Confused over heat light bulb wattage?

[busylizzie]

I have chickies about 4-5 days off hatching and i need to set up their brooder. I have a New Heat Lamp with a 250w bulb....it has a chain for hanging it above the brooder but is 250w ok? On some sites I have read that this will virtually cook the chicks and others recommend this wattage......so i am confused and want to make sure i have the right thing!!! please advise me! many thanks

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

i use a 75 watt bulb and think that is plenty hot. i mount it on one side of the brooder with food and water on the other side. Provide plenty of space for the chicks to position themselves as close to or far away from the light as possible.

i do know folks who have cooked their baby chicks with too hot a light.

Also, keep you chicks in the incubator until they are dried off and able to move around. They need to be able to move away from a brooder light that is too hot.

 

[bigredfeather]

The wattage you need will depend on your climate temperature. If it is cold or even cool, a 250 watt bulb will be fine. If it is warm or hot, it may be too much. From what I've expirienced, it's good to have a big enough brooder that the light is only hanging over part of it. That way if the chicks get too warm, they can move to an area of the brooder that isn't covered by the light. I usually will put my heat lamp over the brooder, and put a thermometer directly underneath. Wait a few hours and check the temp. I move the heat lamp up if it is above 95 or move it down if it's less than 95. Ideally you want it to be around 95 degrees for day old chicks and 5 degrees less for each week after that. I like hanging the light with a chain so it can easily be moved up or down. When you put the chicks in the brooder, they will tell you if it is too hot or too cold. If they are all huddled together, they're cold. If they sit around panting, even outside the heatlamp ring, they are too hot.

Hope this helps.

Goodluck w/ your chicks!

 

[newchickmom09]

I am using a 100watt red flood light. Those red heat lights were three times as much money as the flood lights were. It works just the same I clip mine in the brooder and it kept the temp right at 95 degrees for the first week, now it is at about 89/88 degrees since I moved the light up and little and tilted it. That is where my chicks are happy at right now they are 13 days old. I think it all depend on your brooder and if you are going to be able to put the light close then you won't need a high wattage one but if you are going to have to hang it farther away then you might want to get a higher wattage so it can get the heat down by the chicks.

Just don't get to light to close so the chicks can jump up and hit the light.

If you watch the chicks then you will be able to tell if they are hot or cold...huddled together all in a ball right under the light they are cold, all spred out in the darker parts of the corners in the brooder to hot.

 

[busylizzie]

Thanks for the replies.....I supposes that i will just have to test it out with a thermometer before i put the chicks in

 

[Marlinchaser]

it will depend on where your brooder is I used a 250 but that was in Feb/March and it was in the 30's here, if they are inside, or outside temps are 70+ a 75 or 100 watt bulb should do, remember to check your temps when brooder temp is lowest, so they will be warm overnight.

 

[BroomFarm]

Yeah, as the previous poster said, just watch your chickies and use a thermometer...it's nothing to be too worried about.

 

[Tuffoldhen]

Quote:

Dead of winter or cold weather yes on the 250 bulb for outside. I find a 100 watt or lower bulb works perfect for in the house.

 

[happyhensny]

Try setting up the brooder-all conditions exactly as they will be for the little ones. Light bulb, whatever you use as bedding (it can make a difference if you use say paper towels or shavings) draft barrier, water, etc. Get a good reliable themometer or 2. Then you will have a true idea of temps. Now, once the babies are in there they will tell you how they feel. Too hot = hiding from the bulb, too cold = huddled right under. But, until they get here it's nice to be as prepared as possible. Good luck!

I may be getting some little ones on Sunday!

 

[cmom]

For this time of year I would probably use around a 60 watt bulb. The main thing will be to maintain the correct temperatures. For their first week I have their brooder temp at 90-95 degrees decreasing it by 5 degree per week. It's been hot here. I only had my lamp on during the day for the first week after that I only had it on at night.