Poultry encyclopedia · NEXTEKCI School · Farm equipment
Charcoal and other heat sources for brooding
Charcoal and infrared lamps are widely used to keep chicks warm. They work provided a few safety rules are followed: charcoal only in a closed stove, away from the litter, with the fumes vented; lamps only with a back-up power supply.
Key facts
- Charcoal
- In a closed stove, away from the litter, fumes vented, never in an enclosed space
- Main danger
- Carbon monoxide, a deadly gas with no smell
- Infrared lamps
- Depend on mains power: a generator or back-up is essential
- Ventilation
- Always a high opening in a heated house
- Floor of the brooding area
- At least 32 °C on arrival
- First night
- A check every two hours
Why heat, even in Côte d’Ivoire
Chicks cannot regulate their own temperature for the first 5 days, and not fully before 14 days. At night the temperature drops, and that is when chicks huddle together and smother. They need 32 to 34 °C at their height for the first three days, then a little less each week.
The gas brooder is the reference. But many farms use charcoal or electric lamps: these work, provided you know their dangers.
Charcoal: the safety rules
Charcoal is available everywhere, but it gives off carbon monoxide, a gas that kills without any smell, chicks and people alike. It may only be used in a closed stove, set away from the litter, with the fumes vented outside, and never in an enclosed space.
Never close a charcoal-heated house completely: always keep a high opening to let fresh air in. Refill the stove before nightfall and keep the spare charcoal dry and away from the litter.
Infrared lamps
Electric infrared lamps are simple to install, but they depend on mains power. Without a generator or another back-up, they are a gamble: one power cut at night and the chicks are cold within minutes.
Hang them securely at the height recommended by the manufacturer, away from water, with protected cables out of the birds’ reach. As with any heat source, the chicks tell you whether the height is right.
Night checks and fire prevention
On the first night, someone sleeps near the house and checks every two hours: temperature, how the chicks are spread, water, gas, charcoal or power. On the next two nights, one check at midnight and one in the early morning are enough if all is well.
Keep a fire extinguisher or a bin of sand near the house, and keep litter, cardboard and curtains well away from every heat source.
Common mistakes
An open charcoal fire set on the litter; a house closed on all sides “to keep the heat in”; lamps with no back-up power; a stove that goes out in the middle of the night without anyone noticing; heating started too late, when the floor is still cold.