What's eveyone like using when it comes to heating chicks in a brooder ? Looking for a real safe option that I won't have to worry about burning my house down while I'm gone and the wife is at work.... because yeah got another incubator so gonna need a brooder now but yeah my the wiring in my house is old and idk I got a unnatural high but of paranoia about electric fires , don't worry tho come spring I'm getting a complete rewire

That foam incubator with a fan is the way to go they say an old chicken lady said to spray the eggs with a water sprayer for a better hatch rate.

Used to just use a heat lamp cut into a hog feeder lid.

I use a mineral tub if it’s just a few chicks or a water tank if it’s a full batch. I just use a basic heat lamp with a built in clamp so you can adjust the angle and location within the tub. I typically keep them in the garage but have kept them in a spare bedroom before .

I have that exact farm innovators incubator and really like it. Humidity can fluctuate a bit but just have to play with the red plugs to get it right

Same as trapperbless, a heat lamp with a clamp. We keep them in an old rabbit hutch until they are big enough to go in with the hens. When it's cool outside they huddle under the lamp but have room to get out from under it and move around if it gets too warm.

I like giving them room to move to or away from the heat to regulate their temperature so they need a little free space. If they huddle together tight they are cooler than they should be. If they are nilly willy all over the place probably they are too warm then. I used a metal stock tank with a bad bottom I covered with cardboard it gave them plenty of space.

Never had an issue with a heat lamp

Start low and watch the chicks, bunched up under the light they are too cool. Spread out as far as they can get from lamp they are too warm.

I have a true brooder that was given to my son when he was raising chicks to show for FFA

Once they get too big for it I transfer straight to chicken house, you can use cardboard to pen off a smaller section.
Also could mostly cover one of your chicken tractors with a tarp to maintain heat and keep them dry

Electric brooder plates work good

We have been using a 4' long stock tank with heat light hanging on one end for years. Used to be keep in the house now the stock tank goes out in the heated mouse shed same set up in the tank just not having the noise or mess in the house.

The dusting is terrible I had a bunch in my fur shed one year what a thick dusty mess I had to get the air hose in there to blow it out.

I use an incandesent 60 watt bulb in a reflector hanging above the chicks. It gives enough warmth and make the brooder big enough they can move away or towards the light. We stocked up on bulbs years back when the idiots made them illegal to sell. I see you can get them again too, so that's good

I've used both incandescent bulbs and heat lamps, neither one will cause a fire and any 15 amp service is good...as long as you don't let the lamp touch shavings or cardboard you won't have an issue...

We use wood chips for bedding. To help keep the water from getting full of chips i built a wood frame larger than the water and put wire over it for the water to set on. Chips fall through and less end up in the water.. but the fram has to be picked up and put back on top of the chips daily when it gets buried.
Hanging niple water would solve this completely but I cover my trough with a wood wire mesh frame to avoid issues if one of the cats would get in with the birds. Heat light has enough high to hang from the cover but water does not fit with enough higth especially as the birds grow.

the biggest problem is lights that fall

make a fixture to hold the light so that a clamp can't slide or get pulled and your light drop into your wood shavings


the shavings you want larger as dusty is bad and leads to respiratory issues and to fine leads to slipping and sliding and leg issues

many places use a wire over the metal horse trough and the heat lamp tin fixture wired down to the wire that keeps cats and rats out and make that so it can't slide off or be lifted off by a cat


make sure they have an area without light that they can move too to regulate their temperature

GQF brooders stacked 3 high

about 325 each but worth it if you hatch many

Says good for 2 weeks on chicks. I typically keeo tham inside tell they feathered ofter takes a bit longer im thinking but may be wrong.

If starting from scratch buying a trough light and feeders figured in thats not a bad price when compared .

Shoot actually thinking. About making a tractor just for chick.... actually our green house keeps a solid 80-90° during the day and it has a vent fan , think we could possibly just toss some in there ?

Going off the top of my head, I think 95 degrees for day olds, and drop 5-10 degrees per week, they need enough room to self regulate though....