two brooders, one heat lamp

[pdsavage]

Quote:
Sometime thing happen and people are hit with suprise bills,so please think a little before typing...Give positive help kk thanks...

 

[CoffeeCow]

I have to agree with fiddleblue...

If you can't afford the supplies, you shouldn't get the animal. This applies to all manner of pets/livestock. My wife is a veterinarian, and she tells me of the people who go and adopt a puppy, and then can't afford to get it shots, medicine, or any proper care. this is not a humane way to treat anything. You should do your research BEFORE you bring any new animal into your family. $10 isn't a lot of money to spend for a healthy flock.

 

[cow_girl]

right now i have my brooder set up w/ a little boxed off area for my 2 baby pekins.. i have just one heat lamp and its about 2/3rds on the chick side and 1/3rd on the duck side.. it works great since my ducks dont really like it hot ( they never lay under the light hardly ever anyways ) but in your case i would try to find a desk lamp for now, or borrow one from a friend / family until you can afford to get another lamp...if your really gung-ho on using just one lamp, try putting half on one brooder half on the other, and really pay attention to what your chicks are doing / telling you etc... I cant get my brooder up to 90 degrees but my chicks dont seem to mind at all, everyones chicks are different...

 

[Mervin]

I'm with pdsavage on this. The site is a great resource, but honestly some folks on here are a bit much. The OP came here and posted b/c they already know they have a problem. Snide comments aren't helping them fix their problem and are probably just adding to their anguish. You're asking them to show compassion w/o doing so yourself. I'm not saying that constructive criticism is a bad thing, but dog piling on someone certainly isn't constructive. If you can't offer something that helps, why don't you just keep your hand away from the keyboard?

 

[CoffeeCow]

@ Mervin

Point taken, I didn't mean for that to come off harsh but we are talking about living, breathing things here.

There are already a few suggestions on here like the 100w lightbulb in a desk lamp.. but their cord has a short. If I was in this situation, I think I could scrounge up $2 for a construction style lamp holder. or try and fix the short in the desk lamp. It may not be ideal, but I would do what I had to do to make my flock safe. That is my responsibility as an owner, to provide for my flock.

 

[pdsavage]

Quote:
Yes but if they ask for help then help them,its the ones who dont ask and could care less that i worry about...
Now we have to be considerate and when someone ask for help and we attack them then that doesnt help the animal that needs help...I know if i asked for help and people where negative i would never ask for help again...
We catch more flies with honey.....

 

[BriteChicken]

I had two boxes going at once for a bit there and was putting the boxes side by side and letting the light shine between the two but I'll admit that it wasn't the most ideal of situations but it worked until a friend lent me another heat lamp...

 

[Prospector]

Not helping the OP, and fearing a sidetrack, but I think there are a couple important things to consider beyond the dogpiling mentality...

First, I turn to internet forums as a sourrce of solutions to problems. I am new here but sifting through the archives gives a wealth of ideas and information. Whether that is how to solve a problem (like the OP's) or things to consider that I may not have thought of (like Coffee Cow's budget considerations) I think its a good thing when all sides and solutions are brought to light. It allows lurkers and newbies a chance to see different sides in the spectrum. I am all for constructive suggestions, whether those include scrounging for hack solutions to a problem, end running a problem before it happens, or changing outlooks and strategies in addressing a problem.

I think all the info in this thread is valuable, but the most valuable bit is to be sure the problems are addressed with tact and dignity, and that theose brave enough to admit they need help come away with a solution at the end of the day.

In this case that solution may be to put a new heat source in the brooder, or to find a new home for the chicks, only the OP can decide that. We are just here to give information to help them consider solutions.

 

[saritastar]

I have week olds and 5 week olds. What I did, so I didn't have to buy another light, is put them all in one large box. Then I took another piece of thick cardboard and made a barrier between the two ages. The heat lamp is pointed mostly on the littles, but enough is coming over for my older gals.

Do you have a large box to do something similar? Just for the time being, maybe you could abandon the 2 separate brooders?

hth and good luck!

 

[abanjaf]

You can purchase a reptile lamp from any pet store that carries reptiles. I use one for my chicks. Works great.