Brinsea Eco Glow Brooder to big?

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BarrettG said:
I think I may have gotten a Eco Glow Brooder that is to big for my set up. I know it's adjustable to make less or more heat on oposite ends. Please look at the pic below and let me know from your experience if this will be ok.I'm in the middle of a hatch but first time not using the red heat light.

Click to expand...
You will be much happier with a brooder plate than the light, and your chicks will, too. I find they feather out faster with the brooder plate and are quieter at night. If you hear a chick cheeping loudly at night under a brooder plate, it means there is something wrong - stuck somewhere or too far away from the heat plate and can't find it's way back in the dark. Usually they sleep quietly all night. They also learn to roost early because they will start sleeping on top of it.

How crowded it will be depends on the size of the feeder and waterer. If you are using the standard gravity flow plastic ones, it will be crowded and the chicks will make a mess because the chicks will constantly be IN the feed and water looking for room. I use small juice bottles with a nipple waterer that hangs for my brooder. The nipple system keeps things much drier and has a smaller footprint. I also have a rubbermaid container that sits on top of my EcoGlow with the nipple on the bottom at one end that hangs over the edge. That is great to start the chicks on because it keeps it right outside the brooder so they don't get cold going out to search for the water the first few days. Premier1 actually sells a similar waterer to use on top of a brooder plate. In a solid plastic brooder container like that, moisture is going to be your worst enemy, so anything you can do to keep the water from spilling will be a big help in keeping the chicks healthy.

You could also fashion a feeder from PVC pipe that would take up less room than the standard chick feeder.

A couple of tips - use either Glad Press n' Seal (cheaper) or removable shelf liner (more durable, but pricier) on top of the EcoGlow for easier cleaning once they decide to start jumping up on top. Also, I would flip the EcoGlow around so the cord is at the other end and protected from being jumped on all the time by the chicks. Learned that the hard way with the ducklings.
th.gif


Good luck with your hatch!
jumpy.gif
 
KYTinpusher said:
You will be much happier with a brooder plate than the light, and your chicks will, too. I find they feather out faster with the brooder plate and are quieter at night. If you hear a chick cheeping loudly at night under a brooder plate, it means there is something wrong - stuck somewhere or too far away from the heat plate and can't find it's way back in the dark. Usually they sleep quietly all night. They also learn to roost early because they will start sleeping on top of it.

How crowded it will be depends on the size of the feeder and waterer. If you are using the standard gravity flow plastic ones, it will be crowded and the chicks will make a mess because the chicks will constantly be IN the feed and water looking for room. I use small juice bottles with a nipple waterer that hangs for my brooder. The nipple system keeps things much drier and has a smaller footprint. I also have a rubbermaid container that sits on top of my EcoGlow with the nipple on the bottom at one end that hangs over the edge. That is great to start the chicks on because it keeps it right outside the brooder so they don't get cold going out to search for the water the first few days. Premier1 actually sells a similar waterer to use on top of a brooder plate. In a solid plastic brooder container like that, moisture is going to be your worst enemy, so anything you can do to keep the water from spilling will be a big help in keeping the chicks healthy.

You could also fashion a feeder from PVC pipe that would take up less room than the standard chick feeder.

A couple of tips - use either Glad Press n' Seal (cheaper) or removable shelf liner (more durable, but pricier) on top of the EcoGlow for easier cleaning once they decide to start jumping up on top. Also, I would flip the EcoGlow around so the cord is at the other end and protected from being jumped on all the time by the chicks. Learned that the hard way with the ducklings. :th  

Good luck with your hatch! :jumpy
Click to expand...


Do you mind posting pics. I'm trying to get a visual but it's not happening. Please show the juice bottle with the nipples. I do have the gravity fed bottles for water and feed. I have a feeling it will be crowded too. Thank you so much for your help and info. I love this site. The EcoGlow is now flipped with the cord in the back :)
 
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BarrettG said:
Do you mind posting pics. I'm trying to get a visual but it's not happening. Please show the juice bottle with the nipples. I do have the gravity fed bottles for water and feed. I have a feeling it will be crowded too. Thank you so much for your help and info. I love this site
Click to expand...
I don't have a pic handy but will check - I used a peanut butter jar with nipples. :)

here's mine - you can barely see the pb jar on the left - if i have a better pic will post it..

