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

[Tomtommom]

I would imagine it to be fine. They can cuddle up to eachother.

 

[Chickens R Us]

I ordered one last week, I got half my order. The heat plate is back ordered until the end of March but I don't plan on hatching until May with a Memorial weekend hatch.

 

[SIMZ]

I ordered one last week, I got half my order. The heat plate is back ordered until the end of March but I don't plan on hatching until May with a Memorial weekend hatch.

Chickens R Us -- this is off topic, but I see you have Tetra Tints. How do you like them? What color are they and do they lay well? I bought 2 to go with my leghorn chick, after one of them died.

 

[henless]

Do you have an idea of what the air temperature is in the shop?

We had another winter storm come through last night. Lots of ice/sleet/freezing rain around us. Luckily, we missed the freezing stuff. We did get the cold temps and wind. Temp this morning was 22 degrees on the front porch. Temp inside the shop where the chicks are was 29 degrees . Water was froze in the dog buckets, but water for the chicks had no ice.


Here are my babies under the warmer. All 21 fit with no problem. Yes, chicken math has already struck.

Here they are after I moved their curtain back from the top of the box to give them more light. Everyone accounted for, running around eating/drinking.



Today's temp is supposed to get to 32 degrees, then another low 20's for tonight as another storm comes through.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Thank you for that update.

I know that when I had a broody raising chicks in the teens they stayed out from under her way longer than I would have thought. And the ones that I had in the fall were out almost all the time even when the temps were in the 40s and 50s.

I had wanted to get a heat plate to use in the outdoor coop. Brinsea states that theirs can only be used down to temps of 50 degrees but I think that is conservative to cover themselves. Henless -how old are your chicks now?

 

[henless]

What age? Let me see.... The first batch I got a week ago tomorrow. All of those, except for one, will be a week and 4 days old. The older one will be 2 weeks and 4 days old. I have 15 of those. The next batch I got, 6 of them, will be a week old on Tues. Those are my BO's and SLW's.

All of them seem to be doing find. I'm fixing to go and check on them in a few minutes to make sure the water is still liquid and see how they are doing.


eta: I think Brinsea is being on the safe side too. If these heat plates are supposed to be like "mother hens", then you should be able to use them outside withhout additional heat. I don't know if I would use only one of these of the temp got below or near zero for extended periods, I just don't know enough about chicken raising.

Our shop is a 10x20 ft metal shop w/concrete floor. No insulation. I think it's 10ft deep, its deep enough for our trucks to fit inside.

 

[jbher]

I sent them an email this morning asking if they knew when the heat plates would be back in stock. I'm looking to order for sure 2, possibly 3 (for myself and a friend). Our chicks will hatch Easter weekend... has anyone heard anything on availability? It says April 1st on their website... but has this date been pushed back before?

Has anyone put contact paper on the top so you can peel it off and throw away when they hop up and poo on it? I know people do that with the Brinsea... but I wonder if the top of this one is hotter.

ETA: just called and spoke to someone. She said they are expected the first week in April so I went ahead and ordered. Crossing my fingers they come in time!

 

[Chickens R Us]

Chickens R Us -- this is off topic, but I see you have Tetra Tints. How do you like them? What color are they and do they lay well? I bought 2 to go with my leghorn chick, after one of them died.

I like them, they lay almost everyday. One is all white and one is white with a few black spots. They look a lot like my leghorn but a bit bigger.

 

[henless]

I sent them an email this morning asking if they knew when the heat plates would be back in stock. I'm looking to order for sure 2, possibly 3 (for myself and a friend). Our chicks will hatch Easter weekend... has anyone heard anything on availability? It says April 1st on their website... but has this date been pushed back before?

Has anyone put contact paper on the top so you can peel it off and throw away when they hop up and poo on it? I know people do that with the Brinsea... but I wonder if the top of this one is hotter.

ETA: just called and spoke to someone. She said they are expected the first week in April so I went ahead and ordered. Crossing my fingers they come in time!

I know when I ordered mine in Feb, I had to get the small one since the large one was on back order until March 1st. I started to order the large and just wait until they come in, but glad I didn't since I got my chicks the day after I got my small premier. I don't put anything on mine. I just clean it off with a damp rag. They like to use it as a launch pad.

Good luck and hope you get them in time. I really like mine.

 

[debp]

I ordered a large Premeir plate in mid-Feb when they were back-ordered to March 1. I ordered some water bottles to bring the order up to $100 and asked them to ship together. But, I called March 4 and they had moved the back order date to "early April." My chicks arrive around April 7, so the representative put a note on my order to cancel the order if it doesn't ship by April 3. If it hasn't shipped, I will then go out and get a heat lamp and water bottles locally for this first batch of chickens. I don't want to spend the money right now on something I (hopefully, if my chicks survive) won't use until next year.