Chook Me!

How to keep chicks warm without a brooder lamp?

I'm hatching 21 chicks in my incubator but when they hatch I don't know how to keep them warm throughout the night. I won't use a brooder lamp because of the danger of a fire starting and they could get to hot. Day time is ok I can just put them down the t-shirt. Is there something else I can use to keep them warm at night???.

Public Comments

1. The safest way to keep your chicks warm at night is a Brooder lamp or even a normal Light bulb,but you must use a Thermostat,to control it's heat output. You could purchase a Tubular Greenhouse heater with a temperature control or a seperate thermostat. This will lesson the risk of a fire. You must have a Big T Shirt,if you expect to carry 21 chicks around.
2. a heating pad on the outside of the cage.
3. Where do you plan to keep the chicks after they hatch? Inside or outside? If you keep them inside then you could use a heating pad and just a regular light bulb. If you keep them outside then you will have to have a brooder bulb. You need to buy the bulb fixture that has a cage around it so if it did fall then it will not start a fire. With any light bulb you need to hang it so that it cannot fall, put a knot in the cord and then use a U nail infront of the knot, that way there is no way it can possibly fall, or something like that. Chicks really need the heat they need a heat source of al least 80C to stay warm, you will know they are warm when they are moving around freely and not hudled up under the light. They can get a lot of problems without a lamp like pasting up, which they can die from. I hope this helped you :) EDIT: Exactly what Tammy said, you need to do everything she has wrote. She gave an excellent answer.
4. its very silly indeed to think that you can put them down your shirt and they will survive in there threw the night. First of all chicks can die from to much handling and second of all I am under the assumption that you arent thinking about all the poop that comes from those babies in just one hours worth of time. Let along a whole night. They need a heat source and that just wont do the trick. You run the risk of crushing them or starving them as they eat constantly to keep their body heat up. YOU NEED A LAMP whether it be a brooder lamp or a regular bulb they need heat. I dont suggest a heat pad or anything like that as it is entirely dangerous due to the water and feed spillage and electrical output right under them. The heat lamp will be safe if you put pine shavings on the floor and hang the lamp at least 18 inches off the floor. Put enough space so they can move out from the light if it is to warm. People do this every day and This is the way it should be done ethically. I suggest you get these establishements ready on the last day of hatch or find someone else to take care of them for you until they dont require the heat any longer. The problems you will have doing it the way you described will only result in most or all of your chicks dying. I dont mean to be hostile or rude in any way but I have to be honest as I know from experience over lost of years and thousands of chicks. I will say again chicks need a constant source of heat water and food. All day and night every day..
5. You should be fine to keep them down your shirt through the day at night just put them in a box in the hot water caboard. I raised many animals that way. Baby birds jack rabbits, Two day old baby Cobb chicks and I used the hot water caboard at night and put them down my shirt through the day and they are now very large.
6. Keep them in your armpits or in your bra. really, you need a brooder lamp for day and night, If you get one with a red bulb there will be less of a chance of fire and make sure the chicks can get out of the way of the bulb (don't hang it too close to them for a start) and they won't over heat. or you need a specialist brooder TLC brooders are the best but quite expensive.