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

[Leahs Mom]

When I first turn my plate on without the dimmer, I let it heat up and get an idea of how hot it is to the touch. Since they have to be able to touch the plate, I go by the feel.

If I'm not able to put my hand on it and keep it there without it being too hot, I use the dimmer to regulate it over a couple hours time to be sure it is not going to burn a chick or cause a chick to avoid touching it.

Then it is set low enough that they can get up against it without harm.

I think what @aart is saying is very key. It doesn't really heat the ground underneith, it is something that they have to snuggle up against and they also snuggle up against their hatch mates. If they can't touch it - either because it it set too tall or because it is so hot that they avoid it, then it won't work as designed to work.


Since the unit is designed and sold in the UK with a heat regulator cord (similar to a lamp dimmer), I'm not sure why they haven't developed one that runs on US current. Using them without a heat regulator has the potential to cause problems. They seem to ship with a wide variation in temperature at the direct plug-in state. Some folks find they are regulated pretty well; others have them come so hot you can't keep your hand resting on it comfortably. Mine was one that came regulated quite hot at direct plug-in temperature.


I did contact the manufacturer several times over the last couple of years to see if they were going to produce the heat regulator for US. The answer is always the same...maybe they will but it's not in the plans.

Therefore, I use the dimmer cord as it accomplishes the same thing.

I hope that helps for some folks that have had problems with theirs.



This is similar to the dimmer I use. Mine came set hot enough that I usually have to keep it at 1/2 on the dimmer or less. Even when I use it in the barn in relatively cool spring temperatures. There's another advantage to using the temperature controller - you can decrease the heat if the weather is very warm or up it as needed. Can also decrease as they grow to still give them a warm place to go under, but it isn't so warm that they avoid it altogether.

https://www.menards.com/main/electr...l-led-plug-in-lamp-dimmer/p-1444438507478.htm

 

[jennyf]

Well, sorry but you can't measure the heat with a plate like you do a lamp...I know, I tried multiple ocd ways.
They just don't work the same, the lamp heats the air and ground under it but the plate doesn't.
Key with the plate is they have to be able to touch their backs to it, that's why it has adjustable legs.
What is the ambient temp where the heater is? That can make a difference..... or the chick might just not be hearty?

Soooo, let's see, ambient air temp is around 68 (but that's unusual here in St. Louis and will drop quickly at nightfall). Lowest temp in end of brooder is 76. Under heat lamp is 85. The heat plate is adjacent to the "circle" of heat cast by the lamp. Usually about half are under the heat lamp and half are under the plate at any given time. They're hopping around and active, so hopefully the loss (smallest chick) was just shipping stress or something else out of my control. Usually the cool end of the brooder has been around 55. They're in my garage. I was planning on just having the lamp in there for the first cold night, but losing the one chick has made me a little paranoid so will prob leave it in there a bit longer. Can't wait to be able to just work with the heat plate, I really like it. I ran the temps by customer service at Premier, asking about ambient temps of 30-50. They said the heat plate would keep them alive, but at the lower end of that range, they wouldn't venture out as much, which isn't desirable. Since they're Cornish, also trying to keep them active from the beginning. Anyhoo, thanks for the thoughts!

 

[Robeenop]

I bought mine direct from Premier1. Plus I ordered other items as well. I paid $41.00 for the small heat plate, and $16.00 for the cover. They also sell replacement parts. BE ADVISED. All plastics are not the same! Chickens especially chicks will try to eat ANYTHING. I saw my chickens trying to eat a piece of weed eater line we did not know flew off into the chicken pen! I absolutely LOVE my flock...But chickens are not the smartest animals in my family.

 

[Robeenop]

I thought of something, it also depends where you have your brooder. I actually have mine set up inside the coop they will call home. I do this each season. I imagine not everyone can do this... but the transition is much easier. By the end of the season, several new pullets actually moved THEMSELVES into my "big" coop with run. (All my coops are in the same large enclosure)
I check on them often, if I am at work, my retired partner keeps an eye on them. They run back and forth and all over the brooder. At night they are all underneath. I have not lost a single chick. I had lost a few before the heat plate. Plus I don't to worry about knocking over the light, Or having a adjust it do to the weather outside.

 

[Darchangel Farm]

I use little plastic paint scrapers to clear off the tops...they love sitting up there so much it's worth the mess!

 

[IdyllwildAcres]

I am going to make mine like the mama heating pad idea, I will drape a towel over it and make a cave, maybe some straw or hay on top of that so I do not think cleaning it will be that big of a deal.

Gary

Must. Finish. Coop.

 

[debid]

I thought of something, it also depends where you have your brooder. I actually have mine set up inside the coop they will call home. I do this each season. I imagine not everyone can do this... but the transition is much easier. By the end of the season, several new pullets actually moved THEMSELVES into my "big" coop with run. (All my coops are in the same large enclosure)
I check on them often, if I am at work, my retired partner keeps an eye on them. They run back and forth and all over the brooder. At night they are all underneath. I have not lost a single chick. I had lost a few before the heat plate. Plus I don't to worry about knocking over the light, Or having a adjust it do to the weather outside.

Yep, I brood in a mini coop next to the big one and the youngsters eventually start entering the big chicken domain all on their own. It certainly makes the introductions less traumatic.

And I'm also switching over from heat lamps to MHP this time. I get a bit tired of constantly adjusting because our weather is so insane in the spring.

 

[rcstanley]

How high do you like to set each end of the plate? I'll have LF and bantams and was planning on having one end higher than the other, then I realized I had no idea how high it should be

 

[jennyf]

Instructions are to set it as high as the chicks backs. Most of mine seem to be laying down under there, not standing.

 

[Beekissed]

Most new chicks have to crawl under their mama and they don't have to stand up under there to reach her warmth....why not try putting it down just a tad lower than your lowest chick and see what they do? I use a HP brooder and put it low enough that they have to crawl under it for the first 3-4 days.