White light @ night so they'll eat????

[gritsar]

My chicks are a week old today. They are in the brooder on our screened porch.
They only had a heat lamp on in the daytime for two days then it got too hot for one, so we starting switching it on at about 8:30 PM (around sunset) and turned it off in the morning.
Our red bulb went out on day three, so we've had to make do with a white bulb.
So...it's was too hot for the chicks to do anything all day so they slept all day, coming alive after dark like little vampire chicks. The brooder that held my brahma flock fine for six weeks isn't enough for these little banshees. I was having to get up a couple times a night to go put some little escape artist back in the brooder after they jumped out and then screamed bloody murder wanting back in. The brooder is a wading pool so it can't be covered, but because it has an 18" H draft guard around it they can't get too far away.
So today we shopped for a replacement red bulb and not being able to find any except for 25 watt ones that aren't quite warm enough for night, we bought a black light bulb instead.
The problem is, the chicks slept almost all day today and sleeping chicks aren't eating. Now with the blacklight on them they are all still sleeping. Again, sleeping chicks aren't eating.
I'm worried that they will get sick from not eating. DH says that once they get back on the right sleep schedule tonight (instead of partying all night long) they'll be up and ready to eat tomorrow.

I am so tempted to go out there right now and put their white light back in so they'll wake up and eat!

Please tell me they'll be okay till morning!

 

[Tiramisu]

I would think in morning when there is light to see and they are hungry that they would eat

Guess I would wait and see in the morning.

 

[Kittymomma]

I think your DH is right. One day of not eating much won't hurt and they'll be hungry in the morning. They probably just need to get their days and nights back in order.

 

[pkw]

Walmart usually has the red lights.

I think if you are worried about your chicks eating, wake them up and try to get them to eat something and drink but I think a white light keeps them awake and the black light would be better than the white for them

 

[write2caroline]

I thought that under a white light they would peck at each other so I have always used red lights for warmth and protection.
Caroline

 

[gritsar]

Yes, Walmart does have red flood lights but they are too hot/too high wattage (150W) for this time of year. I was looking for something in the 90 watt range, but the red "party" lights are only 25 watt; that's why we got the black light instead.
The heat lamp is already 2 ft. off the brooder floor and we can't go any higher than that.
At any rate they were fine this morning, up and eating. In fact they woke me up at 7 AM. I thought perhaps some of them had jumped out of the brooder again but it turns out they were hearing my rooster crow and my adult hens making noises and were responding to that.
Thanks for the replies.

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
It's not that they will automatically peck each other with a white light, but if they are prone to pecking than using a red light can sometimes solve the problem.

 

[Pidgey104]

try lowes or home depot they have a light bulb taht is 100 watt.

 

[D'Angelo N Va.]

I have ONLY used the white lights..EVER. They don't pick at one another, they sleep, eat, do all the things theywould normally do in the sunshine. i always wondered why ppl. say ONLY use a red light. Fiddle Dee Dee.

 

[gritsar]

D'Angelo N Va. :

I have ONLY used the white lights..EVER. They don't pick at one another, they sleep, eat, do all the things theywould normally do in the sunshine. i always wondered why ppl. say ONLY use a red light. Fiddle Dee Dee.

No lowes or home depot within about a 100 miles of here. We have a walmart and a farmer's co-op. Anyhow, doesn't matter now. They slept all night (under the black light) and have been up eating all day long.