 
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featherz said:
I don't have a pic handy but will check - I used a peanut butter jar with nipples. :) here's mine - you can barely see the pb jar on the left - if i have a better pic will post it..
Click to expand...
I'm getting the glad plastic seal tomorrow! If I get the nipples, will they transition easy to gravity water feeders in the main coop if they don't get sold before then?
 
BarrettG said:
Do you mind posting pics. I'm trying to get a visual but it's not happening. Please show the juice bottle with the nipples. I do have the gravity fed bottles for water and feed. I have a feeling it will be crowded too. Thank you so much for your help and info. I love this site. The EcoGlow is now flipped with the cord in the back :)
Click to expand...
I can't find the one that sits on top of the heat plate right now. Basically, it is a rectangular Rubbermaid container (16 oz?) that is longer than it is wide so the bulk of the weight will sit on top of the EcoGlow. The nipple is installed on the bottom of the container near the end so it can hang over the edge. Drill a very small hole in the lid to let air in so you can seal it tight and keep spills to a minimum if they get big enough to tip it over. When the chicks get big enough to get on top of the EcoGlow, it is time to move to a hanging version.

After a few days, when they are out and running around most of the day anyway, I move up to this:


Once they get to be a few weeks old, I move them up to this. The horizontal nipples are more difficult to operate and are not suitable for very young chicks.

If you make a nipple waterer, make sure you drill a small hole near the top to let air in so you can put the tops on tightly. They should transition easily to an open water source when you move them.

BTW, another advantage to using nipples right from the start is that the chicks can not drown in the waterer. Most learn very quickly to use them as they are very curious creatures and will peck the nipple and once one does it and gets water, it teaches the others.
 
featherz said:
I don't have a pic handy but will check - I used a peanut butter jar with nipples. :)

here's mine - you can barely see the pb jar on the left - if i have a better pic will post it..
Click to expand...
Nice set-up!

Yes, just about any plastic food-grade container will work. Some plastics drill easier than others. I find the sturdier the plastic, the easier to drill. Bolthouse juice bottles drill better than Naked juice bottles.
wink.png
One tip I haven't tried yet is to fill the container most of the way with water and freeze it solid. Drill into while it is frozen.
 
Is one nipple on the bottle enough for all the chicks? They don't fight over it? I totally get the waterer over the ecoglow. I like that idea for the first few days.

So these nipples, do they just screw in the hole that you drill? I assume they have like a rubber gasket on them. I wonder how I will hang the waterer with the nipple on the bottom in my open container/slash brooder. Enginuity I suppose lol. It's funny but it gets fun trying to outsmart the chickens from getting them selfs out of trouble . Check out my hatch. Easter Egger hen with Lavender Amerucana rooster. I think these will be green egg layers.
400
 
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BarrettG said:
Is one nipple on the bottle enough for all the chicks? They don't fight over it? I totally get the waterer over the ecoglow. I like that idea for the first few days.

So these nipples, do they just screw in the hole that you drill? I assume they have like a rubber gasket on them. I wonder how I will hang the waterer with the nipple on the bottom in my open container/slash brooder. Enginuity I suppose lol. It's funny but it gets fun trying to outsmart the chickens from getting them selfs out of trouble . Check out my hatch. Easter Egger hen with Lavender Amerucana rooster. I think these will be green egg layers.
Click to expand...
Cute chicks! The general rule is one nipples per 8 birds, so you may need to make 2. There are different types of nipples available. I like the vertical nipples that have the rubber grommet as you do not need to be as precise with the drilled hole. I put a cup hook in the lid of the juice bottles and use that to hang them. One of my larger brooders has a 2x2 with screw eyes on it that sits on top to hang things from.
 

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