamp, it's probably too cool. If they are all on the periphery far from the lamp it's probably too hot.
Pine shavings is a good substrate for them. For their first two days of life I read that it is good to cover the pine shavings with paper towels (not newspaper) so they learn to eat their feed rather than just trying to eat the pine shavings.

 

[Ali1010]

thanks! And should I just feed them chicken mash?