Can I use a plastic storage bin with my heat lamp?

[Debby R]

Hi everyone I’m super new to this. Thank you for your help. I’m not loving the cardboard boxes and the chicks are getting bigger anyways. I’d really love to use a nice big plastic storage box but I’m afraid of the heat lamp attached to it. Any experience or ideas would be greatly appreciated. Can I do it? Here’s the lamp

Yes, you can. If you keep the chicks at the correct temperature, the light will be too high to burn them or the box. I kept the box on my workbench and secured the light onto the pegboard. As they grew and temperature requirements decreased, I just kept raising the light higher.

 

[cynful]

Hi everyone I’m super new to this. Thank you for your help. I’m not loving the cardboard boxes and the chicks are getting bigger anyways. I’d really love to use a nice big plastic storage box but I’m afraid of the heat lamp attached to it. Any experience or ideas would be greatly appreciated. Can I do it? Here’s the lamp

I use my dog crate for my chicks when they get bigger. I put a 1/2 wall of cardboard around the inside of crate to protect chicks. I can even put it out with my flock when I am ready to introduce the new ladies to the old ladies.

 

[texannie]

Hi everyone I’m super new to this. Thank you for your help. I’m not loving the cardboard boxes and the chicks are getting bigger anyways. I’d really love to use a nice big plastic storage box but I’m afraid of the heat lamp attached to it. Any experience or ideas would be greatly appreciated. Can I do it? Here’s the lamp

I used plastic bins (large ones from Walmart) with heat lamps but I do not trust the lamp attached to the bin I clamped my lamp on sturdy chair next to bin. I accidentally moved chair and walked out and lamp proceeded to melt top of bin...could have caused fire. Just be careful. Within two weeks, day old chicks were popping out of bin. Could put a cover, like chicken wire over bin for top. At three weeks I moved chicks to outside cage which was a massive rabbit cage off the ground 2 ft. They are flourishing.

 

[charlene alderman]

Hi everyone I’m super new to this. Thank you for your help. I’m not loving the cardboard boxes and the chicks are getting bigger anyways. I’d really love to use a nice big plastic storage box but I’m afraid of the heat lamp attached to it. Any experience or ideas would be greatly appreciated. Can I do it? Here’s the lamp

 

[charlene alderman]

We put ours in our bathtub and put the shavings in it. It’s kinda messy
But so far works. Im
New to this as well though. They are starting to fly around so we will see. Have to wait until they are all feathered out for
Outdoors I believe.

 

[Swilso3]

Hi everyone I’m super new to this. Thank you for your help. I’m not loving the cardboard boxes and the chicks are getting bigger anyways. I’d really love to use a nice big plastic storage box but I’m afraid of the heat lamp attached to it. Any experience or ideas would be greatly appreciated. Can I do it? Here’s the lamp

Just recently some wrote to the forums about using a plastic bin and heat lamp. They were using that system and their chick was showing signs of being overheated even though the temperature was what they were told it should be. Problem is a chick does not have to be at 90 degrees all the time. They need an area that is 10 to 15 degrees cooler to go to if they feel they are hot. A bin like that holds in all the heat and gives the chick no escape from all that heat.

The person who wrote in solved the issue by getting a bin that was twice as large. No more chicks panting. A heat lamp is really over kill for a plastic bin. A regular light bulb would probably do just fine without getting too hot. That is what I used the first time I had chicks.

The best thing you could have done is not buy a heat lamp in the first place. Heat lamps can be very dangerous and can cause fires. A brooding plate is so much nicer and better and the chicks can decide when and if they want heat. Without a light on 24 hours a day they also can sleep at night like they should.

A brooding plate is a square heating plate with legs at all 4 corners. You adjust the height of the legs so that the chicks can put their backs against the plate. You raise the plate as the chicks grow. No light on all the time. It was scary using one the first time. The chicks tend to be so content that they are quiet. I was not used to quiet chicks.

I always use the larger plastic bins for two weeks that way chicks can get away from the heat. I put the light on the back of a bar stool where its at least 20 inches from bottom. Summer no need for hot lights like above a light bulb

 

[CrisAnderson27]

I used plastic bins (large ones from Walmart) with heat lamps but I do not trust the lamp attached to the bin I clamped my lamp on sturdy chair next to bin. I accidentally moved chair and walked out and lamp proceeded to melt top of bin...could have caused fire. Just be careful. Within two weeks, day old chicks were popping out of bin. Could put a cover, like chicken wire over bin for top. At three weeks I moved chicks to outside cage which was a massive rabbit cage off the ground 2 ft. They are flourishing.

I know it's recommended to keep them in the brooder for 4wks. But if you can provide safety and heat...2-3wks is so much better in my opinion. Even earlier can work well.

I'm moving my entire flock to the north half of my barn (32x12). This will let me use the 8x8 insulated metal shed and 16x11 run I mentioned above as a literal grow out brooder/run for up to 8wks easy.

Chicks don't necessarily have to be kept in crates it seems .

 

[ChicKittyHouse]

I use a large dog crate for my babies. I have wrapped it with regular screen wire to keep them in and cat paws out! I have a reptile light that I connect on the outside and I use a brooder plate. The light goes off at night and everyone snuggles under the plate. I use disposable bed pads covered with shredded paper for the first couple of weeks. It seems much more absorbent and takes just a few minutes to change. I keep a large bag next to my shredder and as soon as I put eggs in the incubator I shred everything! I don't do the envelopes with the plastic windows though. They do try to eat the bedding occasionally and I think that would be a choking hazard. When they outgrow the crate they either go to a small coop on my back deck, or to the coop in the garage, depending on the weather. I have only had chickens for a year so I am still learning about what works best for me and them

 

[Suema96]

4 Road Island Reds and 4 Buff Orpington Chicks arrive in the mail On May 18th. ( All hens) I’m a newbie chickie mom and am gathering such great info from this forum. Thank you you, everyone of you. Here’s my question; can the chicks stay in a box outside with a ceramic heat lamp and heat gauge if the nights are 65-75 degrees? I live in west Texas. Days are already hitting 100 sometimes but the nights are still cool. Thank you in advance!

 

[aart]

4 Road Island Reds and 4 Buff Orpington Chicks arrive in the mail On May 18th. ( All hens) I’m a newbie chickie mom and am gathering such great info from this forum. Thank you you, everyone of you. Here’s my question; can the chicks stay in a box outside with a ceramic heat lamp and heat gauge if the nights are 65-75 degrees? I live in west Texas. Days are already hitting 100 sometimes but the nights are still cool. Thank you in advance!

Ye should work fine. Keep them out of any breezes.
Here's a pretty good thread discussing CHE's:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/ceramic-heat-bulb-questions.1355855/