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

[CCCCCCCCHICKENS]

I put about 15 4 week old chicks out in my outdoor hoop coop with the heat plate.  They never bothered with it.  I put them under it the first night, and they crawled out and huddled in a group next to it to sleep.  Temps got below freezing and never lost a chick.  I pulled the plate out within a few days.

Ok, that is great news. And you live in Indiana so same climate. I only have 10, but from your review am sure they will be ok

 

[debp]

I now have 5 days experience with the large Premeir heat plate and my first batch of chicks ever (25). I love the heat plate, especially at night. They all go to bed (they go quietly if I gradually reduce the light until it is dark) and don't make a peep all night.

I have read this entire thread, and see the logic of mimicing a mother hen - i.e., the temps outside the heat plate can be quite cool and the chicks just go back under the plate when they need to warm up. But, I have a question about that. If I don't have a heat lamp on, the chicks spend much more time under the heat plate and only about 1/4 to 1/3 of them will be out eating and drinking at a time. This is even at 60+ degrees in the garage in mid-day. I've experimented with long periods without the heat lamp to make sure they were not just taking a quick nap. If I have the heat lamp on and it is above 80 degrees in the brooder - most are out eating, pecking, running around and only a few will be taking a rest at any given time. So, I am basically able to control their level of eating and activity, it appears, by how much I run the heat lamp (also the light at night, of course).

So, is it better for them to have the supplemental heat, even though they can handle the cooler temps with use of the heat plate? It would seem they would grow faster with the heat lamp. And should I extend their day length with a lamp or mimic the actual day length? They have been putting in a full 10-11 hours of sleep without a light each night. That is another reason I hate to see them retiring to the heat plate a lot during the day. But, we kind of lose the energy savings (during the day, at least), since I have the heat lamp on much of the time.

 

[aart]

Not sure, maybe they are more stimulated with a mama hen around to go out and eat?

I just got some day olds on Wednesday, they were pretty lethargic and didn't get quite the plate the first day, so I had a lamp on until I was sure they had eaten and drank. Had to put them under the plate several times after lights out.

Second day I turned the lamp on a bit but lower temp. Had to put them under plate once after lights out

Third day less lamp, went under plate themselves at lights out...and today 4th day no heat lamp and they were out and about most the time but did spend time under plate.

Oh this is in a 60-65 degree room.

 

[Beekissed]

I now have 5 days experience with the large Premeir heat plate and my first batch of chicks ever (25). I love the heat plate, especially at night. They all go to bed (they go quietly if I gradually reduce the light until it is dark) and don't make a peep all night.

I have read this entire thread, and see the logic of mimicing a mother hen - i.e., the temps outside the heat plate can be quite cool and the chicks just go back under the plate when they need to warm up. But, I have a question about that. If I don't have a heat lamp on, the chicks spend much more time under the heat plate and only about 1/4 to 1/3 of them will be out eating and drinking at a time. This is even at 60+ degrees in the garage in mid-day. I've experimented with long periods without the heat lamp to make sure they were not just taking a quick nap. If I have the heat lamp on and it is above 80 degrees in the brooder - most are out eating, pecking, running around and only a few will be taking a rest at any given time. So, I am basically able to control their level of eating and activity, it appears, by how much I run the heat lamp (also the light at night, of course).

So, is it better for them to have the supplemental heat, even though they can handle the cooler temps with use of the heat plate? It would seem they would grow faster with the heat lamp. And should I extend their day length with a lamp or mimic the actual day length? They have been putting in a full 10-11 hours of sleep without a light each night. That is another reason I hate to see them retiring to the heat plate a lot during the day. But, we kind of lose the energy savings (during the day, at least), since I have the heat lamp on much of the time.

The thing is that for some reason people have come to believe that chicks have to be eating all the time to grow well when they don't really eat all that much, even if folks do keep the food out all the time. They can only eat enough to fill the crop and then digest and it takes energy to digest, so rest is required...especially from a young chick.

