Choosing the right lamp for heating chickens

The lamp for heating the chickens solves two problems at once - provides lighting and maintains an optimal temperature. But to make a simple and safe system, you need to choose the best option of equipment and properly install it in the brooder.

Why heat chicks with lamps

Heating with lamps is ideal for chicks.

In the first days after birth, chicks are particularly demanding both to the temperature of the ambient air and to lighting, so heating with special lamps is the best way to go. If optimal conditions are not provided, a number of problems may arise:

1. The work of the immune system is disturbed. Chicks much more often suffer from various diseases and die.
2. The growth of the bird slows down, it develops much slower than it should under normal conditions, which is highly undesirable for broilers. This can even drag on for quite a long period of time.
   Only by maintaining an ideal microclimate will the chicks develop normally.
3. The chicks behave sluggishly and their activity decreases. They hardly move around the brooder.
4. If conditions were unfavorable at first, the laying performance of future layers may be halved.

In addition to the temperature background it is important to provide an optimal length of daylight hours, so a lamp is the best option. It is easy to determine whether the heating is too little or too much, you should pay attention to the behavior of the birds:

1. If the chicks do not move around much in the allotted space, clumping together and pressed tightly against each other, it is necessary to increase the heating temperature.
2. When chicks are often thirsty, disperse on their own and ruffle feathers, they are most likely too hot.

By the way! It is well worth protecting the chicks' space from draughts, as this may cause their mass death.

Temperature regime during the chicks' growth period

In the first days after the chicks are born temperature control is especially important.It should be monitored continuously. To avoid having to check the readings every few hours, it is better to use an electronic control system that keeps the temperature in the set range. As for specific indicators, they are as follows:

1. For the first In the first week it is a good idea to keep the temperature between 32 and 35 degrees Celsius 24 hours a day.
2. In the second you can lower the figures, the minimum limit - 29 degrees, the maximum - 32.
3. In the third week week the average daily temperature should be 25 to 29 degrees.
4. Fourth week. - Here you should keep the values between 22 and 25 degrees Celsius.
5. In the fifth, sixth and seventh weeks the optimum values are 21 to 24 degrees.
6. Then the chicks are no longer so demanding to the temperature regime, but it is impossible for the values to fall below 18 degrees.

At the first stages, not only temperature is important, but also lighting.

In addition to temperature, it is necessary to provide the right lighting regime, because it also affects the development of the bird. Here it is necessary to follow simple recommendations:

1. In the first 2-3 days, it is necessary to light the brooder for 21-23 hours, that is, almost around the clock.
2. In the next 3 weeks you can gradually reduce the duration of the light day, at 21 days it should be about 16 hours.
3. Chicks should then be transferred to standard conditions with 10-12 hours of light.

The red and orange spectrum ensures normal chick growth, preventing avian cannibalism and improving reproductive function in the future.

Types of Heating Lamps

A brooder lamp must meet a number of requirements. Therefore, you should not use ordinary incandescent bulbs, as some poultry farmers do. It is better to use one of two options that provide the right conditions that are safe for the bird.

Infrared

The red bulb should be made of an impact-resistant material.

Red lamp. for heating chickens is a common solution that is popular with users for several reasons:

1. It is a large lamp with a mirror reflector that emits light in the red and infrared ranges and screws into a standard base, which is convenient.
2. The fixture emits a soft light that provides normal visibility to the chicks around the clock, which is very important in the first 24 hours after birth.
3. The infrared radiation heats the surrounding surfaces and thus provides a suitable temperature regime for the chicks. In order not to constantly monitor the temperature readings, usually buy an automatic regulator together with the red lamp.
4. The price of this option is more affordable. Lamp life is about 5000 hours, which is not very much.

Since this option switches off from time to time to keep the temperature at the right level, you should not use it without additional lighting elements. White diode light is best.

Ceramic

The ceramic version can be distinguished by its appearance.

A new kind that is used only as a heater, as it is made of ceramic, due to which it is highly durable. The features are as follows:

1. Ceramic lamp is screwed into the standard E27 base, which is very convenient. It is a large enough element with a wide bulb, which radiates infrared heat that heats all the surfaces around it.
2. Due to the material of manufacture, the construction withstands enough strong shocks, is not afraid of vibration and normally works with fluctuations in air humidity.
3. Service life is much longer than that of red lamps and ranges from 10 to 30 thousand hours. The operating characteristics remain the same throughout the entire service life.
4. The efficiency factor is 98%. This means that almost all the electricity is used to heat the chickens.
5. There are models from 25 to 200 watts, which allows you to pick up a lamp for the brooder of any size.

By the way! If necessary, you can combine several ceramic lamps into one system, which allows you to heat even large areas.

From the video learn what is better infrared or ceramic lamp for brooder.

Advantages of using lamps as heaters

You can buy a ready-made lamp in a protective housing.

Infrared heaters in the form of bulbs can be used in brooder of any size and shape, which is very important. Unlike similar solutions, they have a number of advantages:

1. The ability to automatically adjust the temperature and maintain the ideal mode without constant monitoring. No need to change the height of the heater, as is often the case with other options.
2. Infrared radiation in its principle of action is as close as possible to natural sunlight. This creates optimal growth conditions for the chicks in the first days of their development. The optimal humidity is maintained, which is also important.
3. The efficiency of infrared equipment is higher than any other option. It is the most economical solution of those that run on electricity.
4. The lamp not only heats, but also has a positive effect on the immunity of chickens and protects against many infectious diseases.

Read also

Heating the hen house in winter with an infrared lamp

 

To ensure uniform heating of the desired area, it is necessary to choose the height of the lamp. The easiest thing to do is to follow the instructions that come with the product.

Video tip: The best way to heat chicks.

Heating chickens with an infrared lamp is a simple but effective solution. You can install it yourself. If you buy a thermostat right away, you won't have to constantly monitor the temperature.