Brooder Heating Plate vs Infrared Bulb

[Redhead Rae]

Construction - The Brinsea is cheaply made and falls apart easily. Both of mine had the bottom plate fall off, exposing the heating element. I crazy glued it back on, but it was only glued to begin with. The Premier is much sturdier and put together with screws. Looking and feeling you can tell the difference in quality.

The Power Cord - The Brinsea cord is very thin and has a power supply plug box that takes up space in the outlet. The Premier has a regular size cord and plugs in with a regular plug. It is much sturdier.

Price - Brinsea is overpriced (for everything they sell) in my opinion. The Premier costs less and is better quality.

Cleaning - The Brinsea is a nightmare to clean. To do it right you have to take it apart and I always worry that the thin plastic will snap as I struggle to get the sides loose. Because they like to stand on top of it the poop gathers in the letters of the embossed logo on top and you will find yourself trying to pry it out with a toothbrush without getting the inside wet. The Premier is simple to take apart and clean with the leg design and with the cover there isn't much to clean off that a damp cloth won't handle.

Height Adjustment - Total struggle with Brinsea and can only be done in preset heights. Not helpful with different sized chicks. The Premier takes a few seconds and can be set on a slant to accommodate different sized chicks.

The Chicks - Seem to like the Premier better and don't get caught up against the legs like they do with the Brinsea. As they get less dependent on the heat they like to sleep around the outside edges with their little butts just underneath. With the more open design it is easier for them to adjust to their own comfort.

I’ve never owned a Brinsea plate, I only knew that they weren’t rated for temps below 50, people complain about shoddy construction, and there have been instances of them starting fires. Thank you for your comprehensive review!

 

[rosemarythyme]

I've done a heat lamp and a MHP. First batch of chicks had the heat lamp with a 250 watt bulb that ran so hot that the red coating on the bulb burned off, so I switched to a reptile bulb, maybe 75 watt? I think it's fine with a lower wattage bulb, doesn't smell like it's about to go up in flames, though I don't like that the light keeps the chicks up at random hours. When you're brooding indoors next to your bedroom, that's not so enjoyable.

Second batch of chicks I did a MHP, wrapped in Glad press & seal, which was attached to hardware cloth and wired to a wire kitchen storage shelf in a U shape, so the chicks could really nestle against it at the bottom of the U, or stand up against the sides. When they got older they would sleep on top of the U portion, which was a little cooler. I reduced the temperature setting one notch a week. Chicks were noticeably quieter with MHP and had a normal day/night schedule. The restriction with MHP is that it doesn't fit many chicks. I had 4 and they were pretty much spilling out of it by the time I took it away at 4 weeks.

 

[The Farmers' Daughter]

Construction - The Brinsea is cheaply made and falls apart easily. Both of mine had the bottom plate fall off, exposing the heating element. I crazy glued it back on, but it was only glued to begin with. The Premier is much sturdier and put together with screws. Looking and feeling you can tell the difference in quality.

The Power Cord - The Brinsea cord is very thin and has a power supply plug box that takes up space in the outlet. The Premier has a regular size cord and plugs in with a regular plug. It is much sturdier.

Price - Brinsea is overpriced (for everything they sell) in my opinion. The Premier costs less and is better quality.

Cleaning - The Brinsea is a nightmare to clean. To do it right you have to take it apart and I always worry that the thin plastic will snap as I struggle to get the sides loose. Because they like to stand on top of it the poop gathers in the letters of the embossed logo on top and you will find yourself trying to pry it out with a toothbrush without getting the inside wet. The Premier is simple to take apart and clean with the leg design and with the cover there isn't much to clean off that a damp cloth won't handle.

Height Adjustment - Total struggle with Brinsea and can only be done in preset heights. Not helpful with different sized chicks. The Premier takes a few seconds and can be set on a slant to accommodate different sized chicks.

The Chicks - Seem to like the Premier better and don't get caught up against the legs like they do with the Brinsea. As they get less dependent on the heat they like to sleep around the outside edges with their little butts just underneath. With the more open design it is easier for them to adjust to their own comfort.

Wow! What a terrific comparison
Makes me really glad that I got the premier!

 

[The Farmers' Daughter]

I’ve never owned a Brinsea plate, I only knew that they weren’t rated for temps below 50, people complain about shoddy construction, and there have been instances of them starting fires. Thank you for your comprehensive review!

Rae! Where have you been hiding chica?

 

[Redhead Rae]

Rae! Where have you been hiding chica?

I've been around. I'm on a couple chat threads mostly.

 

[mzhof]

I've used an IR bulb, Mama's heating pad, and heat plate. Love the heat plate the most. Heating pad also worked well but I had to modify my system as time went on to keep it at the right height. So easy to adjust the plate. The one thing I noticed about using the pad and the plate is how quiet the chicks are. When I used the IR bulb the chicks were always chirping. With the other two systems I would regularly check the chicks to make sure they were alive. They were just so quiet and content.

I agree. I only had the bulb for regular size chicks and they were fine with it but when I used it for my silkies they cried all the time even when the temp was 85-90. As soon as I got the hot plate there was not one peep from them. They scurry under as soon as they finish eating.

 

[KikiLeigh02]

Loved the heating plate!!! Thank you guys so much for the recommendations. My chicks will be 3 weeks on Thursday & Friday, I've noticed the last few nights they've already weaned themselves from the heat at night.