by seatil » Thu Jan 23, 2014 9:41 am
A regular incandescent 60w/75w/100w light bulb should be enough. Mitre10 sell full blown heatlamp bulbs, but the heat output from those is far more than needed for a small brooder, plus you'll need to ensure that the mount they're going into can handle the current, which if it has to be wired up, legally requires an electrician to do.
I've been using electric hens (Brinsea EcoGlow) for our chicks. Uses less power (20w for the small one) than a light bulb or heat lamp, doesn't interfere with the night/day cycle and somewhat mimics chicks being able to get under mum. If you're doing a number of hatches it's worth considering.
One of almost everything, a veritable rainbow of chickens. And Project Motzle.