- Apr 14, 2009
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Hello peeps!
After several seasons of successfully brooding chicks under a very secure heat lamp, I'm looking to ease my mind a bit and go with a safer heating option.
I will be brooding about 15 standard-size chicks (only 10 for the first week, as I'm letting a friend and her kids raise a few at first). I'm expecting them around April 20th, at which time our area will be averaging mid-30s at night and mid- to upper-50s in the day. Their brooder will be in an unheated, partially insulated coop. Their initial brooding space is about 1.5' by 3' and I expand it as they get bigger--wood sides, top is half hardware cloth and half wood. I brood on paper towels for the first few days and then switch to aspen shavings, though I'm considering trying wood pellets this year.
I purchased an 11x16 Sweeter Heater from the hatchery I ordered my chicks from, as out of the three types of heaters they sold, this was the best option. But after I placed my order (of course), I began to do some research on the BYC forum about those who have used heat plates/other non-lamp options and kept seeing the Premier1 heating plate pop up over and over. It seems that a lot of people have had good experiences with it and it's also significantly cheaper than the Sweeter Heater. I also came across one thread about someone who had a really good and careful set-up with a Sweeter Heater but tragically lost all ten of her newly hatched chicks after using it (the exact cause was debated, but since the ambient temp was cool, one option that was considered was that perhaps the heater was defective or too low, and so the chicks under it overheated and the chicks who died away from it became too cold). I know this was probably a rare event but now I'm a little freaked out and second-guessing my decision. I know that many people have had good experiences with Sweeter Heaters, based on the ratings it has, but I'm just worried I'm not going to know how to make it work properly and I'll endanger my chicks. I've had great success with the risky but effective standard hanging heat lamp, and I don't know if I'm rocking the boat by trying something new.
From my research so far, I think Sweeter Heaters work differently than most heat plates. With heat plates like the Premier1, it seems that chicks have to be nearly touching it for it to provide the heat, and has a lower surface temp (125 degrees for the Premier1). I love that it's a lower temp, but I don't know if it's sufficient for cold ambient temperatures in the 30s (or 20s, if we get a cold snap)? The Sweeter Heater, on the other hand, runs at a higher temperature (max 185 degrees) and projects infrared radiant heat down into solid objects (i.e., animals standing under it). The chicks aren't meant to need to touch it, though supposedly it's not supposed to burn pets if they do. They say, "Properly installed it is the safest and most reliable specific area heater available," but they still have cautions on the manual about being sure that the heater can't fall as there is a combustion risk if it overheats (though I think they try to safeguard against it by having an internal thermal cutoff that is supposed to trigger if heat isn't able to escape).
I don't know what to do! I'm tempted to go back to my old tried and true (though always a bit nerve-wracking) 250-watt heat lamp.
TLDR: Has anyone used the Sweeter Heater for brooding and have any advice about using it or how it worked for them? Or have used the Premier1 in cold ambient temps and feel like it's worth returning my Sweeter Heater for? I was so excited to start experimenting with my new contraption...and now I'm just feeling paranoid!
After several seasons of successfully brooding chicks under a very secure heat lamp, I'm looking to ease my mind a bit and go with a safer heating option.
I will be brooding about 15 standard-size chicks (only 10 for the first week, as I'm letting a friend and her kids raise a few at first). I'm expecting them around April 20th, at which time our area will be averaging mid-30s at night and mid- to upper-50s in the day. Their brooder will be in an unheated, partially insulated coop. Their initial brooding space is about 1.5' by 3' and I expand it as they get bigger--wood sides, top is half hardware cloth and half wood. I brood on paper towels for the first few days and then switch to aspen shavings, though I'm considering trying wood pellets this year.
I purchased an 11x16 Sweeter Heater from the hatchery I ordered my chicks from, as out of the three types of heaters they sold, this was the best option. But after I placed my order (of course), I began to do some research on the BYC forum about those who have used heat plates/other non-lamp options and kept seeing the Premier1 heating plate pop up over and over. It seems that a lot of people have had good experiences with it and it's also significantly cheaper than the Sweeter Heater. I also came across one thread about someone who had a really good and careful set-up with a Sweeter Heater but tragically lost all ten of her newly hatched chicks after using it (the exact cause was debated, but since the ambient temp was cool, one option that was considered was that perhaps the heater was defective or too low, and so the chicks under it overheated and the chicks who died away from it became too cold). I know this was probably a rare event but now I'm a little freaked out and second-guessing my decision. I know that many people have had good experiences with Sweeter Heaters, based on the ratings it has, but I'm just worried I'm not going to know how to make it work properly and I'll endanger my chicks. I've had great success with the risky but effective standard hanging heat lamp, and I don't know if I'm rocking the boat by trying something new.
From my research so far, I think Sweeter Heaters work differently than most heat plates. With heat plates like the Premier1, it seems that chicks have to be nearly touching it for it to provide the heat, and has a lower surface temp (125 degrees for the Premier1). I love that it's a lower temp, but I don't know if it's sufficient for cold ambient temperatures in the 30s (or 20s, if we get a cold snap)? The Sweeter Heater, on the other hand, runs at a higher temperature (max 185 degrees) and projects infrared radiant heat down into solid objects (i.e., animals standing under it). The chicks aren't meant to need to touch it, though supposedly it's not supposed to burn pets if they do. They say, "Properly installed it is the safest and most reliable specific area heater available," but they still have cautions on the manual about being sure that the heater can't fall as there is a combustion risk if it overheats (though I think they try to safeguard against it by having an internal thermal cutoff that is supposed to trigger if heat isn't able to escape).
I don't know what to do! I'm tempted to go back to my old tried and true (though always a bit nerve-wracking) 250-watt heat lamp.TLDR: Has anyone used the Sweeter Heater for brooding and have any advice about using it or how it worked for them? Or have used the Premier1 in cold ambient temps and feel like it's worth returning my Sweeter Heater for? I was so excited to start experimenting with my new contraption...and now I'm just feeling paranoid!
