Are they eating the dirt?

[ChickenChick46]

I knew I forgot something. I have 4 heat plates, and all run at different temps. They're also influenced by the temperature of the room, to a small degree. This is part of why I always keep it a bit on the high side, but definitely put your hand directly on the heating element to judge. I've never had a chick burn itself, but I made sure there's clearance for when they snuggle down into the bedding. It's a bit fiddly, but worth the peace of mind!

The room the babies are in is quite warm. Well, for a human, at least. 78 to 80 F during this intense heat we've had. But it's the guest room and no people are in it regularly, so the AC isn't turned on, and with the babies, I've actually got the ceiling fan off as well so there are no drafts. Their brooder is on the far wall, so they don't get hit with any direct sunlight either.

I'll definitely plug the brooder plate in and let it heat for an hour, then check it good and adjust it as needed. Thank you for everything!

 

[ChickenChick46]

Do you have a link for this? All I can find is the wall-mounted one.

Here it is:

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/producers-pride-brooder-and-coop-heater-1299682

I hope it's a decent one!

 

[thecatumbrella]

Here it is:

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/producers-pride-brooder-and-coop-heater-1299682

I hope it's a decent one!

Oooo, it's a convertible Let me know what you think of it. Looking for something that can wall mount in our coop for winter.

 

[ChickenChick46]

Oooo, it's a convertible Let me know what you think of it. Looking for something that can wall mount in our coop for winter.

The convertible aspect really was a selling point for us. We don't live in an area with harsh winters. That being said, we got 8 inches of snow in January (literally shut this area down for a week ) and several days in a row that didn't go above freezing.

My neighbor lost one of her hens to the cold. I know we won't usually need supplemental heat on the coop, but having something if we do will be nice.

I'll definitely share my thoughts!

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Also, Blue, which brand do you have? We use RentACoops, but I had another brand at one point that was like a radiator! That was a return for me.

I don't see a brand name anywhere, Cat. Not on the box, not on the unit. I got them at Cackle when I picked up my chicks. Because we picked them up instead of having them shipped, I had a $50 store credit and these were $25/ea. So I got two. They are big, the plates are about 8 x 10" I would guess. All 21 chicks were able to fit under one of them that first night; we put them under the hens the next night.

 

[thecatumbrella]

I don't see a brand name anywhere, Cat. Not on the box, not on the unit. I got them at Cackle when I picked up my chicks. Because we picked them up instead of having them shipped, I had a $50 store credit and these were $25/ea. So I got two. They are big, the plates are about 8 x 10" I would guess. All 21 chicks were able to fit under one of them that first night; we put them under the hens the next night.

That's a crazy deal! If it has a... uh... well-endowed chicken on the front that says "Comfort", that's the model I have. It's sold under some different brand names, but I love mine.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I'll post a pic tomorrow, but it's just a plain brown box with numbers on it.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Maybe I'll call them tomorrow and see if I can find out more.

 

[ChickenChick46]

Oooo, it's a convertible Let me know what you think of it. Looking for something that can wall mount in our coop for winter.

So I got the brooder plate all set up. I think I like it. My fault for not doing more research into these things, but I was freaking out at first.

I plugged it in and let it heat up, and checked the temp with a temp gun, and it read 121F! I thought no way this was right. So back to Google I went.

After reading up on these things, I found out that seemed normal, so I put it in the brooder and showed the chicks what to do. They got the hang of it quickly, and everyone had a good night.

The brooder has a cooler end now like it should. I will say, this thing is much bigger than I expected. Again, my fault for not reading the dimensions better. But it took away much of their open area in their brooder.

The problem is easily solved for me, because I have access to a larger brooder (old playpen). But it's good to know that this thing measures about 19 inches by 12 inches.

Other than that, it's got 2 options, heater or brooder. So no way to manually control the heat level, but I'm not sure if that's common or not with these, having never used one.

Regardless, my chicks seem content under it, and it's keeping their little corner warm without the heat lamp concerns, so for now, I'm recommending it.

I hope y'all know how much I appreciate the help and the patience! Having chicks is not unlike having a newborn again. Keeping them clean, fed, watered, and safe? Check, check, check, and check. Worry about them nonstop and second-guess all of your decisions? Yep, got it. Y'all have helped a lot, and I am grateful!

 

[ChickenChick46]

Maybe I'll call them tomorrow and see if I can find out more.

Thank you for your advice yesterday! I got the brooder plate, and I'm very glad the heat lamp, and its concerns, are gone.