What’s the best way to step down the heat when it’s time?

[thecreekhouse]

My chicks are only a few days old and I’m using a large plastic tote with pine shavings on the floor as a brooder. I’m currently using the SATCO infrared R40 250 watt bulb for their heat source. At what point should I change it out for a standard 60 watt bulb? Or is there a heating pad (don’t they poop all over that?) I should use as a step down? I’ve also seen some sort of Brinsea brooding set up where the chicks can go under a little heated area when they need heat. What’s the best way to step down the heat when it’s time?

 

[imnukensc]

Most people just raise the light higher/farther away from the chicks. For any future chicks you might raise, you can either make a MHP (https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...d-in-the-brooder-picture-heavy-update.956958/) or get a brooder plate. I'm partial the the Premier 1 brooder plates. https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es.com/p/heating-plates-and-covers?cat_id=226

 

[RoosterML]

Sounds like you are using a heat lamp. You should have a thermometer located on the floor so you know what the temp is at currently (should be 90°-95°) for the first week.. Now raise the height of the heat lamp so that your temp on the floor reduces roughly 5° weekly.

 

[aart]

How big is that bin?
Is it in a warm house or outside in a coop?
Got pics?

Here's my notes on chick heat, hope something in there might help:

They need to be pretty warm(~85-90F on the brooder floor right under the lamp and 10-20 degrees cooler at the other end of brooder) for the first day or two, especially if they have been shipped, until they get to eating, drinking and moving around well. But after that it's best to keep them as cool as possible for optimal feather growth and quicker acclimation to outside temps. A lot of chick illnesses are attributed to too warm of a brooder. I do think it's a good idea to use a thermometer on the floor of the brooder to check the temps, especially when new at brooding, later I still use it but more out of curiosity than need.

The best indicator of heat levels is to watch their behavior:
-If they are huddled/piled up right under the lamp and cheeping very loudly, they are too cold.
-If they are spread out on the absolute edges of the brooder as far from the lamp as possible, panting and/or cheeping very loudly, they are too hot.
-If they sleep around the edge of the lamp calmly just next to each other and spend time running all around the brooder they are juuuust right!

The lamp is best at one end of the brooder with food/water at the other cooler end of the brooder, so they can get away from the heat or be under it as needed. Wattage of 'heat' bulb depends on size of brooder and ambient temperature of room brooder is in. Regular incandescent bulbs can be used, you might not need a 'heat bulb'. If you do use a heat bulb make sure it's specifically for poultry, some heat bulbs for food have teflon coatings that can kill birds. You can get red colored incandescent bulbs at a reptile supply source. A dimmer extension cord is an excellent way to adjust the output of the bulb to change the heat without changing the height of the lamp.


Or you could go with a heat plate, commercially made or DIY: http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/pseudo-brooder-heater-plate

 

[Crazy for Chickens!]

I use a heat lamp for my chicks. What i do is:
Put two heat lamps in your brooder. One with the 250 watt and one with the 60 watt. Use the 250 until around 5-6 weeks. Then, use the 60 in the day, and turn on the 250 at night, for a while. Then either just use the 60 all the time, or put them out, whatever.

 

[SueT]

Raise the lamp or use smaller and smaller bulb(s) to lower the temp gradually to ambient room temp. By around 4 weeks they can be completely weaned off of it. (Incandescent bulbs, not LED. You could also substitute a reptile bulb or ceramic heat emitter which puts out heat not light. All will fit in your lamp fixture. )
How many chicks in what size tote?