Any ideas for making a brooder?

[Girly White Silkie]

Is there any ideas for making a brooder and which is the perfect light? The red light or the white light?

 

[PingoBags]

I use both. One end has a red heat light, the other end a white led light. The white light gets turned off at night. I've never lost a chicken or quail with this method.
I also use a digital thermostat plug with the sensor under the heat light, keeps everything at the correct temps.

 

[Girly White Silkie]

I use both. One end has a red heat light, the other end a white led light. The white light gets turned off at night. I've never lost a chicken or quail with this method.
I also use a digital thermostat plug with the sensor under the heat light, keeps everything at the correct temps.

Do you use a heating plate?

 

[PingoBags]

No, just a 100 watt red heat bulb, about a foot above them. That's for my inside brooder.
My two outside brooders also use a 100 watt but its about 6 inches away from them.
I just brooded some quail outside in near freezing temps without a single one freezing to death.

 

[Girly White Silkie]

No, just a 100 watt red heat bulb, about a foot above them. That's for my inside brooder.
My two outside brooders also use a 100 watt but its about 6 inches away from them.
I just brooded some quail outside in near freezing temps without a single one freezing to death.

Is a heating plate ok for the chicks?

 

[PingoBags]

I can't comment on that as I've not used one. Post up a link of the plate you're using/looking at buying. I'm sure there's many people here that can answer that.

 

[debid]

Is a heating plate ok for the chicks?

Depends on the plate and where you intend to brood them. Some ultra low power consumption plates have a disclaimer that they are only for use where ambient temps are 50F or greater. Those are intended to be used in a human house.

There is a mama heating pad thread here if you want to DIY an inexpensive but effective heat plate type of brooder that can handle freezing weather as well as temperate. I built one myself for $13 and it took a couple hours of reading plus a little assembly time. Mine worked flawlessly in my outdoor coop with temperatures ranging from upper teens to mid 80s and I found it much easier in this scenario than trying to get the heat correct with bulbs. More power efficient, too, since the heating pad only pulls 50W on high -- half what my 100W bulb was using.

 

[Girly White Silkie]

Depends on the plate and where you intend to brood them. Some ultra low power consumption plates have a disclaimer that they are only for use where ambient temps are 50F or greater. Those are intended to be used in a human house.

There is a mama heating pad thread here if you want to DIY an inexpensive but effective heat plate type of brooder that can handle freezing weather as well as temperate. I built one myself for $13 and it took a couple hours of reading plus a little assembly time. Mine worked flawlessly in my outdoor coop with temperatures ranging from upper teens to mid 80s and I found it much easier in this scenario than trying to get the heat correct with bulbs. More power efficient, too, since the heating pad only pulls 50W on high -- half what my 100W bulb was using.

Does the heating pad make the chicks calm?

 

[Girly White Silkie]

I can't comment on that as I've not used one. Post up a link of the plate you're using/looking at buying. I'm sure there's many people here that can answer that.

Ok.

 

[debid]

Does the heating pad make the chicks calm?

They have a place to sleep where they feel secure. IMO, yes, that makes them calmer.
If you use this type of heat where they also have a normal day/night cycle, they will load their crops at dusk and sleep at night. They'll still take daytime rests under their "mama" but you won't see any of the randomly passed out face-first in the feeder behavior. If you are keeping them in your house, this also means no round the clock peeping.