# 250 watt heat lamp warning



## countrygurl (Dec 23, 2002)

Just a friendly reminder on using the 250 watt heat lamp in your brooder. make sure it is hanging high enough off the floor, pine shavings is very combustable. just has to call hubby and check mine. came to work and found out the little local store caught fire because heat lamp ignited the shavings in the brooder. 

Have a great day


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## nehimama (Jun 18, 2005)

Thank you for the timely warning.


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## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

For baby goat containment/warming areas, too. Good reminder!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## brownegg (Jan 5, 2006)

I cut a small square size piece of chicken wire and mold it over the wire frame...if a bulb does get broke, it will keep the pieces from falling out...just sayin.


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

I've never used anything other than standard 100 watt bulbs.
They are much more safe and cheaper too.


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## countrygurl (Dec 23, 2002)

brownegg said:


> I cut a small square size piece of chicken wire and mold it over the wire frame...if a bulb does get broke, it will keep the pieces from falling out...just sayin.


Good suggestion, still ppl need to keep in mind that if any high watt bulb is to close to dry shavings aver a period of time it can ignite


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## Fire-Man (Apr 30, 2005)

I have raised 1000's and 1000's of chicks---well right at 11,000 in just my last 3 seasons in up to 26 brooders. I have some brooders with thermostat controlled heat. I have other brooders that can hold 20 to 200 and 300 chicks. Never have I seen a brooder that needs a 250 watt heat bulb, not even a 150/175 heat bulb. I wonder why some will have 20 chicks in a brooder with a 250 watt heat bulb 3 ft above the brooder----such a waste and very dangerous. A brooder should only be heated on one end or in one spot not the whole brooder---that's not good for the chicks. Think of a broody hen on a cold day---she only heats the area just below her---not the area 6", 1ft, 2ft, etc, etc away from her and her chicks Do awesome. Many people have problems because they are over heating their brooders, dead chicks, etc, etc. I mainly use a 60 watt or less bulb, even 25 watts. I can brood 20 to 30 chicks to the proper temp with just a 25 watt bulb. (((OOOPs forgot the pics will not load---I will try on the post below,)))Look at this pic---a 25 watt bulb----if the bulb was put in the middle of a long brooder 20 to 30 chicks can gather around it to warm and can step away from the heat when need. Heat lamps are dangerous in Many ways.

Well I can not get the pic to load---with the smaller incandescent bulbs, you just have to lower the light fixture to get the heat below the bulb 95 to 100 for the first week, then raise it a little each week to lower the floor temp about 5 degree's per week.


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## aart (Oct 20, 2012)

brownegg said:


> I cut a small square size piece of chicken wire and mold it over the wire frame...if a bulb does get broke, it will keep the pieces from falling out...just sayin.


Might help....but how small are the pieces when a bulb shatters?
Not sure as I don't use heat bulbs so have never had one break


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## Phillip (Feb 6, 2006)

Also, never use a lamp that doesn't have a guard!


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## brownegg (Jan 5, 2006)

Yep the chicken wire goes over the outside of the guard. I always only use one lamp that is 18" above the floor, and allow the peeps to move and out when necessary for them. One can limit the amount of bedding under the lamp area. Heat lamps will break from either birds flying into them ( small peeps don't cause the problem from being so small ) and also if any water hits a hot bulb it will blow. Keep water away from the lamp, and it's not necessary for a lamp when the peeps feather out. There is many ways one can manage their coops...do what works best for you, and is a safe way of accomplishing the task.

be


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## [email protected] (Sep 16, 2009)

I have not used those heat lamps for over 35 years.
I never had a safety issue as others did. 
I figured out that a milk house heater does a better job and it costs less than 3 of the bulbs do. and it will last for many years. 
I have had a heat lamp burn out within a half hour.
at the cost of $6.oo (at that time) it doesn't take long to recoup the cost of a good heater.
when we built our house, we worked late thru many nights. I had a string of lights along the ridge of the roof. about 6 light bulbs. it began to rain a little.
the popping of the bulbs and the shower of sparks alerted me to their danger..
a regular 25W bulb will give off plenty of heat for chicks. 
chicks don't need lots of heat. I have had clucks outside in 40F weather with their new chicks. the chicks did not spend all their time under the hen. when they got cold they would go in and get warmed up and then go back to running around..


