Brooder heat lamps are terrifyingly dangerous. Every year, news stories recount tales of human and animal deaths and homes and chicken coops burning down as a result of a heat lamp fire. Whether from falling, being knocked over, swinging into contact with a flammable object, dust on the bulb igniting, or a bird or loose feather flying up into it, the traditional heat lamp is a fire hazard even when carefully used.

 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, swinging into contact with a flammable object or a bird or loose feather flying up into it, the traditional heat lamp is a fire hazard even when vigilantly employed.

Regardless of how carefully it is hung or how many different ways it is tethered, I never got past that gnawing feeling that something beyond my control could result in catastrophe and my instincts were correct. The simple truth is: heat lamps cannot be made fool-proof with flying animals.
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.

 Regardless of how carefully it is hung or how many different ways it is tethered, I never got 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 hanger and a clamp. The problem with the design is that there are several points at which its parts can fail. I never use heat lamps and strongly recommend chicken keepers never use them either.

 The heat lamp clamp is easily knocked free from whatever it is attached to.
The heat lamp clamp is easily knocked free from whatever it is attached to.
 The wing nut on a heat lamp ordinarily loosens during normal use.
The wing nut on a heat lamp ordinarily loosens during normal use.
 This photo shows the inside of the heat lamp where the hangar is attached to the reflector. The hangar can very easily slip out of the reflector.
This photo shows the inside of the heat lamp where the hangar is attached to the reflector. The hangar can very easily slip out of the reflector.
 Meet the original baby chick warmer: the mother hen. A chicken's normal body temperature ranges between 103°-107° F.
A chicken’s normal body temperature ranges between 103°-107° F.

Meet the original baby chick warmer: the mother hen.

Mother hen and baby chicks

Observing mother hens interact with their babies in my backyard has completely convinced me that baby chicks do not need as much heat as we are led to believe.


Newly hatched chicks cannot regulate their own body temperatures, which is why a hen keeps her chicks underneath her warm abdomen after hatching. As time passes, they spend much less time underneath her, dashing in and out of their 90°F maternal feather-bed, each regulating its own comfort level.


We are all taught “The Formula” for brooding baby chicks under a heat lamp: 90-95° F for the first week of life, decreasing by five degrees each week thereafter, but the formula doesn’t work for backyard chicks; it calls for far too much heat in a small space for far longer than chicks require, allowing no deviation for individual chicks’ comfort levels. Learn more about how much heat chicks really need, HERE.

How much heat do chicks REALLY need?

Brinsea Products offers the EcoGlow Brooder, which employs the same warming concept as a mother hen. Just as with a hen, chicks spend much of their time underneath the EcoGlow for the first few days after hatching. They peek out from underneath it occasionally, gradually spending more and more time away from it. They run around eating, drinking, returning to the EcoGlow when they need a warm-up. Before too long, and much sooner than you’d expect, they spend most of their time away from the EcoGlow brooder. The EcoGlow brooder plate does not warm up the entire brooder, it warms only the chicks underneath it, allowing them to regulate their own comfort level by where they are in the brooder- just as with a mother hen!

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

  • it’s more like mama hen, chicks snuggle up underneath the brooder plate only when they feel it necessary
  • no fire hazard as with heat lamps
  • no overheating of chicks, reducing the likelihood of stress-induced aggression and picking
  • uses less electricity (14 watts vs. 250 watts with a heat lamp)
  • no risk of pasty butt from overheating
  • no disruptive light, allowing chicks to sleep at night as they should
  • height is easily adjusted for growing chicks
  • no fussy machinations required to hang the heat source, making brooder location more flexible
Brinsea EcoGlow 20 Brooder is a safe alternative to dangerous heat lamps

The EcoGlow operates on the principle of radiant heat, which passes through air without warming the air. Only a solid object will absorb and be warmed by radiant heat, so do not expect to put your hand underneath it briefly and be able to gauge whether or not it is working. A thermometer won’t help either since it will only measure the air temperature, not how well the radiant heat is working to keep chicks warm. The underside of the EcoGlow should feel barely warm to the touch.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Baby chicks must be brooded in an area with an ambient temperature of at least 50°F!

