Brinsea Ecoglow 20???

[Vanilla Gorilla]

Hi, I currently have 7 eggs in the incubator, expecting a hatching around March 6th. With that in mind I purchased the Brinsea Ecoglow 20 to replace the heat lamp I've used with baby chicks in the past. Seemed like a better and safer option all around.

I guess my question is: I plugged it in just to see what it's got, and it just doesn't feel that warm to me. I mean, I can still touch the heating plate just fine. Sure, I can tell it's warm - but how warm does it need to be to accommodate day old chicks? All the reviews I've read online rave about how wonderful it is - I was just wondering if anyone's had experience with one.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Missbc]

I used that one a few years ago. It works just fine! It’s a radiant heat so you won’t be measuring the temperature the same way you would with a lamp.

I recently bought a premier one for a couple of reasons, but the brinsea is just fine. Won’t really warm 20 chicks after a couple of days.

It’s kinda cute to see them fan out on either side, sound asleep.

On edit: I think with this brand, you can’t really use it in an unheated space (maybe not below 50 degrees or so)

 

[Vanilla Gorilla]

I used that one a few years ago. It works just fine! It’s a radiant heat so you won’t be measuring the temperature the same way you would with a lamp.

I recently bought a premier one for a couple of reasons, but the brinsea is just fine. Won’t really warm 20 chicks after a couple of days.

It’s kinda cute to see them fan out on either side, sound asleep.

On edit: I think with this brand, you can’t really use it in an unheated space (maybe not below 50 degrees or so)

Oh...they'll be in a temperature controlled environment, and there's only going to be a small handful of them, so I'm not worried about space. I guess I'm just used to the 250W heat lamp!

 

[Redhead Rae]

Make sure you have it at a level where the chicks can touch their backs to the plate, but still crouch away from it. It doesn't need to be too hot if they can touch it directly.

I prefer the Premier 1 heater plate because I brood out of doors and it does well at even below freezing temps. I think the difference is that the Ecoglow is built to draw as little power as possible, while the Premier 1 plate will draw what is necessary

 

[imnukensc]

None of the plates work with radiant heat. They all work by conductive heat. In other words, the chicks have to be touching them. That's why the instructions say to put them just above the chicks' backs so that they can touch them and adjust them upwards as the chicks grow.

I have a Premier 1 plate, also. It does not regulate power draw (i.e., get warmer or cooler) according to ambient temps. Its power draw is constant. However, the Premier plate does have a temperature controller you can buy separately to regulate the heat of the plate.

 

[Amc29]

I have an Ecoglow, and I know what you mean...to touch it, it doesn't feel there's much of anything. Once I put my chicks under there, though, it felt quite warm to put my hand under...basically like reaching under a hen (without the softness).
That being said, I did make a rather unfortunate mistake with mine that I will mention here: I bought my chicks from someone who used heat lamps, so I had to train the chicks to the warming plate (not a big deal). I thought daylight with it would be adequate, but it wasn't. They would not come out to eat and drink for hours except for when I forced it, an issue I never had with a heat lamp, and then they became slightly more active when put the brooder in a slightly brighter area. And then I turned the light off for the night in the room they were in (I had assumed since with momma hen, chicks sleep in the nest all night, it would be fine with just the EcoGlow--not correct, with that heat they needed encouragement to seek water). I turned the light back on in the middle of the night (and much to my relief they became much more active, so the light now stays on), and one of the chicks was ill. I lost it and another one later in the morning, I believe to pastey butt...and I believe it was because they were spending all their time under that brooder plate and not coming out to drink because I didn't originally have a bright enough light on them to stimulate activity. A hard lesson to learn. The remaining chicks are happy and healthy. And yes, a warmer environment is recommended with it--I believe the instructions said 50 degrees or higher.

 

[Redhead Rae]

I have an Ecoglow, and I know what you mean...to touch it, it doesn't feel there's much of anything. Once I put my chicks under there, though, it felt quite warm to put my hand under...basically like reaching under a hen (without the softness).
That being said, I did make a rather unfortunate mistake with mine that I will mention here: I bought my chicks from someone who used heat lamps, so I had to train the chicks to the warming plate (not a big deal). I thought daylight with it would be adequate, but it wasn't. They would not come out to eat and drink for hours except for when I forced it, an issue I never had with a heat lamp, and then they became slightly more active when put the brooder in a slightly brighter area. And then I turned the light off for the night in the room they were in (I had assumed since with momma hen, chicks sleep in the nest all night, it would be fine with just the EcoGlow--not correct, with that heat they needed encouragement to seek water). I turned the light back on in the middle of the night (and much to my relief they became much more active, so the light now stays on), and one of the chicks was ill. I lost it and another one later in the morning, I believe to pastey butt...and I believe it was because they were spending all their time under that brooder plate and not coming out to drink because I didn't originally have a bright enough light on them to stimulate activity. A hard lesson to learn. The remaining chicks are happy and healthy. And yes, a warmer environment is recommended with it--I believe the instructions said 50 degrees or higher.

If they are started under a heater plate, that shouldn’t be a problem. The only chicks I had that wouldn’t come out were ones that had other problems.

 

[aart]

I have an Ecoglow, and I know what you mean...to touch it, it doesn't feel there's much of anything. Once I put my chicks under there, though, it felt quite warm to put my hand under...basically like reaching under a hen (without the softness).
That being said, I did make a rather unfortunate mistake with mine that I will mention here: I bought my chicks from someone who used heat lamps, so I had to train the chicks to the warming plate (not a big deal). I thought daylight with it would be adequate, but it wasn't. They would not come out to eat and drink for hours except for when I forced it, an issue I never had with a heat lamp, and then they became slightly more active when put the brooder in a slightly brighter area. And then I turned the light off for the night in the room they were in (I had assumed since with momma hen, chicks sleep in the nest all night, it would be fine with just the EcoGlow--not correct, with that heat they needed encouragement to seek water). I turned the light back on in the middle of the night (and much to my relief they became much more active, so the light now stays on), and one of the chicks was ill. I lost it and another one later in the morning, I believe to pastey butt...and I believe it was because they were spending all their time under that brooder plate and not coming out to drink because I didn't originally have a bright enough light on them to stimulate activity. A hard lesson to learn. The remaining chicks are happy and healthy. And yes, a warmer environment is recommended with it--I believe the instructions said 50 degrees or higher.

I actually use a mild heat lamp over feed and water during the first day after hatch, want to make sure they are all eating/drinking/moving well. Yes, they can need to be 'trained' to go under heating pad/plate. I use a white light during the day as brooder room(big windows but lower north side of walkout) is rather dim with natural light, especially on cloudy days. As with most things chicken, observation and adjustment are essential.