Light bulb in homemade incubator.

[keds45]

So my husband and son built a homemade incubator out of an old styrofoam cooler. My question is about the light bulb. It's very bright in there. Will that be a problem when the chicks hatch? Will it hurt their eyes? Under a mother hen would be dark, so this seems a little odd. Should we look for a less bright bulb? Thanks!

 

[DCasper]

Is it a regular light bulb or a heat lamp? I use a heat lamp which makes it bright, but not nearly as bright as a regular bulb.

 

[keds45]

It is a regular 40 watt bulb. Maybe I should look for a red light?

 

[tmoore8595]

I use two 60 watt light bulbs, no problem.

 

[quintinp]

A lot of people use the red bulbs, and some people use the ceramic bulbs. The ceramic bulbs last forever as well. (By the way. I don't know how long they last, I have heard that they last a long time though.

 

[cva34]

Never seen a difference White ,clear, red . You will have to play with the watts so they don't over /under shoot too much...cva34 I have a whole basket full of 7 1/2 , 15,25,40,60,75,100 there's always something that works!!!!!!!!

 

[quintinp]

I use the 60 or 75 watt bulbs. Just whatever I have on hand.

 

[whytedragon]

connect your bulb to a rheostat or dimmer...then you can put a higher watt bulb and dim it to where you need it. Works for me...however, Ive found a 25 watt bulb has been the safest. When it comes to hatching, humidity is by far the most important..and being warm is too..but can vary..mine do fine
hatching even at 94F...and with a higher wattage bulb, I had accidental temperature rises and did lose a couple chicks. So I like to keep it on the low end..and i've had 95% success. Just a suggestion.
You can get a reptile rheostat at a pet store.

BTW..I am using a 25watt bulb at the bottom of a very large styrofoam cooler..about the size of a small mini fridge. Attached to a dimmer switch (hubby is an electrician) Works great!

 

[keds45]

Thanks!! I put in a red 25 watt bulb---next time I think we'll try a dimmer switch!

 

[speedy2020]

It depends the size of incubator. I would go with standard socket so you can change the bulb wattage as need. It best to have little higher wattage so the heat can get there faster. You probably don't want to wait for 30-45 minutes to get to the target temp after open the incubator. If the wattage is too high, the temperature may be unstable because the thermostat kick on and off too quick.