Temp in brooder

[henney penny]

Is 81 degrees warm enough for chicks out of bator? I have a tote with a cover on it it with a heat lamp,the lamp is a 100w ceramic heater,the 150w which is the next one up is way to hot.I can go to my next smaller tote but if all 35 hatch it will be crowded.

 

[JJSS89]

Most totes are way too small for brooding chicks...got pictures?

81 is on the cool side for brand new chicks.

 

[henney penny]

The bigger one is 34 inches long,the heat lamp sits on top and I have it voered with aluminum foil,and an opening for the lamp.They would only be in there till they were big enough to move to another tote which is huge,4 feet long and then out to the coop with heat lamps at 2 months

 

[JJSS89]

As long as there is a space in the brooder for them to get completely warm (90 degrees ish) and a place to cool off, it should be fine. They don't move much when they are 0-3 days old.

 

[henney penny]

I put a heating pad in there on low along with the heat lamp. I had always used a fish tank and had no problem keeping it at 90 the first week,but I broke it and am trying to use the totes

 

[Snoozeys]

I installed my heat lamp earlier to see if it puts out adequate heat for my brooder ... i just checked it and found the temp inside the brooder is 104.3 degrees ... am i right in thinking that is too hot ????

 

[WalnutHill]

A temp of 104.3 under the lamp is okay, as long as the brooder is big enough that all the chicks can get out into room temperature air as well. If you can raise the lamp, it will be cooler underneath.

The brooder should never be a closed in box, it needs plenty of ventilation to prevent overheating as chicks do give off body heat (especially broilers), and to vent moisture and ammonia from urine. When brooding indoors for the first two weeks, I use a 95 watt bulb the first week, a 67 watt bulb the second week, then I move them to the coop under a heat lamp suspended from the ceiling. By that time they have learned how to regulate their body heat.

 

[Snoozeys]

i have removed the lid totally and now testing again with heat lamp in different position .... so in reality what temps should i be trying to achieve under the lamp and at the opposite end of the tub ??

 

[WalnutHill]

75 at the cold side, 100 at the warm side would be chick paradise.

 

[Snoozeys]

I looked and the temp at the lamp is 95 and the other end is 90 ... pretty close to the recommended 92 i think