What light to use?

[joshram]

Do i have to use the 250 watt infrared light for 8 chicks. Right now I'm using a white heat light and they stay up all night.

 

[3riverschick]

Do i have to use the 250 watt infrared light for 8 chicks. Right now I'm using a white heat light and they stay up all night.

No you don't. I won't use them anymore either. The red 250 are designed to heat objects. The white incandescents just give off heat as a byproduct of being on. The incandescents are safer with the chicks. I use a 60 or 85 watt white incandescent with great results. Put it at the end of the brooder where the feed and water aren't. The chicks will go to it as they need heat. Make sure the bulb is not Teflon coated, those Teflon bulbs outgas carbon monoxide which kills chickens of any age.
Best,
Karen

 

[joshram]

Thanks for helping.I moved it but will this also help with them staying up all night?

 

[Blooie]

You don't have to use a lamp at all, and your chicks will go to sleep when the sun goes down and sleep all through the night. Here's a link to Mama Heating Pad, and a video of my chicks. The video starts out dark....


https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/956958/mama-heating-pad-in-the-brooder-picture-heavy-update

 

[3 chicks farm]

What kind of heating pad do you use. Looks like a great idea

 

[joshram]

I am thinking about trying this. What heating of will work?

 

[Blooie]

http://www.amazon.com/Sunbeam-2013-...kmr1&keywords=Sunbeam+x-tra+large+heating+pad

This is the one I use. It's a Sunbeam XpressHeat pad that has the option to bypass the "auto-off" feature. Sometimes you can find them at Walmart or Walgreens, and it will say right on the box that you can set it to "stay on". That's critical or else the pad will turn itself off after an hour or two, not good when you're trying to keep chicks warm.

@henless found one that not only stays on continually, but it will also turn itself back on to the last setting in case of a power outage.

http://www.sunbeam.com/pain-relief/...ology-blue/000771-810-000.html#sz=12&start=18

I still prefer the one I use simply because I brood my chicks outside from the start now, and I prefer the numbered settings (1-6) rather than hi, med, low settings. Temperatures fluctuate much more outdoors than they do in the house and I like the ability to adjust the temperature of the pad accordingly.

I have never lost a chick, nor had any get sick, by foregoing the conventional wisdom of chick raising. What we try to do with this method is mimic a broody hen as closely as possible by giving the chicks a place to duck into for a quick warm-up or if they get spooked. What's closer to a broody hen than a warm, dark spot to burrow under? Since I brood outdoors, my chicks are fully integrated with the rest of the flock by 4 weeks old and going without any heat at all by that time. No more dust, cheeping all night long, risk of heat lamp fires, and no transition stress from trying to take 8 week old chicks outside, dump them into a strange environment, and expecting them to just adjust and know what to do. Mine learn how to be chickens from day one.

Good luck!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/yes-you-certainly-can-brood-chicks-outdoors

 

[joshram]

Blooie do I have tip brood them out doors if I use this

 

[Blooie]

I think you're asking if you have to brood them outdoors if you use this, and the short answer is "no". You can brood them anywhere you want with Mama Heating Pad. All you need is a large brooder, (one of the disadvantages of MHP is that it takes up quite a bit of space in the brooder so you need to plan for that) a spot for them that's secure against predators, which includes the curious family dog or cat, and an electrical outlet. That's it. Folks brood their chicks with MHP in the garage, back porches, living rooms - wherever you want to brood your chicks. I happen to do mine outside because I want them accustomed to where they'll be living without a lot of transitioning and getting them used to changes in light, ambient temps, surfaces, and the other chickens. I do brood shipped chicks or home hatched chicks inside for the first day or so, though, so that I know they understand where to get food, water, and warmth and in the case of shipped chicks, to watch for shipping stress. Then when they've got it all figured out, out they go! I have chicks that went out there 24 hours after coming out the incubator!

 

[joshram]

Do I also have to measure the temperature under the heating pad?