Brooder Heat Troubleshooting

[CityslickerHomestead]

I’m having trouble with heating the brooder effectively and meeting the needs of my diverse flock.

I started with a 250 watt red bulb supplied by the feed store, but after researching online, bought a heat plate big enough for 15 chicks and a ceramic reptile heat bulb. My goal was to not have the chicks under 24/7 lights. I have 3 polish (formerly 4), 2 Welsummer, 1 Wyandotte, and 1 Ameraucana. They are all 3 weeks old but the polish are currently the same size as day-olds, and have very few wing feathers. The other breeds are double/triple their size and feathering out quite nicely.

The first time I switched from straight red bulb to the heat plate and ceramic bulb, all got underneath but the next morning I found a dead polish. They were almost two weeks old and my polish were from a sickly batch (I didn’t know it at the time, but when I went back to the store to get more I overheard an employee tell another over half the polish died in shipping).

I got paranoid the heat plate wasn’t hot enough so I went back to the red bulb, but also left the heat plate in the brooder to see if the chicks would use it. They did not. I angled the plate so they all could get equal access to it as I didn't want it too high for the tiny polish or too low for the other breeds since the instructions explicitly say the chicks have to touch the plate with their backs.

Now, a week and half after the death of the polish, I switched out the red bulb for a 100 watt ceramic bulb (no light), and left the heat plate on. My problem now is when I checked the temperature of the heat plate with this fancy laser thermometer gun, it was 149.5F. If the chicks are supposed to be under it and having their backs touch it, wouldn’t that be too hot? The laser thermometer says the brooder floor is 85F under the ceramic bulb, and the chicks are mostly huddling under that bulb. They aren’t really peeping, so I assume they are ok? I’m just scared to wake up tomorrow morning to more dead chicks!

 

[ChickNanny13]

I've never used a heat plate but if it's reading 149.5 F, that's way to HOT! Week old chicks should be a 95F, decreasing by 5* per week. If they're not peeping & huddled under the ceramic bulb, they're fine. You stated you overheard the employee talking about a "bad" batch of Polish, I would question them what the problem is.

I used a regular 40 - 60 watt light bulb when I first started raising chicks. After reading about the MHP by Blooie, I switched and very happy I did. It's a regular heating pad without the automatic shut off, similar principle as your heat plate. You need to read the instructions on that, or return cause no way should it be that hot.

 

[Acre4Me]

At 3 weeks, the 85F temp should be ok. My heat plate (for 50? Chicks) has a hotter center and cooler edges, so it varies. I’d take out the heat plate at this point.

 

[getaclue]

I don't think you are suppose to use both the heat plate, and a bulb. Of course that would make it too hot.

 

[New2Chicks97]

I have a Brinsea Ecoglow brooder heater. I have no complaints about how it takes care of the chicks. It has worked well for us and all of our chicks have thrived. I just adjust the height as they get older.

My only complaint is that I can’t see our cute little babies as they spend quite a lot of time underneath it.

 

[GC-Raptor]

I've raised two Flocks of day old Chicks over three years.
Six chicks in the first flock, lost a chick on day four. Five survived to become Hens. Still have three.
Seven chicks in my second flock, all still living and laying at 7 1/2 months.
I raised both flocks with a 250 watt red bulb, and a plug in dimmer to control temperature. .
Not having to raise and lower light fixture to control temperature is more convenient and precise.
I hung the light bulb 26 inches above floor of brooder.
I Velcro a thermometer to wall of box at floor level on the end where the heat lamp is. . Feeder and waterer hang at other end. GC

 

[getaclue]

GC, I too mostly use a 250 watt bulb, but have been wanting to switch to something safer. I like the thermostat idea. Back when I was looking at setting up a brooder, I ran across a picture for a pole for the light. I built my own.

The pole can be adjusted in several ways at the bottom (which is hidden from view), then it comes apart for easy storage. To build the brooder boxes, Dh cut a grooves into the wood, and I attached them with small bolts, and nuts. Had I known I could get a thermostat, I probably would have done it along the lines of how you do.

 

[Fairview01]

The correct temperature in the brooder is when the chicks are generally equally dispersed throughout the brooder. Like a shotgun blast on paper at 25 yards. There should be warm spots and cool spots to allow chicks to move back and forth. When they are all huddled in one spot under the heat source and are not active and chirping something is wrong with the temperature - too cold particularly at 3 weeks.

The sooner you rely on your observations and have less reliance on thermometers, humidistats and other readouts the more successful you will become. Yes the temperature should start out at 95 and it should be dropped 5 degrees every week but if the chicks are telling me something else with their behavior I believe the chicks, not the books.

 

[getaclue]

Fairview is correct. The opposite, is when they stay as far away from the heat source as they can. That means it's too hot. A thermometer is good to have as a guide, but paying attention to what the chicks are doing is more reliable.

 

[aart]

I’m having trouble with heating the brooder effectively and meeting the needs of my diverse flock.

Please post pics of your brooder.

Here's my notes on chick heat, hope something in there might help:

They need to be pretty warm(~85-90F on the brooder floor right under the lamp and 10-20 degrees cooler at the other end of brooder) for the first day or two, especially if they have been shipped, until they get to eating, drinking and moving around well. But after that it's best to keep them as cool as possible for optimal feather growth and quicker acclimation to outside temps. A lot of chick illnesses are attributed to too warm of a brooder. I do think it's a good idea to use a thermometer on the floor of the brooder to check the temps, especially when new at brooding, later I still use it but more out of curiosity than need.

The best indicator of heat levels is to watch their behavior:
-If they are huddled/piled up right under the lamp and cheeping very loudly, they are too cold.
-If they are spread out on the absolute edges of the brooder as far from the lamp as possible, panting and/or cheeping very loudly, they are too hot.
-If they sleep around the edge of the lamp calmly just next to each other and spend time running all around the brooder they are juuuust right!

The lamp is best at one end of the brooder with food/water at the other cooler end of the brooder, so they can get away from the heat or be under it as needed. Wattage of 'heat' bulb depends on size of brooder and ambient temperature of room brooder is in. Regular incandescent bulbs can be used, you might not need a 'heat bulb'. If you do use a heat bulb make sure it's specifically for poultry, some heat bulbs for food have teflon coatings that can kill birds. You can get red colored incandescent bulbs at a reptile supply source. A dimmer extension cord is an excellent way to adjust the output of the bulb to change the heat without changing the height of the lamp.