The EcoGlow acts just like a mother hen with none of the danger of traditional heat lamps.

CLEANING TIP: As soon as chicks realize they can hop up on top of the EcoGlow, they spend much of their time standing on 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 the chicks are finished with it. In order to make my life easier, I cut a piece of Glad Press-n-Seal to fit the top of the EcoGlow, which makes cleaning a BREEZE! (Con-tact paper was my former product of choice, but Press-n-Seal is much easier to remove.)

Stick.

Kathy Shea Mormino

Affectionately known internationally as The Chicken Chick®, Kathy Shea Mormino shares a fun-loving, informative style to raising backyard chickens. …Read on

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Brooder heat lamps are terrifyingly dangerous. Every year, news stories recount tales of human and animal deaths and homes and chicken coops burning down as a result of a heat lamp fire. Whether from falling, being knocked over, swinging into contact with a flammable object, dust on the bulb igniting, or a bird or loose feather flying up into it, the traditional heat lamp is a fire hazard even when carefully used.

 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, swinging into contact with a flammable object or a bird or loose feather flying up into it, the traditional heat lamp is a fire hazard even when vigilantly employed.

Regardless of how carefully it is hung or how many different ways it is tethered, I never got past that gnawing feeling that something beyond my control could result in catastrophe and my instincts were correct. The simple truth is: heat lamps cannot be made fool-proof with flying animals.
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.

 Regardless of how carefully it is hung or how many different ways it is tethered, I never got 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 hanger and a clamp. The problem with the design is that there are several points at which its parts can fail. I never use heat lamps and strongly recommend chicken keepers never use them either.

 The heat lamp clamp is easily knocked free from whatever it is attached to.
The heat lamp clamp is easily knocked free from whatever it is attached to.
 The wing nut on a heat lamp ordinarily loosens during normal use.
The wing nut on a heat lamp ordinarily loosens during normal use.
 This photo shows the inside of the heat lamp where the hangar is attached to the reflector. The hangar can very easily slip out of the reflector.
This photo shows the inside of the heat lamp where the hangar is attached to the reflector. The hangar can very easily slip out of the reflector.
 Meet the original baby chick warmer: the mother hen. A chicken's normal body temperature ranges between 103°-107° F.
A chicken’s normal body temperature ranges between 103°-107° F.

Meet the original baby chick warmer: the mother hen.

Mother hen and baby chicks

Observing mother hens interact with their babies in my backyard has completely convinced me that baby chicks do not need as much heat as we are led to believe.


Newly hatched chicks cannot regulate their own body temperatures, which is why a hen keeps her chicks underneath her warm abdomen after hatching. As time passes, they spend much less time underneath her, dashing in and out of their 90°F maternal feather-bed, each regulating its own comfort level.


We are all taught “The Formula” for brooding baby chicks under a heat lamp: 90-95° F for the first week of life, decreasing by five degrees each week thereafter, but the formula doesn’t work for backyard chicks; it calls for far too much heat in a small space for far longer than chicks require, allowing no deviation for individual chicks’ comfort levels. Learn more about how much heat chicks really need, HERE.

How much heat do chicks REALLY need?

Brinsea Products offers the EcoGlow Brooder, which employs the same warming concept as a mother hen. Just as with a hen, chicks spend much of their time underneath the EcoGlow for the first few days after hatching. They peek out from underneath it occasionally, gradually spending more and more time away from it. They run around eating, drinking, returning to the EcoGlow when they need a warm-up. Before too long, and much sooner than you’d expect, they spend most of their time away from the EcoGlow brooder. The EcoGlow brooder plate does not warm up the entire brooder, it warms only the chicks underneath it, allowing them to regulate their own comfort level by where they are in the brooder- just as with a mother hen!

