Central Whdibey Fire & Rescue (CWIFR) recently responded to a fire that resulted in loss of a number of baby chicks and significant damage to a barn that was caused by ignitiion of combustible materials by a heat lamp ussed for brooding baby chicks. Brooding baby chicks with a heat lamp presents a fire hazard. The extent of the risk depends on several factors that you can control!
Avoid the use of low-cost clamp lights. The clamps are weak, the screw holding the swivel together tends to come undone, the sockets may not rated for 250-watt heat lamps, and they frequently don’t have heavy-duty cords.
Use a high-quality brooder lamp has special features to make it safe for brooding: