[mzgarden]

Has anyone DIY'd a covering for the brooder lamp bulb area out of hardware cloth to catch hot broken light bulb pieces, in case the bulb should break?

As background, I have no place to brood chicks indoors. We brood our chicks a couple times a year out in the barn, in a wooden brooder box that is 8' x 3'. One end of the box has a heat lamp - the standard kind with a clamp. The clamps are clamped onto a wood side plus there are screws that stick up inside the clamps as a safety precaution. If the clamp itself should fail or slip the screws will 'catch' the lamp.

I've been looking at the Premier Safety Lamp as an improved option in case a hot bulb should break and hot glass pieces fall into the straw and catch fire. Unfortunately, I've seen posts where people bought the Premier lamp and after a few weeks came out to find it had come apart and was hanging by the electric wires.

So, my next thought was --- has anyone DIY'd a safety covering over their standard heat lamp that would catch any broken glass in case the bulb broke? Maybe hardware cloth? Other ideas?

 

[aart]

I put 1/4" HC on my heat lamp shade...just cut a circle of HC larger than the shade edge and bent it up over the lip in 3-4 places so it's till fairly easy to remove if bulb changes are needed.

Not sure 1/4" would catch all shattered glass, maybe 1/8" would be better.

 

[ladycat]

You might want to consider brooder plates:
http://www.premier1supplies.com/detail.php?prod_id=120893&cat_id=173

Much less wattage, no chance of breakage or fire, and they keep the chicks cozy in a cold barn.