will a 40w bulb do for chicks!!

[jason180sx]

hi
i got an incubator for xmas and 2 red 40w bulbs and i was wondering if that will be enough heat
thanks

 

[Ridgerunner]

Turn it on, put a calibrated thermometer in there, and answer your own question. There are so many different ways to make incubators and conditions you keep them in I can't answer you. Even with pictures and lots of other information, I can't answer you. You can also read the instructions that hopefully came with it.

This might help you calibrate a thermometer.

Rebel’s Thermometer Calibration
http://cmfarm.us/ThermometerCalibration.html

 

[dickhorstman]

Are the bulbs to heat the incubator or to keep the chicks warm after they hatch?

 

[jason180sx]

to keep them warm after they hatch

 

[Nonny]

That's all I have in mine and I have to still leave the brooder door partly open to keep the heat from being too high, and even then I turn the light off during the day sometimes if they look too warm. I don't use a thermometer, I just watch their body language. It's Summer here though... got all the way down to 82 degrees indoors last night.

 

[dickhorstman]

40 watt bulbs do not give off a lot of heat. The are also a lot of variables. What is the temp outside the brooder? How high off the floor are the bulbs? How big is the brooder? The best advice would be to use a thermometer and make sure the temp is right for the age of the birds.

 

[Gypsy07]

Yeah, the only way to tell for sure is to set up your brooder, turn on your bulbs, wait a bit for them to warm up and then check the temperature.

I've used a single 60W red bulb to heat 4 chicks in a cardboard box before and it actually got a bit too warm at times, but that was inside my house. If I had 60 chicks in a bigger brooder in an unheated garage, obviously they'd need a lot more heat to stay at the correct temperature.

P.S. Correct temperature for chicks is usually given as 90-95F for the first week, dropping by 5 degrees for each subsequent week. That's just in the warmest part of the brooder though. Best way to do it is to have a brooder big enough that there are warmer spots and cooler spots, and then the chicks will regulate their own temperature by sitting in the bit of the brooder that's the most comfortable for them. And remember that slightly-too-cold chicks will be temporarily uncomfortable but slightly-too-hot chicks can easily die, so be very careful not to overheat them and always make sure they have access to cooler spots.

 

[tmoore8595]

The temp. should be about 95 to 100 degrees for the first week, and can be lowered about 5 degrees each week until the chicks are fully feathered. If you have an area that is about 95 degrees, surrounded by an area that is cooler, they will find their comfort zone. They will tell you if they are comfortable or not. If they are too cool, they will be very noisy, and if they are too hot they will be panting and trying to get away from the heat.