Brooder lamp question

[Hug a tree]

Hi guys,


Just got 6 pullets this morning and I have them set up in our family room. This isn't a permanent living arrangement for them, so I want to know how to temporarily attach the brooder lamp. Hanging on anything permanent isn't ideal. For right now, it's clamped on and giving me anxiety. I need a fast DIY way to secure it. Thanks for any advice!

 

[rjohns39]

Hi guys,


Just got 6 pullets this morning and I have them set up in our family room. This isn't a permanent living arrangement for them, so I want to know how to temporarily attach the brooder lamp. Hanging on anything permanent isn't ideal. For right now, it's clamped on and giving me anxiety. I need a fast DIY way to secure it. Thanks for any advice!

a couple of thoughts. 1)poke a hole through the tub in the middle of where the clamp on the light is and tie it to ensure it doesn't jump off (do put the guard back on); 2) build a rack out of 1" pvc and tie it to the pipe. You'll need 2 90's, 2 Ts, and 4 45s. I use option 2 to secure my sweeter heaters in my brooder.

Hey, welcome to BYC When you get a sec, pop over to new member introductions and introduce yourself to the group.

 

[aart]

Put an oven rack over end of tub and put lamp shade directly on that,
not too close to the rubber tub.

Is that a 250W lamp?
Probably way too hot to use in the house, dimmer extension cord would help to regulate the heat output.
Put thermometer on floor of brooder under lamp so you know what the temp is under it.



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'. 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.


Or you could go with a heat plate, commercially made or DIY: http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/pseudo-brooder-heater-plate

 

[lazy gardener]

YOu have that lamp set up to throw light (and heat) into the whole brooder. Not good. You only need to heat a very small foot print, just enough space for those 6 chicks to go into to warm up. The rest of the brooder needs to be cool. Room temp cool. You could probably get by with a 60W incandescent bulb, and LOWER the lamp. Agreed, the clamp alone is totally insufficient for safety. In the days when I used a heat lamp, I secured it 3 ways: Mounted on a tripod, secured with a chain and with the cord.

I now use a heating pad. Much safer, provides a more natural brooding experience for the chicks, much easier to regulate, and the chicks wean themselves from heat. With the heating pad, it's impossible to overheat them.

 

[Hug a tree]

Thanks so much for the advice! The thermometer reads 95 directly under the lamp and the chicks are around the light. They aren't stretched out or panting and they seem happy, but I know I'll have to adjust the temp soon. The oven rack is an awesome idea! I tried ours from our oven but it's too small to sit on top :-( I think I'm going to switch them to a heating pad. I don't want to pay a high electric bill if I don't have to!

 

[azygous]

I was just about to suggest the heating pad system. It's so much more enjoyable (and safer) for the chicks than baking under a hot light, not to mention being tortured by bright light all night long.

I assume you've already been on Blooie's thread "Mama Heating Pad for the Brooder". It's such a simple and economical and safe way of providing heat for chicks, and six is such a perfect number for a nice little cave.

 

[Folly's place]

I always have brooder chicks in the garage, NEVER in living spaces in the house! The dust they will produce is amazing, and very bad to breathe. Also, my heat lamp are always double or triple attached, never just clamped on. In fact, don't use the clamp at all; set them up someplace where you can double tie the lamp to something overhead. CLAMPS FAIL, and birds die, and structures burn down. It happened to a friend a few years ago. Her barn didn't catch fire, but the chicks died, and toxic smoke from the melting plastic tub was awful.
Welcome!! Sorry to be so negative, but as cute as chicks are, the family room will be a bad place for them very soon. If you have a better location, where dust covering everything won't make you crazy, move them soon. Mary

 

[azygous]

People should be aware that heat lamps are ridiculously dangerous and avoid them all together.

Some folks thought they were being very thorough about securing the lamp with ties just to have the cotton string or plastic ties catch fire from coming into contact with the blistering hot surface of the lamp reflector, and the lamp dropped down into the brooder, resulting in the loss of everything, most of all the precious life beneath.

 

[Folly's place]

My heat lamp are CHAINED to a secure overhead something, and tied, and checked often. The brooder mats are wonderful, but it is possible to use heat lamps carefully. For new folks starting out, buying a brooder heating pad system would be a good first choice. Mary

 

[debid]

My heat lamp are CHAINED to a secure overhead something, and tied, and checked often. The brooder mats are wonderful, but it is possible to use heat lamps carefully. For new folks starting out, buying a brooder heating pad system would be a good first choice. Mary

When I used bulbs, I did the same. Chain won't melt and quick links in a fully closed position can't slip loose.

But, after trying a heating pad hen, I wouldn't brood a small group of chicks any other way.