Brinsea Eco Brooder feels too hot

[Lazygaze]

I can’t hold my hand on the heating plate of my Brinsea, does this sound right? I can hold it on for a few seconds but then it’s too hot for my hand. Is that normal?!

 

[KingD]

Do you have a thermometer?
Probably should be around 35°c depending on how old they are.
Day old

 

[Lazygaze]

Do you have a thermometer?
Probably should be around 35°c depending on how old they are.
Day old

Apparently you can’t test the temperature of them, it just seems odd/wrong that I can’t hold my hand on it. 3 of my chicks are asleep in it and 1 is sleeping just outside it. Am a new chicken mama and just worried as I’ve read that if they get hot they go quiet and pant but if they do that I won’t be able to see them!

 

[springvalley123]

I have one of those, I stopped using it for that reason--I hated not being able to see the babies! Maybe you could adjust one side or end so that it's higher, so if it is too hot, they can hang out under the taller end, and not have their backs in contact with the heat plate?

 

[KingD]

Apparently you can’t test the temperature of them, it just seems odd/wrong that I can’t hold my hand on it. 3 of my chicks are asleep in it and 1 is sleeping just outside it. Am a new chicken mama and just worried as I’ve read that if they get hot they go quiet and pant but if they do that I won’t be able to see them!

If it's too hot then the chicks will not go under it. They'll surround it instead.
There's no risk of burning them. They know whats hot an what's not.
Should be absolutely fine.

 

[Lazygaze]

I have one of those, I stopped using it for that reason--I hated not being able to see the babies! Maybe you could adjust one side or end so that it's higher, so if it is too hot, they can hang out under the taller end, and not have their backs in contact with the heat plate?

Yes it’s frustrating, I find myself shining a torch in to check on the poor things and then I disturb them
Honestly, they’re so diddy I’m terrified of them getting too hot, too cold, too touched, not touched enough....
did you find yours was very hot to touch?

 

[Lazygaze]

If it's too hot then the chicks will not go under it. They'll surround it instead.
There's no risk of burning them. They know whats hot an what's not.
Should be absolutely fine.

Thank you, that’s reassuring. I appreciate your comment x

 

[Folly's place]

My brooder plate from Premier was too hot to touch, and was definitely a problem for the first batch of chicks under it. The chicks were supposed to be able to touch the plate with their backs, a very bad idea given the hot surface. i
I switched them to a heat lamp, and had no more deaths.
Then I turned the plate over and checked the temperature, 120F, way hot! I bought a separate gadget from Premier that regulates the plate temperature, and it works fine that way. The manufacturer of that plate is in the EU, unreachable as far as I could see.
There a thread I started about this here.
Mary

 

[Lazygaze]

My brooder plate from Premier was too hot to touch, and was definitely a problem for the first batch of chicks under it. The chicks were supposed to be able to touch the plate with their backs, a very bad idea given the hot surface. i switched them to a heat lamp, and had no more deaths.
Then I turned the plate over and checked the temperature, 120F, way hot! I bought a separate gadget from Premier that regulates the plate temperature, and it works fine that way. The manufacturer of that plate is in the EU, unreachable as far as I could see.
There a thread I started about this here.
Mary

I’m really sorry to hear that happened :-( my little ones have a heat lamp in the day and go in their brooder at night. They seem ok in it I’m just so worried about the feel of the brinsea. And now I have a chick sleeping right outside it. I’m going to call the helpline tomorrow.

 

[springvalley123]

Yes it’s frustrating, I find myself shining a torch in to check on the poor things and then I disturb them
Honestly, they’re so diddy I’m terrified of them getting too hot, too cold, too touched, not touched enough....
did you find yours was very hot to touch?

No I could touch it but then I take a hotter shower t han most, so yours might not be any hotter than normal.