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

[aart]

I'm using a Sunbeam heating pad that has an "Auto-off" switch and it's working fantastically! Had a chick hatch under a broody but he got his feet wet and they got seriously frostbitten. Scout was living in the house until yesterday, and his "Mama" was that heating pad, wrapped with towels and formed into a tent. He loved it....it never got too hot, and I can adjust the settings. But he had to go back outside and after two weeks there was no way Mom was going to take him back. So we put his dog crate out there in front of a nest, formed wire into a frame, covered the heating pad and draped it over the frame. Then we packed straw under and around it. Now he's out in the coop with the big girls, he can get into his pen if someone gets rough, and he can duck under Mama Heating Pad for a quick warm up. When he was in the house his favorite roosting spot was right on top. It never got too hot. I got the idea from someone here on the forum - I think it was under DIY, Show us Your Inventions - and boy, does it work great! Also Beekissed has used it for her natural incubation project. I'll never brood chicks any other way. If they aren't hatched and staying under Mama Hen, then they'll be brooded out in the coop under Mama Heating Pad!
ure.

What do you do about the 'auto off' feature? Doesn't it turn of after so much time?

 

[Blooie]

What do you do about the 'auto off' feature? Doesn't it turn of after so much time?

The one that was recommended to me I found at Walmart. It has a switch that is specifically for turning off the Auto off feature right on the controls and it's clearly marked on the box that you can do so. Mine has been on for almost a month with absolutely no overheating or other issues. Hope that helps.

 

[bantambury]

The one that was recommended to me I found at Walmart. It has a switch that is specifically for turning off the Auto off feature right on the controls and it's clearly marked on the box that you can do so. Mine has been on for almost a month with absolutely no overheating or other issues. Hope that helps.

this is good to know! would you recommend using it full time when the chicks are still 1 day old to 2 weeks?

also, is it noisy?

 

[aart]

Quote: Ohhhhhh, you can turn off(manually) the auto-off...cool beans!!

I used a heating pad for a chick warmer last spring...was nice not to deal with lamps.

 

[1zooman12]

I located the Premier1 web page and searched for the term Heat Plate. No response. They act as though it does not exist. No apparent listing of it either. We need an exact definition AND a Catalog number. Want to try again please?
Neal,
the Zooman

 

[ladycat]

I located the Premier1 web page and searched for the term Heat Plate. No response. They act as though it does not exist. No apparent listing of it either. We need an exact definition AND a Catalog number. Want to try again please?
Neal,
the Zooman

They're on this page: http://www.premier1supplies.com/detail.php?prod_id=135875&cat_id=173

 

[Blooie]

this is good to know! would you recommend using it full time when the chicks are still 1 day old to 2 weeks?

also, is it noisy?

I would recommend it from day one for young chicks. Scout is almost 4 weeks old now, and he still uses it outside, but only because of his frostbite. He's feathered enough to go without it but he's still recovering and it's really cold outside. There is absolutely no noise - it's just regular heating pad, like one you would use for aches and pains. I plan to order chicks in the spring again, even though spring around here means snow, cold, and wind! Our last snowfall last year was on June 6th. I will set up Scout's pen for the newcomers with the heating pad and that's where they'll stay to be brooded instead of in the house.

I'll see if I can find the video of the lady brooding her chicks outside under a heating pad and post the link.

 

[Blooie]

Found that link.

 

[aart]

this is good to know! would you recommend using it full time when the chicks are still 1 day old to 2 weeks?

also, is it noisy?

I used a light for the first day so I could closely observe a couple chicks that were having problems until they were eating, drinking, moving well......
....not sure if that's why I had to kind of 'train' the chicks to go under the heating pad.

Had to kind of shove them under there then hold them for a few second until they felt the heat then they would relax and stay there. Sometimes they would pile together instead of going under and again would 'persuade' them, 'Hey, here's the warmth'. They figured it out pretty quick....they also outgrew the space pretty quick, both width wise and height wise. Raising it up took some tinkering but doable. Mine were inside in a 60 degree room, I would have need a bigger pad if I had been brooding outside in Michigan in early March....maybe more info than you wanted to read.

These were incubated and purchased chicks....broody hatched chicks might get it sooner and maybe on their own.

The pad is not noisy...but the chicks sure can be!

 

[Blooie]

I used a light for the first day so I could closely observe a couple chicks that were having problems until they were eating, drinking, moving well......
....not sure if that's why I had to kind of 'train' the chicks to go under the heating pad.

Had to kind of shove them under there then hold them for a few second until they felt the heat then they would relax and stay there. Sometimes they would pile together instead of going under and again would 'persuade' them, 'Hey, here's the warmth'. They figured it out pretty quick....they also outgrew the space pretty quick, both width wise and height wise. Raising it up took some tinkering but doable. Mine were inside in a 60 degree room, I would have need a bigger pad if I had been brooding outside in Michigan in early March....maybe more info than you wanted to read.

These were incubated and purchased chicks....broody hatched chicks might get it sooner and maybe on their own.

The pad is not noisy...but the chicks sure can be!

You know, aart, I didn't think of using the light for the first day or so just to observe them and make sure there are no problems with any of them. I'm going to add that to my "brooding out in the coop" plan! Scout is the first chick I've used Mama Heating Pad for, so he was already almost 2 weeks old or so when he went under it. But I didn't have to train him....I just showed him once where it was and he took it from there. Day old chicks might not get it that fast. Thanks!!