How long do you think the bulb in my brooder heat lamp will last?

[MehgaLegs]

Had a horrible thought last night that I could lose all my chicks if the bulb went in the brooder in the middle of the night.

May have to camp out with them as it's getting cold again for a few days I think.

I guess it must happen occasionally. A new bulb should really last the course though - what are we looking at 4 weeks max and it should hopefully be off during the day towards the end of that time? I know they can need the heat lamp for up to 6 weeks but it'll be June by then so hopefully warm enough. Also, they have their shared body heat and bedding so I imagine the tougher ones would survive overnight.

I think I'll keep mine indoors for a couple of weeks - if the incubator ever arrives. I've put my failed broody hens back in the main henhouse, the cockerel is so happy to have his favourite girl back and has been dancing round her non-stop (except when he's presenting her with nice things to eat)!

I was already wandering if I could turn it off in the afternoon on really warm days. The afternoon sun shines directly into the front of the shed and with the mesh door on they all lie in the sun.

DS3 is now most popular boy in the class as I took a basket of five chicks in for the reception class to see.

The chicks were really calm, kids sat in circle and chicks wandered amongst them being stroked. They did poo alot (the chicks not the kids)which aroused great delight.

Good plan mother. Thank you

mehga I took my quail chicks in to nursery as well. I felt like a failure because they all asked the same question which I had no answers to..."what are their names?"

Couldn't you have made them up?!

(Parcelforce are delivering my R-Com tomorrow - eeeeek).

there are 11 of them and they all look identical and I don't know their sexes yet and... OK I panicked!
My sis said I should have said "Quentin, Queenie, Quercus, Quirky, Quendoline...." really fast

OMG they are soooo cute!!

mh - I've ordered this years R-Com 20. I've read a few reviews, mostly good and PPH has used hers twice and had good results. Last years new flock of hens haven't gone broody naturally, nor have I managed to persuade them and I really want at least a dozen meat birds ready for autumn... and possibly some Araucana's for blue eggs... and I might start keeping quail too because I like both eggs & meat. RCom-3 definitely not big enough for us!

What are the odds that my hens will all sit tight as soon as I've switched the incubator on...?!

Well quail are small so a hutch & run might do. I'm probably going to order one or two of the larger henhouses with built-on runs (with extensions) from Smiths Sectional and have one for the eating-chickens and one for quail. There is room in the main henhouse for a few more layers.

Quail is delicious but DH finds them too fiddly.

Ducks. Are you sure? They are really messy!