Brooder Heaters

[Sunny-Side Up]

I'm considering investing in a brooder hover. I have always used a heat lamp, but I've heard so many good things about different ways to heat brooders other than heat lamps. I've heard of things that are sort of like mother hens, hovers, etc. I would I would like to know more about these. If you have any info on them, it would help. What types are there? What ones are the best that you've used? What are they advantages and disadvantages? What's the price range? Anything you know, I'll gladly take!

 

[Blooie]

I am a huge fan of anything that doesn’t involve heat lamps, although I absolutely acknowledge that there are times when they are the most practical solution, such as when brooding large numbers of chicks at one time.

I use Mama Heating Pad, exclusively. I’m not on my computer so I have a lot of trouble posting links, but the Mama Heating Pad thread here on BYC has been active since April of 2015, and you can find it by either using the Search feature here or googling “Mama Hesting Pad in the Brooder” and following that link.

@aart has a similar brooder setup and hers predates mine by about a year. I can never remember the exact title of her thread, but you can do a search for “pseudo heating plate” and I think you’ll find it. I tagged her, so she’ll probably pop in here and give you a direct link to her thread. (Hint hint!)

Both of us were looking for more affordable and safer alternatives to heat lamps. Commercial brooding plates, such as Brinsea, Premier, and Titan, are also effective but they were just out of my budget, especially for something I’d likely only use once in awhile. I can wash my heating pad and use it for me the rest of the year!

Welcome!!

 

[blackdog043]

Here's both links that @Blooie was talking about. I use a baking cooling rack, like arts pseudo-brooder-heater

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...e-heavy-update.956958/page-1061#post-19719072

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/pseudo-brooder-heater-plate.862691/#post-13013887

 

[aart]

hover.

Someone here just built a hover heater, they have like 50 chicks-maybe more.
Can't remember where I saw it <scratcheshead>.
If I find it, I'll link it here.
ETA: https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...ll-are-welcome.697050/page-4087#post-19637369

It's an Ohio Brooder. If you google search for "plamondon hover brooder" there's a long post about the history of them

Hover heaters have been around for a really long time.

The heating plates(Sweeter Heater, Brinsea, Premiere) have been around for a long time too, I'd guess at least a decade for the SH...and it's taken off from there, riding the backyard chicken wave.
I can't remember the first heating pad DIY I saw, it was just before beekissed raved the cave that someone else built, but built my first in spring 2014.

 

[blackdog043]

I lay the pad on top of the rack, then place a towel over it and I tape the whole thing to the rack.

 

[Blooie]

Ah, thank you for posting those!

 

[Sunny-Side Up]

@aart
Thanks all for your posts! I really like the the cooling rack one. However, I'm still really confused. How do I make it? Where does the electricity go to the heating pad? And I usually only get eight chicks, so it wouldn't need to be that big. Thanks again!

 

[Harmony Fowl]

This started out as a hover, then we realized we need not build something when we had an adequate item already. We cut the doorway and a hole in the top (formerly the bottom) was used to run the heater cord out and also to conduct any extra heat out and provide some ventilation. I opted for a cozy coop heater. After having it for awhile, I figured out it would not get hot enough to harm the chicks or pose a fire risk to the plastic. I opted to not have it mounted, just to place it inside. Home to just four four-week-olds right now who are loving life despite the cold.

 

[ChickNanny13]

LOVE MHP Thank you Blooie ... Thank you Scout for giving her the brain storm

 

[aart]

@aart
Thanks all for your posts! I really like the the cooling rack one. However, I'm still really confused. How do I make it? Where does the electricity go to the heating pad? And I usually only get eight chicks, so it wouldn't need to be that big. Thanks again!

@blackdog043 posted a link that shows how I made mine....just click it.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/pseudo-brooder-heater-plate.862691/#post-13013887