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## Fire-Man (Apr 30, 2005)

brownegg said:


> Yep the chicken wire goes over the outside of the guard. I always only use one lamp that is 18" above the floor, and allow the peeps to move and out when necessary for them. One can limit the amount of bedding under the lamp area. Heat lamps will break from either birds flying into them ( small peeps don't cause the problem from being so small ) and also if any water hits a hot bulb it will blow. Keep water away from the lamp, and it's not necessary for a lamp when the peeps feather out. There is many ways one can manage their coops...do what works best for you, and is a safe way of accomplishing the task.
> 
> be


I just tried a 250 watt heat lamp at 18" off the floor and had the thermometer laying in the middle of the light. It was running my thermometer out of numbers(only 120 degree's I admit but it went above that before I moved the lamp)----How hot does it get on the floor under your heat lamp?


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## aart (Oct 20, 2012)

[email protected] said:


> milk house heater


Like this?
https://www.farmandfleet.com/produc...MIwKnGxZyx4QIV6B-tBh0uvQP7EAQYAiABEgJdafD_BwE


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## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

That is what I used in my milk house. Do not use it on the floor with chickens.


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## [email protected] (Sep 16, 2009)

aart said:


> Like this?
> https://www.farmandfleet.com/produc...MIwKnGxZyx4QIV6B-tBh0uvQP7EAQYAiABEgJdafD_BwE



Yep, I have one just like that one. and also a couple of smaller ones.
another advantage is that it has a blower fan.
I built a shelf for it off of the floor so that it cannot get tipped over.. 
I direct the fan toward the water in the winter time to help keep it from freezing..


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## brownegg (Jan 5, 2006)

Fire-Man said:


> I just tried a 250 watt heat lamp at 18" off the floor and had the thermometer laying in the middle of the light. It was running my thermometer out of numbers(only 120 degree's I admit but it went above that before I moved the lamp)----How hot does it get on the floor under your heat lamp?


I measure 18" from the bottom of the guard. The peeps can move in and out as they see fit. How do your peeps react to the lamp? If that is to low for your set up, then move it up to 24"....the size of your brooder if small would cause it to be warmer. Simply tweak the height to your liking.

I like the idea of a milk house heater in the winter, but not for brooding baby peeps. I don't like the forced air idea for brooding. Expensive brooders like eco glow don't have fans...radiant heat works best for brooding chicks....in my opinion.
http://www.brinsea.com/c-36-chick-brooders.aspx

While one needs to be careful with lamps...they do work well for most folks.

be


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## Fire-Man (Apr 30, 2005)

brownegg said:


> I measure 18" from the bottom of the guard. The peeps can move in and out as they see fit. How do your peeps react to the lamp? If that is to low for your set up, then move it up to 24"....the size of your brooder if small would cause it to be warmer. Simply tweak the height to your liking.
> 
> I like the idea of a milk house heater in the winter, but not for brooding baby peeps. I don't like the forced air idea for brooding. Expensive brooders like eco glow don't have fans...radiant heat works best for brooding chicks....in my opinion.
> http://www.brinsea.com/c-36-chick-brooders.aspx
> ...


Oh, NO, No, I do not use heat lamps. You said your was 18" so I was Curious because I never tested it. I knew where a heat lamp was I uses for a bottle fed calf so I tested it at 18"---it got way to Hot. The biggest bulb I use is a 60 watt but mainly 40 or 25 watt for small numbers of chick(20/25), smaller brooders. The bigger brooders with 200 + chicks I use 2 60 watt in 2 hanging lights side by side but they are on a thermostat.


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## brownegg (Jan 5, 2006)

You need to listen to what I said. Use what works best for you! 

be


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## Fire-Man (Apr 30, 2005)

brownegg said:


> You need to listen to what I said. Use what works best for you!
> 
> be


Oh, You can bet I do what is best for my animals more than what's best for me!! Thanks


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

Grandma always used corncob bedding because it was cheap. Don't know if it is more or less flammable than shavings. She had a 3 light heat lamp but was hung with the light itself about 2 feet maybe more from the floor. This was in an unheated wood brooder house with a wood floor about 2 feet above the ground. I'm not sure what wattage bulbs she used but I do remember that they were large floodlight bulbs, one was red the others clear. The chicks always had a place to get away from the heat and as they got older the light fixture was raised accordingly.


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## LittleRedHen (Apr 26, 2006)

This year i moved over to the 125 watt bulbs and i think my chicks have done a lot better on it! And it doesnt jack up my electric bill anywhere near as bad either.


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## Mish (Oct 15, 2015)

Have any of you all that have done smaller numbers of chicks used heating pad caves? 

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...d-in-the-brooder-picture-heavy-update.956958/

Thinking about trying this next year. The possibility of fires caused by heating lamps just freaks me out since it doesn't take much out here to kick up a whole massive wildfire.