I have had chicks with broodies and chicks with heat lamps and I cannot say that the heat lamp group grew any faster than those with a broody mama...they seem to grow as quickly as one another, so the amount of running around and access to food at all hours doesn't seem to make a bit of difference...they still have to rest and have a digestive period. It's been proven that babies/children grow more when sleeping/ at rest and I assume that is because during the day/awake hours their energy is redirected towards activities such as eating, movement, thought, speech, metabolic processes, etc.

I'm thinking it is the same for chicks and though they still get rest with a heat lamp, I wonder how good the rest is when their brood mates are running all over them, as their sleep cycles don't all coincide. Under a broody mama, in the dark, there is no disturbance of that rest and though they may not sleep all those hours, they certainly are not moving about much and so still get a still period in which their body can rest and grow.

I'd mimic actual daylight hours or, even better, place their brooder near a window if you can so they can have natural lighting to live by. At 60* ambient temps and with a heat plate, they shouldn't need any supplemental heat whatsoever. They will harden off to the temps quite naturally if you just let them and will feather out more quickly as well.

For instance....a different breed and more tolerant to the cold but still chicks, still need a certain amount of heat until they grow accustomed to the cold. After that, they use each other for body warmth and grow quite well all the same. That feed you see them eating is cold and wet...and they don't care.

And the same chicks at 2 wks of age....

 

[debp]

Thank you (again) for a thorough answer and explanation, Beekissed. And for your experience with the heat plate, aart. I do love the idea of mimicing a hen, but so many of the sources I have give advice that chicks need temps 90-95 the first week dropping 5 degrees a week. This must be the commercial standard. But, so far these chicks are so healthy and active at temperatures well below with no apparent ill effects, I do wonder what those temperature figures are based on. So, I really appreciate your reassurance that I won't stunt or harm my chicks (i.e., they won't just survive, but will flourish) without the heat lamp at the ambient temperatures I have. My garage has small windows, so they do need supplemental light. And, I will keep them sleeping the 10-11 hours of night here - it does make sense that they need to sleep a lot.

 

[aart]

I use artificial white light during daylight hours because it is pretty dark in the refrigerator box brooder, room where I have them has big windows but on north side, lower level of walkout.

 

[what did I do]

We are hatching eggs at the nursing home and I have the Heat Plate to use in a plastic tub brooder. I will have the Heat Plate in a plastic tub with shavings and a plastic lid with holes in it. The nursing home has a cat so I have to use a lid. Is there a chance that the Heat Plate will get too hot in my brooder? I live 50 miles from the nursing home so I can not check on it everyday.

I have an EcoGlow brooder but it is falling apart after just one year. The glue let loose on the underside.

 

[racinchickins]

We are hatching eggs at the nursing home and I have the Heat Plate to use in a plastic tub brooder. I will have the Heat Plate in a plastic tub with shavings and a plastic lid with holes in it. The nursing home has a cat so I have to use a lid. Is there a chance that the Heat Plate will get too hot in my brooder? I live 50 miles from the nursing home so I can not check on it everyday.

I have an EcoGlow brooder but it is falling apart after just one year. The glue let loose on the underside.

If you have proper ventilation for the chicks, you should have no problems with the brooder getting too hot. Ventilation is very important though, so make sure you have plenty of holes, or better yet a screen on the top of the brooder.

I had the same problem with my ecoglow, But I found that once I have the legs on it, it doesn't matter that the underside isn't attached well.

 

[what did I do]

My brooder box ready to go to town and be setup. I pluged the Heat Plate in, it should work.

 

[CCCCCCCCHICKENS]

I would drill some holes along the sides. Likely not enough ventilation. Sometimes I use totes to transport chickens to shows and they get them all fogged up, which meant I didn't have enough holes.I have also kept chicks in fish tanks and they also have more ventilation. I had to clean out frequently or it would get moist and moldy. Could of caused respiartory problems, so I would keep a watch on how they like it