Chicks that grow up without a mother hen need three things in the first weeks: a warm spot, water they can reach easily and room to move. Here you will find heat lamps with lamp shade, a small drinker tower and a perch at chick height, so you can set up a brooding area for chicks from the incubator.
A brooding area in four steps
- Space: a draught-free pen with dry litter and a warm and a cooler zone.
- Heat: a lamp shade with 5 metres of cable and a separate bulb. For a small batch of chicks, an energy-saving bulb of 100 or 175 W is often enough; the hard-glass bulb of 150 or 250 W gives more power.
- Water: the Gaun 1-litre drinker tower is 20 cm high, so small chicks can reach the water too.
- Rest: the Gaun chick perch (43 x 15.7 x 15 cm) has three low bars so they learn to perch early on.
The right bulb for the right shade
The lamp shade is supplied without a bulb. The version with energy-saving switch halves the power as the chicks get bigger, but is suitable for bulbs up to 150 W; a 175 or 250 W bulb belongs in the shade without switch. Read more about shades and bulbs, including for lambs and piglets, in heat lamps for animals.
Reducing heat with an eye on your chicks
A huddle of chicks right under the lamp means they are short of heat. An empty spot under the lamp with chicks along the walls means the opposite. A group that lies spread out, eats and drinks is comfortable. Raise the lamp in steps as the feathers come through, or switch on the energy-saving switch. The manufacturer of the shade specifies at least 60 cm between lamp and ground.
Points to note
Place the drinker tower out of the direct heat, so the water stays cool, and clean it daily. Hang the shade securely, never by the cable alone. Give feed in a low dish from chicken feeders; later you switch to a drinker from drinkers. If you are still incubating, see candling eggs; everything for incubating and rearing is in incubators and chicks.
Frequently asked questions
Which bulb fits the lamp shade with energy-saving switch?
Bulbs up to 150 W: the 100 W energy-saving bulb or the 150 W hard-glass bulb. For 175 or 250 W, choose the shade without switch.
How many drinkers do I need?
That depends on the number of chicks. Make sure they do not have to crowd and top up before the drinker is empty.
When can the heat lamp go?
When the chicks are largely feathered and no longer lie under the lamp. That takes a few weeks and depends on the breed and the temperature in the pen.