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## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

My homestead had a building I called a grainery. It was about 24 by 24 feet, sort of a second floor. There was a work bench on one side, grain bins on the other. Wooden floor, cedar shingle siding. It sat on three big logs, hewed flat on the top side. Very weather tight.

I was raising chicks and had a big sheet metal brooder cone. But we had to leave the farm for a week. So, I set the brooder on the grainery floor, set up a heat lamp inside, held up by the cord wrapped around a nail in the ceiling joist. I made sure they had access to plenty of food and water. The chicks were all set for the week and didn't need any further attention.

When we returned, there were chicks running around the yard. When I checked the brooder, I was shocked. The cord of the heat light had slid about 6 inches. This allowed the heat lamp to touch the floor, inch thick oak. It burned a 8 inch diameter hole through the floor. The heat lamp was then able to drop through the floor, became unplugged. The chicks were able to jump/fall through the hole. They were able to get in and out through this hole. None died.

So the lamp was hot enough to burn a big hole through the floor. The chicks were, apparently, able to get away from any smoke. Somehow the smoldering never took off into a fire, otherwise the 80 year old rough sawn structure would have burned.

Always tie the cord up so it cannot slide closer to a combustible surface.


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## aart (Oct 20, 2012)

Mish said:


> Have any of you all that have done smaller numbers of chicks used heating pad caves?
> 
> https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...d-in-the-brooder-picture-heavy-update.956958/
> 
> Thinking about trying this next year. The possibility of fires caused by heating lamps just freaks me out since it doesn't take much out here to kick up a whole massive wildfire.


I use a heating pad, but use it flat....the 'caves' are rife with issues and reduce usable space. 
Plates and pads do have population limits...but are much safer, _if power connections are safe._
Adjustable legs are a must, IMO 
I kept 16 under a 12x24, they were spilling out from under by the time they no longer needed heat.


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## Mish (Oct 15, 2015)

aart said:


> I use a heating pad, but use it flat....the 'caves' are rife with issues and reduce usable space.
> Plates and pads do have population limits...but are much safer, _if power connections are safe._
> Adjustable legs are a must, IMO
> I kept 16 under a 12x24, they were spilling out from under by the time they no longer needed heat.
> View attachment 76548


I'm curious what issues the cave has? Is it that it doesn't expand in size with the growing chicks or something else I'm missing?

I got a good deal on one of those heat plates with adjustable legs that I used with my chicks this year. I got 3 week old chicks instead of day olds and it was a pain trying to "teach" them to get under the plate. Also, thankfully I only got 4 chicks because they barely fit under it (someone was always hanging out the side) after awhile.

I was wondering about the heat mats because they're cheap enough you could have more than one going for a larger batch...I might have to try something like your setup. I'd love to hear what you didn't like about the cave, too.


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## aart (Oct 20, 2012)

Mish said:


> I'm curious what issues the cave has?


Not as much capacity as using a pad in a flat configuration.
Hard to adjust for height and angle.
Usually wrapped in a bunch of cloth, chicks can get tangled/trapped.
'Caves' only have 2 (or 1) egress points, chicks can get trapped.

I designed my pad heater to emulate the commercial plates,
just before the whole MHP craze went 'viral',
leg adjustability and 4 sided egress are key features IMO.
I also like to be able to quickly and easily tip the whole thing up to check underneath.


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## Mish (Oct 15, 2015)

aart said:


> Not as much capacity as using a pad in a flat configuration.
> Hard to adjust for height and angle.
> Usually wrapped in a bunch of cloth, chicks can get tangled/trapped.
> 'Caves' only have 2 (or 1) egress points, chicks can get trapped.
> ...


Thank you that was exactly the information I needed.


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## oldasrocks (Oct 27, 2006)

Didn't read all the replies but this is what I do with 100% success. I have a 5 ft stock tank in the shop. I spread 1/2" or so of Krumbles on the botttom-if slick the chicks get strattle legged and don't recover. I put a 250 watt heat fixture on a cross bar 1/3d from the end tank high. That way the chicks can move around if they get too hot. I start with a 1 qt waterer and food dish. Bigger as they get a little bigger. I cover the tank with a framed screen cover. At 4 weeks old I move them into a raised, screened unit and still offer them heat. At 8 weeks old I transfer to clean chicken house.

I do this with 2o chicks at a time.


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## muleskinner2 (Oct 7, 2007)

They are called heat lamps for a reason. I have used them for baby chickens, pigs, goats, and puppies. People who aren't smart enough to manage a heat lamp, probably shouldn't be raising livestock.


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