Is anyone using the Premier "heat plate" brooder for chicks?

[ronott1]

We plugged our #60 heat plate in last night and waited an hour. The bottom of plate was very warm to the touch. It is about 2 1/2 times larger than our #20 Brinsea brooder. The heat plate is made in Holland. also the two 5 gallon waters we also bought are very well made and made in Italy. So far very happy.

Thank you for the update!

 

[SIMZ]

I just ordered one! Actually, I ordered two to get to the free shipping point. I'll try to sell the 2nd on ebay or on here and pass on the shipping savings.

 

[Azure Acres]

I ordered a Brinsea 20 and am sending it back after seeing the price difference. I ordered the Premier Large. I have noticed a huge difference in the heat of the Brinsea compared to the Premier. The Brinsea I could easily put my hand in after several hours of running. The Premier felt hot to me and I didn't want to keep my hand on it. It didn't burn my skin, but was a bit uncomfortable. Would love to hear others' thoughts.

 

[Caitlin_VT]

I plugged in one of the 20's. I didn't plug the Brinsea in to compare because I was too lazy to put it together! It gets warm quickly and is very stable. I also purchased some of the water bottles and they are a lot larger than what I thought, which is perfect!

 

[aart]

I wonder about the 'too hot' surface @Azure Acres mentions...there was another thread expressing the same concern, I linked this thread inviting that poster over here, but I don't see the them....not sure if that's a good thing or not? I would think that if you can't keep your hand on it, it's hotter than the ~103degreesF of a hens skin.

 

[Azure Acres]

I can turn mine on and try to get a temp with a thermometer. I wish I had one of the kinds that actually reads the temperature of a surface by "shooting" it.

 

[Azure Acres]

I just noticed that the manual mentions an optional temp controller for the heat plate. I don't see it on Premier 1's site though.

 

[Caitlin_VT]

It does get pretty warm, but if you have the plate at the right height, when the chicks are lying down to sleep, it will keep them warm. If you keep your hand underneath the plate, it feels like an acceptable temp.

 

[Beekissed]

I just ordered the 20 chick one and the chick water nippler for a friend of mine and new chicks she'll be getting soon. I was really interested if any heat that would radiate to the top of the plate because she and I both feed fermented feed and I felt placing the feed on top of the plate would keep it warm and free of shavings. I called the company to see if the top side gets any warmth and they said it did, which I felt would also be a good thing for keeping chick feet warm while they eat and also warm the water as the bottle sits on the edge of the plate.

The guy I talked to seemed to think a person would want to keep chicks from roosting on top by using the cover but I think it would be rather like when chicks climb on their mama, so I feel just cleaning it off now and again would be just fine.

I don't imagine the heat plate being too warm would be an issue if a person just adjusted the legs accordingly and you could see if chicks were not wanting to sleep under it to determine if it was getting too hot at the height you currently have it and just raise it up, much like you'd do with a brooder light.

 

[aart]

But if they stand up underneath and touch it, with their beak or comb, would it injure them?