Which heat lamp to get?

[bamachicks8]

Has anyone used heating pads?

 

[Hollow Point]

It depends on where you are brooding them. If out in a garage that's unheated then yeah, a 250w may be what you need. If in your already 70+F home then one lamp is fine, you'll get to them fast enough to replace bulb and I only use a 60W in one end of plastic tote so they have other end to roam if too hot.

Agree, it depends on where you brood them. We hatched some last month and the wife kept them in a plastic box on the porch with hay and a regular lamp with a 100W bulb about 5-8 inches away from the hay. When we would go check on them, they were always warming up under it. After about three weeks I put them in the brooder outside with a 250W bulb which stayed real warm in the area. I keep the lamp pointed horizontal instead of at the floor cause it does put off a lot of heat. Last year it was to close to a plastic water container and melted the top. We lost electricity once about a week ago and when I looked inside they were all hudled together like a football team. Once the electricity came back on, they spread out and were on their own.

 

[Tomtommom]

I too bought the TSC lamp and bulbs... made a VERY nice chick villa out of cardboard (if I say so myself), but then I got to thinking: Cardboard + 250W lamp = bad idea? Also, if you hang the lamp inside the enclosure, do they ever sit on the cage that protects the bulb? Sounds painful..

Debated on ordering http://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-Nocturnal-Infrared-Incandescent/dp/B000255OU4 instead.. But, is that hot enough?

The chicks will be kept in the living area of our home, which will be kept around 70F consistently.

 

[Lizab1205]

for brooders i just use the plastic totes and and the 8 dollar lamp from tractor supply and the red heating bulbs.. I have raised lots of chicks that way and never had a problem

 

[Loveoursilkies]

Cardboard and 250 watts, yikes, you would need to be very, very careful, also, we recently used a 250 watt inside, I think it was way too hot, we lost a chick, I think due to too much heat. If the chicks are inside, I think 250 watts is too much, if they are outside and it is cold, that is different.

 

[Tomtommom]

We tried it last night (without chicks), and it didn't get very hot at all, actually had to hang it inside the box. It only got up to 75F inside when it was on top. It's a large box and our house is a pain to keep warm (1952, no insulation in the walls or floors). We're gonna to place a smoke detector on top to be on the safe side.

 

[1MrsMagoo]

Just be careful to NOT get any heat bulb coated in Teflon, which makes in non-breakable. As the light bulb heats the first time and warms the Teflon, it emits a toxic fume, which has been known to kill birds.

I brood my chicks in old guinea pig cages in the house for the first 3 weeks. If it is cold, I zip tie cardboard to the outside and rest the heat lamp on top of the cage (Use the Tractor Supply bulbs). Once they are over three weeks old, they move to a Rubbermaid 80 gallon stock tank with wire over it in the non-heated garage. On cold nights I cover most of the top, except over the light, with old towels to keep the heat in. I do put a heat lamp suspended from a 2x4 runner over one half of the tank. I place the water and food on the opposite side and that leaves the chicks plenty of room to move away from the light.

I haven't used a thermometer for brooding in over a year and had no issues. I let the chicks behavior tell me if they are too hot or cold. If they are huddled in a pile under the light they aren't warm enough and if they can't get far enough away they are too warm: I adjust accordingly. I have been successfully sharing one 250 watt heat lamp for two guinea pig cages worth of chicks for the past month with no problems. I butt the cages together and rest the light on the middle seam between the two...works great...no deaths or illnesses out of 33 chicks I've hatched in the past 6 weeks.

Good luck everyone and happy hatching!

 

[Pancholoco]

I'm making my own brooder, out of a cardboard box, and all is coming along great. Except for one thing:I can't figure out what heat lamp to get. I can't figure out, are there lamps designed especially for chicks? Or do most people use reptile lamps? What wattage should I use? I want to have two lightbulbs in the brooder at the same time so that if one goes out, then the other will still provide heat, and I can replace the broken one. I am brooding five chicks hopefully.

Thanks for your help,
Eggxelent

I got my brooder lamp from chinastore for 5 bucks I dont know quality but almost all things are from overseas and bulb from HD 150w for small brooder 2' by 4'

 

[eggxelent]

Just be careful to NOT get any heat bulb coated in Teflon, which makes in non-breakable. As the light bulb heats the first time and warms the Teflon, it emits a toxic fume, which has been known to kill birds.

I brood my chicks in old guinea pig cages in the house for the first 3 weeks. If it is cold, I zip tie cardboard to the outside and rest the heat lamp on top of the cage (Use the Tractor Supply bulbs). Once they are over three weeks old, they move to a Rubbermaid 80 gallon stock tank with wire over it in the non-heated garage. On cold nights I cover most of the top, except over the light, with old towels to keep the heat in. I do put a heat lamp suspended from a 2x4 runner over one half of the tank. I place the water and food on the opposite side and that leaves the chicks plenty of room to move away from the light.

I haven't used a thermometer for brooding in over a year and had no issues. I let the chicks behavior tell me if they are too hot or cold. If they are huddled in a pile under the light they aren't warm enough and if they can't get far enough away they are too warm: I adjust accordingly. I have been successfully sharing one 250 watt heat lamp for two guinea pig cages worth of chicks for the past month with no problems. I butt the cages together and rest the light on the middle seam between the two...works great...no deaths or illnesses out of 33 chicks I've hatched in the past 6 weeks.

Good luck everyone and happy hatching!

Anyway, good post. Very helpful.

 

[Trefoil]

If you brood in the house you can get a heat lamp and just put a 100watt bulb in IT, use a thermometer to make sure they can get to the right temperature. As they get older you will be able to get lower wattage bulbs. You can get colored bulbs at home depot, lowes, or probably any store that sell a lot of light bulbs.