Chicks refusing to use brooder plate

[Missmackworth]

10 day old baby chicks won’t use brooder plate at night, instead they huddle at the opposite end of brooder. Our home is 70 degrees and we have the plate at an angle , they’ll nap during the day ON top of it or under at the edge but won’t sleep under it at night. They’re happy and eating great, very active … is there a possibility that they just don’t want to use it?

 

[Missmackworth]

This is them on top of plate, they have been sleeping by the mirror at the other end .

 

[SamLockwood]

If you've got a heat lamp in the brooder as well (I can't tell from the photo) it may just be too hot in there for them. When I set mine up I had things positioned so that the lamp wasn't shining directly on the brooder plate. The idea was that the lamp kept things warm enough for them to stay warm enough (especially going to & from food / water). There were some "cool zones" for them in the brooder if they got to warm during the day.

Even then, after a few days some of them insisted on sleeping on top of the plate, or out in the open on the floor of the brooder. They all have their own comfort levels they like.

If there's nothing else heating up the plate, the plate may either be putting out too much heat or it's too low for the size they are now. Try raising it a little.

 

[SueT]

10 days old is getting big, they probably don’t need so much heat. I wean mine off of heat at 3 weeks when they are in our house. Move them outside by 4 to 5 weeks.

 

[BarnyardChaos]

This is them on top of plate, they have been sleeping by the mirror at the other end .

I've only had my brooder plate for three batches of chicks so far this spring, and have learned they will reject it if it's too low. It has to be high enough so that they must stand up fully to press their backs to the plate, and even higher than their backs as they grow a bit older. I keep one end a bit lower than the other, too.

Also, it's a possibility that the surface temperature of the plate is off. I *think* from what I've read, the surface temperature should be about 125-deg-F. Just hot enough to feel uncomfortable if you press your hand to it, but not hot enough to burn you. (Chicks have their down to insulate them from the heat.)

My plate was HOT enough to burn my hand; no wonder they rejected it! But with chicks in the brooder and another batch ready to hatch soon, I had no time to order another or complain to the online store. So instead I ordered a temperature regulator, and hooked that up to the plate. Now it holds at 125-deg-F just fine, and when adjusted to the right height, the chicks use it most of the time at night, occasionally during the day. They'll still bunch up around the outer edges of the plate, but I've got it placed in the brooder where heat from the plate may be reflecting off the brooder walls around it (about 4-6 inches apart). So it makes a snug little zone for them to huddle, and not be under the plate.

As long as they're quiet and active, I don't worry about it. They'll peep LOUDLY when they're too cold or too hot.

 

[Missmackworth]

If you've got a heat lamp in the brooder as well (I can't tell from the photo) it may just be too hot in there for them. When I set mine up I had things positioned so that the lamp wasn't shining directly on the brooder plate. The idea was that the lamp kept things warm enough for them to stay warm enough (especially going to & from food / water). There were some "cool zones" for them in the brooder if they got to warm during the day.

Even then, after a few days some of them insisted on sleeping on top of the plate, or out in the open on the floor of the brooder. They all have their own comfort levels they like.

If there's nothing else heating up the plate, the plate may either be putting out too much heat or it's too low for the size they are now. Try raising it a little.

Hi! Thank you for the reply, no lamp! Just a plate .

 

[SamLockwood]

Hi! Thank you for the reply, no lamp! Just a plate .

In that case, like the others said the plate may be too hot and/or too low for them.

 

[Yardmom]

If your house is 70 degrees the chicks don't need much heat at ten days old. Just huddling together is probably all they need.

 

[Bigbluefrog]

I've only had my brooder plate for three batches of chicks so far this spring, and have learned they will reject it if it's too low. It has to be high enough so that they must stand up fully to press their backs to the plate, and even higher than their backs as they grow a bit older. I keep one end a bit lower than the other, too.

Also, it's a possibility that the surface temperature of the plate is off. I *think* from what I've read, the surface temperature should be about 125-deg-F. Just hot enough to feel uncomfortable if you press your hand to it, but not hot enough to burn you. (Chicks have their down to insulate them from the heat.)

My plate was HOT enough to burn my hand; no wonder they rejected it! But with chicks in the brooder and another batch ready to hatch soon, I had no time to order another or complain to the online store. So instead I ordered a temperature regulator, and hooked that up to the plate. Now it holds at 125-deg-F just fine, and when adjusted to the right height, the chicks use it most of the time at night, occasionally during the day. They'll still bunch up around the outer edges of the plate, but I've got it placed in the brooder where heat from the plate may be reflecting off the brooder walls around it (about 4-6 inches apart). So it makes a snug little zone for them to huddle, and not be under the plate.

As long as they're quiet and active, I don't worry about it. They'll peep LOUDLY when they're too cold or too hot.

Wow, so did you return the plate? I think mine is hot as well. I thought that was normal.

 

[BarnyardChaos]

Wow, so did you return the plate? I think mine is hot as well. I thought that was normal.

No, I didn't return it. I just ordered a temperature regulator and plugged it into that, so it's holding beautifully between 123-127-deg-F. I like seeing the temp, so I know the plate is working properly.
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