Uninsulated Garage Brooder

[PrettyBirdRocky]

If you can find a 100watt incandescent bulb, that's what my Mammaw and her grandparents used to use for 100 chicks every year (years ago) lol. We used one for a month for our broody/chicks just to raise temp a bit in her lovely frigid January lol

 

[Huntmaster]

100watt incandescent bulb,

Depending on how cold ambient temps are that would not put off much heat in a very big area for 100 hatchlings that sounds like a death by cold or by piling/suffocation situation in cold temps.

 

[PrettyBirdRocky]

Depending on how cold ambient temps are that would not put off much heat in a very big area for 100 hatchlings that sounds like a death by cold or by piling/suffocation situation in cold temps.

Indiana, my Mammaw and them did it every year for like twenty years and never lost any until it was time to butcher. They were also in a draft free barn brooder area. Granted it was all they had and it worked for them.

 

[Huntmaster]

Indiana, my Mammaw and them did it every year for like twenty years and never lost any until it was time to butcher. They were also in a draft free barn brooder area. Granted it was all they had and it worked for them.

Like I said it would have to be a warmer time of year with warmer ambient temps and yes it can be done. # of hatchlings also matters as with too small of a heated area they tend to pile up on each other competing for heat actually smothering or injuring others.

 

[NatJ]

If you can find a 100watt incandescent bulb, that's what my Mammaw and her grandparents used to use for 100 chicks every year (years ago) lol. We used one for a month for our broody/chicks just to raise temp a bit in her lovely frigid January lol

That is a good point, that the big 250 watt heat lamp bulbs are not the only kind that can be used for heat. Changing the bulb size is one way to get more or less total heat.

Given how big the world is, and how many different brooding setups can exist, I would say for any person to try any heating method or any size bulb that sounds good and then check with a thermometer, well before the chicks arrive, so there is time to change it if it does not provide the right amount of heat.

Different things will be "best" in different situations. Sometimes the big 250 watt bulb is really needed, other times it makes too much heat and kills the chicks. Sometimes a smaller bulb provides plenty of heat, sometimes it is not enough, and sometimes it is still too hot. Sometimes a brooder plate is fine by itself, sometimes it is not. There are so many options, each person can usually find several different ones that will work in their situations, along with quite a few that do not work well for them.

 

[TyRi]

I have a 150W ceramic heat emitter coming to give a test drive. With having the plate in the brooder, would I be able to just have it somewhere above to keep the ambient air warm? Should I just keep the temperature warm not necessarily the full heat since they will have the brooder plate in there as well so they have a cooler area but still warm? Or should I point it in there and keep it toasty throughout?

 

[NatJ]

I have a 150W ceramic heat emitter coming to give a test drive. With having the plate in the brooder, would I be able to just have it somewhere above to keep the ambient air warm? Should I just keep the temperature warm not necessarily the full heat since they will have the brooder plate in there as well so they have a cooler area but still warm? Or should I point it in there and keep it toasty throughout?

If the brooder plate wants temperatures at least 50 degrees, I would try to keep the air temperature at least 50 degrees in the area with the brooder plate.

They do still need a cooler area, so do not try to heat everything equally. The cooler area can be almost any temperature, although it is nice if it stays above freezing so you don't have to deal with ice in their water. Anything over 80 degrees is too hot for the "cool" area, and it is better if you can keep at least part of the cool area under 70.

(All temperatures I listed are in Fahrenheit, since OP and myself are in the USA.)

 

[PrettyBirdRocky]

I have a 150W ceramic heat emitter coming to give a test drive. With having the plate in the brooder, would I be able to just have it somewhere above to keep the ambient air warm? Should I just keep the temperature warm not necessarily the full heat since they will have the brooder plate in there as well so they have a cooler area but still warm? Or should I point it in there and keep it toasty throughout?

I have a CHE on ceramic base that is clipped/zipties to a shovel handle that we have zipties/chained on hooks to raise lower to adjust. We've used CHE for reptiles for years so pretty comfortable with them : ) we only used it outside for our Mama when she hatched 6 Dec 1st (Indiana here) for about a month in outside brooder (somewhere in my content I have the set up)

Eta we just heated a small section for Mama to have the ability to wander in and out