Brooder Safety- Fear the Heat Lamp

 Heat lamps make me nervous, they always have. Every year, news stories recount tales of homes and chicken coops burning down as a result of a heat lamp. Whether from falling, being knocked over or simply swinging into contact with a flammable object, the traditional heat lamp is just plain hazardous even when vigilantly employed.

Regardless of how carefully it is hung or how many different ways it is tethered, I never get past that gnawing feeling that something beyond my control could result in catastrophe. The fire in the photo below resulted from a heat lamp that fell.  There were 2 goats, 3 goslings, 3 ducklings and approximately 13 chicks in the area of the heat lamp who would have perished if the chicken-keeper hadn't come upon the scene when she did.

Heat lamp reflectors, ordinarily made of aluminum, commonly include a hangar and a clamp. The problem with the design is that there are several points at which its parts can fail. My strong personal preference is not to use heat lamps if at all possible.

Clamp is easily knocked free.

Clamp's wing-nut loosens during normal use.

Hangar easily detaches from reflector

Meet the original baby chick warmer: the hen. A chicken's normal body temperature ranges between 103°-107° F. 

Freida, my Silkie hen, teaching her two day old chicks to eat.

Observing mama hens interact with their babies in my backyard has completely convinced me that chicks simply do not need as much heat as we are led to believe. In this photo, my Silkie surrogate mama, Freida, took her 3 week old chicks out for a romp in the run in 29°F weather.

Three day old chicks, contemplating a trip into the run.

We are all taught 'The Formula" for brooding baby chicks: 90-95° Fahrenheit for the first week of life, decreasing by five degrees each week thereafter.  If I were a slave to The Formula, I would have called CPS (chick protective services) and reported Freida immediately (after whisking the chicks indoors to toast under a an 80° french-fry lamp, of course). But I am no longer a slave to the formula and Freida never has been.When her chicks got chilly, they simply tucked themselves underneath her.

Until fairly recently, there weren't too many options for keeping baby chicks warm. I wish I had known earlier in my chicken-keeping experience that Brinsea Products offers the EcoGlow Brooder, which employs the same concept as a mama hen. Just as with a hen, the chicks will spend most of their time under the EcoGlow for the first couple of days, they'll peek out from underneath occasionally, gradually spending more and more time away from it. They will scoot around to eat, drink and play chick games, returning when necessary. Before too long, and much sooner than you'd expect, they spend most of their time away from the brooder.

In my experience the advantages of the EcoGlow over a heat lamp are:

• it's more like mama hen, chicks snuggle up to the unit when they feel it necessary
• no fire hazard
• uses less electricity (14 watts vs. 250 watts with a heat lamp)
• no risk of pasty butt from overheating
• no disruptive light, allowing for natural, diurnal wake/sleep cycles
• height easily adjusted for growing chicks
• no fussy machinations required to hang the heat source, making brooder location more flexible
  
  
  The EcoGlow operates on the principle of radiant heat, which passes through air without warming the air. Only a solid object will absorb and warmed by radiant heat, so don't expect to put your hand underneath it briefly and expect to be able to gauge whether or not it is working. A thermometer will measure the air temperature but not the radiant heat and will usually show 5° to 10°F lower than the temperature felt by the chicks.

The EcoGlow by Brinsea Products is a safe alternative to traditional heat sources for chicks

CLEANING TIP: As soon as chicks realize they can hop up on top of the EcoGlow, they spend much of their time standing and pooping on it. While cleaning the EcoGlow is straightforward, I never relish the idea of scraping chicken poop off the top of it when they graduate from it.
In order to make my life easier, I cut a piece of contact paper the size of the top of the EcoGlow and stick it to the yellow surface. The contact paper is easily peeled off the unit, making cleaning it a BREEZE!

Measure, cut

Stick

Decorate with Tinkerbell stickers, of course

The top of the EcoGlow can be slippery with or without

Contact paper, I use rubber shelf liner on top of the EcoGlow

to avoid risk of spraddle leg in my chicks.

When the chicks no longer use the EcoGlow, peel off the shelf liner

and Contact paper. No more scrubbing required!

*Note: This is not a paid endorsement by Brinsea.

If I didn't believe in this product, I wouldn't own two of them.

I recommend this brooder because I believe all chicken-keepers shoudl be aware that there are alternatives to hazardous heat lamps. I view its purchase as a very inexpensive insurance policy.

If you're inclined to buy one, feel free to take 10% off ANY purchase, using the coupon code TheChickenChick (cap sensitive) at www.Brinsea.com.

There is no commission for me when you use my coupon code. 

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