Outdoor Brooder

[Michelle14]

So I have hens, 8 of them to be exact. I picked up 8 chicks last Friday, I recently built a plywood brooder box 4’x2’. My question is I currently have the chicks on my covered deck with a 250 watt heat lamp and a brooder plate inside the brooder box. The heat lamp silt on top of the lid ( made of hardware cloth). I also place a towel covering most of the hardware cloth at night. Would you say that is plenty of heat? Or should I add more heat lamps/brooder plates. Ps I live in Washington state.

 

[nuthatched]

It's better to have less than too much.

 

[rosemarythyme]

x2. It's too much heat. The towel is also a fire hazard with the lamp and blocks of ventilation. Just a brooder plate should be fine, though make sure it's functioning properly in lower temps as many have disclaimers saying they're optimal for use in 50F and above.

This is my outdoor brooder that sits in the run. Ventilation on all 4 sides and I use a heating pad for heat.