Will a heat lamp create a fire even if it doesn’t fall?

[The Moonshiner]

I was just replying to the 100° - 110° part you posted.
That just seems too hot.
Other people will read this thread and was concerned they might start cranking up their heat source to those temps.
That was my concern. Like in this case many brood chicks in too small of a space to control the heated side to non heated side adequately.
Many use totes which can be a recipe for cooking chicks. Kinda scary to think some might be trying 100°+ temps in a tote or other small box.
With the OP if think looking at like a 6p watt bulb but agree it is far from ideal set up to use bulbs. And that's coming from a long time fan of heat bulbs for chicks.

 

[rebrascora]

Also, the chicks heads will initially be about 3inches closer to the lamps than the base of the brooder and get closer still as they grow so you need to position your thermometer 3-4 inches above floor level. It looks like a beautiful set up but your chicks would be much happier and healthier and safer if you used heating pads instead. Chicks get used to normal day and night with them and it basically mimics running under a hen to warm up when they need to.
If this is for a commercial set up, then even if you are not overly concerned about chick welfare (your comment about this being for a retail store, so more space not possible) suggests that, economically (both electric consumption and keeping the chicks alive and healthy... dead or dying chicks don't sell well) and premises safety wise, the heating pads make far more sense. You will probably be dealing with pasty butt on a regular basis in this set up if it is too hot.

 

[debid]

I was just replying to the 100° - 110° part you posted.
That just seems too hot.
Other people will read this thread and was concerned they might start cranking up their heat source to those temps.
That was my concern. Like in this case many brood chicks in too small of a space to control the heated side to non heated side adequately.
Many use totes which can be a recipe for cooking chicks. Kinda scary to think some might be trying 100°+ temps in a tote or other small box.
With the OP if think looking at like a 6p watt bulb but agree it is far from ideal set up to use bulbs. And that's coming from a long time fan of heat bulbs for chicks.

I understand. Small spaces need small heat. Those contact heat plates or the DIY version produce a very warm spot with less effect on the surrounding area. That's a much better choice for a tote or a small brooder of any sort. These little boxes can become an EZ Bake oven too easily.

 

[azygous]

The conversation has deviated from the original question "Will a heat lamp create a fire even if it doesn't fall?" My answer is yes. It certainly can.

How could this occur? It can occur if you use a piece of cotton or nylon string (as opposed to metal wire) to secure the lamp so it doesn't fall. Cotton and nylon are flammable. If the string happens to work loose and come into contact with the metal reflector, it can start burning. As it burns, an ember from the burning string may fall down into the bedding and this can burn down a coop or an entire barn.

Another way a fire can start without the lamp falling, and I came very close to this one happening to me, is if one of the chickens, in an altercation with another, comes into contact with the hot bulb and their feathers catch fire.

Closely related to that scenario is if the coop has lots of accumulated feathers and these feathers can become airborn if the chickens are rambunctious, come into contact with a hot bulb and ignite.

If you plug in your imagination, you could probably come up with several more scenarios where a heat lamp could start a fire without falling. It's much safer to sit and day dream for a spell on possibilities of how a fire could start than to deal with the grief of losing everything because you didn't spend enough time imagining.

 

[The Moonshiner]

The conversation has deviated from the original question "Will a heat lamp create a fire even if it doesn't fall?" My answer is yes. It certainly can.

How could this occur? It can occur if you use a piece of cotton or nylon string (as opposed to metal wire) to secure the lamp so it doesn't fall. Cotton and nylon are flammable. If the string happens to work loose and come into contact with the metal reflector, it can start burning. As it burns, an ember from the burning string may fall down into the bedding and this can burn down a coop or an entire barn.

Another way a fire can start without the lamp falling, and I came very close to this one happening to me, is if one of the chickens, in an altercation with another, comes into contact with the hot bulb and their feathers catch fire.

Closely related to that scenario is if the coop has lots of accumulated feathers and these feathers can become airborn if the chickens are rambunctious, come into contact with a hot bulb and ignite.

If you plug in your imagination, you could probably come up with several more scenarios where a heat lamp could start a fire without falling. It's much safer to sit and day dream for a spell on possibilities of how a fire could start than to deal with the grief of losing everything because you didn't spend enough time imagining.

I thought that question was already answered.
@Then I Will had a great reply as is your issue with feathers and using string.
I've used bulbs for forever. I don't think they're near as dangerous as some think but yes you have to be smart about them.
I don't have much issue with feathers since I only use them for chicks so they're still feathering in and not losing a bunch of feathers in the broader but can see that concern. Also agree with the dust. I run 9 4' X 8' brooders in my garage. There's always a layer of dust and I have smelled an odd smell every so often from dusty domes.
Securing them properly is probably the biggest issue. Along with people not using wire a lot use the domes with the clamps. Those clamps are useless and a real danger.
Of course hanging them to low, to close to the wood chips can be an issue.
Another thing not mentioned was the domes themselves. Many are not rated for high wattage bulbs. Especially a 250 watt bulb. If that's the case they can easily overheat and catch fire.

 

[chickitychickity]

This is a reply to the discussion that deviated from the original question. I would like to say that after many months of experimentation with different bulbs I did not cook chickens or have pasty butt problems. My best way of keeping chicks in the boxes above was to let the chick breeds be mixed and allow them to have a full or half box. In the colder months a 150watt heat bulb on one end and a 65watt indoor flood light created a space that was 100 degrees on one end (at its hottest) and 75 degrees on the other. In the warmer months two 65watt indoor flood lights on each end created the perfect 95 degree environment. And on hot days the lights could just be off. One thing that many people did not consider was that 1. It is a retail environment and 2. Our retail store has no insulation and no heater. The temps are the same as outside in the winter. IT GETS COLD. So no, I did not fry chicks.

 

[aart]

In the warmer months two 65watt indoor flood lights on each end created the perfect 95 degree environment.

Did you also have a cooler area with this set up?

 

[SueT]

 

[chickitychickity]

Did you also have a cooler area with this set up?

Yes, the middle zone was around 70

 

[PirateGirl]

Wood will burn at 365*F. So your bedding isn't going to burst into flames from the heat lamp hanging there. There are other things than a falling lamp that cause fire, but you can make it relatively safe. First check the warnings on the light fixture and bulb. I believe mine said it had to be 18 inches from any surface, so I took that warning seriously. The danger comes from the bulb itself, the air it heats isn't super hot, but the glass of the bulb does get significantly hotter. If this glass breaks or if something touches this glass, that is when you risk a fire. This could be from the lamp falling, this could be from a dog or cat or horse or goat bumping the fixture, this could be from a chicken testing it's wings and hopping and bumping it, this could be from a chicken kicking up shavings/dust/feathers that land on the bulb, you get the picture. So double securing the light so it doesn't fall is one thing. Having a screen between the chicks and the light will make it safer too by keeping the chicks and bedding and things in the brooder, down in the brooder and unable to touch the bulb, but this works two ways, if something outside of the brooder breaks the light, it may prevent the light/bulb from falling into the brooder. The smaller the screen, the safer it is. I used an old aluminum window screen for the top of my brooder box. Additionally the brooder was in a room of the house with a closed door so my other pets did not have access. I believe danger is increased in a coop or barn where there are more animals, more dust, more movement, more bedding, more rodents (that can chew a cord) etc. Using a heat lamp in a controlled environment in your home on a brooder does not have to be dangerous. That's all I've got to say about that