Chick brooder lights

[hedgerow pete]

what is you personal choice with a brooder light is it a standard infer red bulb of the screw in type or a new quartz filiment version, who about a dull emiter light and a seperate light source sounds good, keeping the heat on over night without the lights on, or should i be looking at a air heated fan instead?

the reason i ask is i want to start trying to hatch a few eggs this year and have heard several differing ideas about the infer red bulbs

also what would be the best for economy ?

its only a small brooder so a 70 watt bulb is going to more than enough. we are planning on doing 12 eggs at a time so only realy need a small box set

what are you using this time around ?

 

[East Yorks New Bee]

I prefer the ceramic heat bulbs Pete.They just emit heat not wasted light too. Little more expensive to start with, about a tenner, but seem to last a lot longer than the red pig bulbs.No need for fan heating with these bulbs as the chicks automatically go under the bulb as they feel the heat from it on their backs
Just my own opinion.

 

[Frisbee]

I only ever hatch under broodies Pete, so can't answer this as fully as you need. But I do occasionally buy in chicks.

You will possibly get a better answer from the poultykeeper forum.

There is a product called an electric hen which seems to be well thought of, and it depends on how many chicks you are planning on hatching?

The best other way is to use a dull heat source, you can of course (if you've only got a few) use an ordinary light bulb, but the chicks tend to go a little crazy with 24hr light, under a broody they would be in the dark for a good amount of time, if it's going to be make do and mend and a small number of chicks then get yourself a 20 gall blue plastic drum, cut it in half, purchase (at great expense I know) an old fashioned cotton mop head and hang up so the chicks can get under it and use a light bulb.........(I wonder if a light bulb can be painted to dull it?) hanging over the tub, the plastic sides keep the heat in well. I rear any that I've bought like that in my front room so it's warm anyway, cover the whole lot with a heavy cloth at night and turn the light off.

There also used to be paraffin brooders which would be brilliant if you could get hold of one.

Frisbee

ps just re-read and you are doing a small amount, ooops sorry. EYNB bulb is what I am thinking of but never used. F

 

[jimbeekeeper]

Are you lot raising for eggs or meat?

 

[BKF Admin]

I have tried red bulbs and ceramic bulbs but have always gone back to a 40w bulb on a chain.

I put the day olds into a plastic box and drop the light down to get the right temp.

I first tried it after an expensive bulb broke and I needed something in a hurry.

Done over a dozen hatches this way and it works great.

As they get bigger I turn the light off for an hour at a time to stop them going mad like Frisbee says.

 

[East Yorks New Bee]

Are you lot raising for eggs or meat?

Both

 

[jimbeekeeper]

Nice one Dave

Would be nice to catch up with you sometime and see your meat production.

I suspect I will be dragged along to Brid soon with my rotovator to dig over the OH's school garden project for the little ones at Bay Primary.

 

[Frisbee]

Are you lot raising for eggs or meat?

I do both too, if I want just meat I generally buy in a dozen day old Sasso's, but any males from my laying birds get eaten too.

Frisbee

 

[jimbeekeeper]

How much are they per bird Fris? Do you feed them a special diet?

Do you dispatch at 8 weeks?

 

[Frisbee]

How much are they per bird Fris?

I can't remember......doh, I think they are about £1.00 each, the company which hatch deliver to a poultry unit near to me regularly so they will drop off a dozen for me at an arranged meeting point.

Do you feed them a special diet?

No they eat the same as all my other birds which is just plain wheat.........chick crumbs to start with though and then by the end of the first week they are getting wheat mixed in with it till about 4 weeks then they are off the crumbs.

Do you dispatch at 8 weeks?

They go when they are ready........ they freerange so take longer anyway and some are more greedy than others, so they start to be ready by 8 weeks. I kept a female from the last lot with a view to crossing them with my Copper Black Maran's (yes I know they are a hybrid and so won't breed true before anyone points it out to me). I wouldn't say the offspring were any better than the CBM's but the female did lay well

Frisbee

ps. Within the Sasso range they do a number of birds, some are more suited to free range.

F

 

[BKF Admin]

Frisbee do you find the hybrids(Sasso,Ross cobbs)ect are a little smellywhile under the lamp?
I tend to go for a dual purpose old breed now like Indian Game.

 

[Frisbee]

Errrr no not really I suppose it could be argued that the more food they eat then the more they c**p, so therefore they could potentially be more smelly, but as I said before mine free range so the poo doesn't really become an isuue......well apart from its issuing forth.....

I always fancied having some Ixworths but have failed miserably in any attempt to buy hatching eggs. Indian Game have ventured slightly into my thoughts but never rested there.

Buying a dozen day old Sasso's and having them dropped off halfway between my house and field seems to work okay and I haven't really the facilities to keep seperate breeds.

Frisbee

just seen the vital words......"under the lamp".....doh.....well they all smell under there don't they? You want to try keeping ducklings under a lamp in your front room if you want to know what smell is.......

 

[MJBee]

Or goslings Frisbee twice the size three times the pong

 

[Frisbee]

Sounds great

Frisbee

 

[Peebels]

There is a product called an electric hen which seems to be well thought of, and it depends on how many chicks you are planning on hatching?

I used an 'electric hen' type device last year. It does take a little longer to get up to heat but it did the job fantastically! Its fun to see the little chicks darting out from under its cover for a run around before returning to warm up again! They are very low on power too.

Its two potential draw backs so far as i can see are related to the chicks jumping on top. They tend to poo on there and as it gets raised up they can use it as a stepping platform for jumping on the side of the box.

I used to have them in the back room next to the computer and a little bantam chick (now a cockerel named "Mr Pekin") used to jump from the brooder to the side of the cardboard box and then onto my knee for a cuddle!

 

[trapperman]

i breed light sussex chickens, mostly under broodys but do sometimes get the incubator out, i made my own electric hen with a bit of ply and 4 x 2x1 legs with a heat mat that i had from when i kept snakes stuck underneth works well and is only about 10 watts