[Eve]

Me again...

I've had a question from a Canadian poultry keeper (one of the people who replied to the post asking how they stop drinking water from freezing, on a Canadian forum) about heat lamps:

I have a question for you...a fellow in Ontario Canada, that I know, says that in England it is common for you to use a BLACK heat light to heat or brood young birds under. It is common here for us to use RED heat lights (suppose to inhibit the birds from picking or cannibalizing each other). Would you please explain the advantages to using a black light over a red light, if in fact, you actually do use black lights over red ones. I am told it may have something to do with affecting the immune system of chickens and such as they are developing. I find this very concept foreign and very fascinating. Thank you and welcome to this forum.

This is the post at the bottom of which is the question:
http://wcps.forumotion.ca/t3122-drinking-water-question

I'm still a novice when it comes to chickens and didn't know about black heat lamps, thought they were always red. Does anybody know more?

Eve

[Brijjy]

I must admit I don't know what a black heat lamp is either. Perhaps one for Goth or Emo chicks 

[robert waddell]

as far as i am aware there are red lamps and white lamps    i use the white ones for pigs

[jaykay]

Lol on Goth chicks  A black light is basically one that doesn't give out light but heat, ie what we call a ceramic heater. Looks like a pot light bulb. I think they sleep better with a black light, but the red one is useful for tiny chicks cos they feed more regularly. And it's good for all small things cos you can see what's going on without disturbing them with lights or torches.

[hughesy]

I use a ceramic no light jobbie for chicks. Got fed up of the red bulbs blowing and leaving the chicks with no heat. Mine have light during the day and darkness at night they seem to go straight to sleep as soon as the light is off and start to feed immediately it is on again.

[chrismahon]

We started with red lights because that's what we were told to get. We now only use them in emergencies, when we have no black or white bulbs. After a week of continuous white light (red will do as well) we put the chicks onto a day and night regime, just as they would have with a mother hen in Maytime. An 80W ceramic (or dull emitter or black light) at night increasing from 6 -10 hours over a week and a 180W high efficiency white light set much higher for daytime. They grow stronger under that system we think; 46 hatched and no losses. They cram their little crops full expecting night at any time until they settle into it. Probably reduces overcrowding issues as well.

The set height of the lights increases gradually to reduce their temperature as normal, until they go outside at 6 weeks. They are then on natural day and night, a system which they are used to.

Red lights are for commercial applications where feather pecking due to overcramped conditions is commonplace and the red light supposedly hides the blood to stop the pecked individuals being devoured!