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

  • it’s more like mama hen, chicks snuggle up underneath the brooder plate only when they feel it necessary
  • no fire hazard as with heat lamps
  • no overheating of chicks, reducing the likelihood of stress-induced aggression and picking
  • uses less electricity (14 watts vs. 250 watts with a heat lamp)
  • no risk of pasty butt from overheating
  • no disruptive light, allowing chicks to sleep at night as they should
  • height is easily adjusted for growing chicks
  • no fussy machinations required to hang the heat source, making brooder location more flexible
Brinsea EcoGlow 20 Brooder is a safe alternative to dangerous heat lamps

The EcoGlow operates on the principle of radiant heat, which passes through air without warming the air. Only a solid object will absorb and be warmed by radiant heat, so do not expect to put your hand underneath it briefly and be able to gauge whether or not it is working. A thermometer won’t help either since it will only measure the air temperature, not how well the radiant heat is working to keep chicks warm. The underside of the EcoGlow should feel barely warm to the touch.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Baby chicks must be brooded in an area with an ambient temperature of at least 50°F!

The EcoGlow acts just like a mother hen with none of the danger of traditional heat lamps.

CLEANING TIP: As soon as chicks realize they can hop up on top of the EcoGlow, they spend much of their time standing on 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 the chicks are finished with it. In order to make my life easier, I cut a piece of Glad Press-n-Seal to fit the top of the EcoGlow, which makes cleaning a BREEZE! (Con-tact paper was my former product of choice, but Press-n-Seal is much easier to remove.)

Stick.
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Kelly
12 years ago

It is a very friendly product. However, it is costly. I am one that uses a heat lamp (with the red light). It doesn't seem to bother their sleep habits at all. What I do to feel safe is just put a wood framed hardware cloth lid over the brooder so that there is no risk of the babies getting burned. I would like one of the EcoGlow's but they are out of my price range. :(

Kathy Mormino, the Chicken Chick
Reply to  Kelly
12 years ago

There's no question that it costs more than a heat lamp but when you consider that the heat lamp assembly costs $8 or so and the bulb cost $8 or so and add in the cost of electricity to run it 24 hours/day, the EcoGlo doesn't come out to be that much more expensive.

For me though, the peace of mind that comes with knowing the EcoGloc cannot burn down my house the way a heat lamp can if it gets knocked over or if one of the pieces loosens and it makes contact with something flammable is priceless.

Anonymous
Anonymous
12 years ago

I seriously thought about one of these, but I'm hoping that this is the only hatch that I have to brood the babies. My plan is to let a broody hen take over in the upcoming hatches (5 chickens every couple years) so I can't justify the expense.

Kathy Mormino, the Chicken Chick
Reply to  Anonymous
12 years ago

There's nothing sweeter than a mama hen with babies!
Unfortunately, I have not had great luck with transplanting hatched chicks under my broodies. I have had two different hens kill day-old baby chicks even when introducing them at night. :(

Makenna Vanegas
Makenna Vanegas
12 years ago

Wow! Never thought about how incredibly dangerous heat lamps can be. I will have to save up for one of these brooders! Too bad they are out of stock till march!

Kathy Mormino, the Chicken Chick
Reply to  Makenna Vanegas
12 years ago

Makenna, I didn't think too much about the dangers of heat lamps initially either.

The EcoGlo will be back in stock in two weeks or less, that's not bad at all. And they ship really quickly (I got my second one this week!! Woo-hoo!)

Use the coupon code: ADozenGirlz at checkout to get a 10% discount! (cap sensitive!)

Sara Ewen
12 years ago

This is so much safer than the lamps. I've never used one in my coop but I had one for chicks until the lamp got dropped. I'm going to look into this and see about getting one before my chicks arrive in April.

Kathy Mormino, the Chicken Chick
Reply to  Sara Ewen
12 years ago

Sara, if you have electricity in your coop, you could use it in there too! Please feel free to use my personal coupon code for my Facebook fans and blog followers: ADozenGirlz (cap sensitive, so type exactly as written) it will give you a 10% discount off your entire order!

sarah
12 years ago

Wow, looks like a wonderful product. I will have to do some home work and find out where to find one. I have 3 eggs in the incubator right now. Thank you for the article!

Kathy Mormino, the Chicken Chick
Reply to  sarah
12 years ago

Sarah, you can get them at http://www.Brinsea.com and if you use the coupon code: ADozenGirlz (exactly as written) you will get a 10% discount off your entire order!

Raestelle
Reply to  sarah
12 years ago

I just went to order the smaller version and they're temporarily out of stock until late March. Ah well, lol, must be good.

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