Brooder Heating Plate vs Infrared Bulb

[KikiLeigh02]

Yikes! I am terrified of the bulb catching fire.

 

[K_Elise]

Since my infrared bulb randomly caught on fire I'm going with heat plate

That is one of my fears with the heat bulb. Im so sorry that happened to you. When I looked up and read that a 250 watt heat bulb can get up to 480° I said nope and switched to the heat plate.

 

[BreezyBre]

I was super lucky as I had literally just walked into the room when it caught fire

 

[feathermaid]

Thank you! The only thing I read that made me wonder was that the red light helps deter pecking if one of them gets an injury.

Great to hear you already went with the heat plate!

Just wanted to add to what you were thinking originally, in case anyone else was wondering... about the red light light helping to deter pecking:

Basically, it's just that the red light is better than a plain white light. Lighting in general shining on any living creature 24 hours a day is going to cause problems. Chicks have no way to know when it's day or night, they run around until they're so exhausted they just fall over and sleep... randomly. Among (many) other side effects, this unnatural environment is usually what causes pecking in the first place, the red light just camouflages any blood to deter further pecking. A truly injured chick should be separated (but still in view of its buddies so it's not totally alone) to allow it to heal undisturbed.

Everything everyone else says about how wonderful heating plates/pads is true... and you have a much better chance ending up with calm & confident chickens. With all the dangers and negative side effects of heat lamps, I don't know why they're even still recommended.

 

[CannedMonster]

Great to hear you already went with the heat plate!

Just wanted to add to what you were thinking originally, in case anyone else was wondering... about the red light light helping to deter pecking:

Basically, it's just that the red light is better than a plain white light. Lighting in general shining on any living creature 24 hours a day is going to cause problems. Chicks have no way to know when it's day or night, they run around until they're so exhausted they just fall over and sleep... randomly. Among (many) other side effects, this unnatural environment is usually what causes pecking in the first place, the red light just camouflages any blood to deter further pecking. A truly injured chick should be separated (but still in view of its buddies so it's not totally alone) to allow it to heal undisturbed.

Everything everyone else says about how wonderful heating plates/pads is true... and you have a much better chance ending up with calm & confident chickens. With all the dangers and negative side effects of heat lamps, I don't know why they're even still recommended.

 

[K_Elise]

Great to hear you already went with the heat plate!

Just wanted to add to what you were thinking originally, in case anyone else was wondering... about the red light light helping to deter pecking:

Basically, it's just that the red light is better than a plain white light. Lighting in general shining on any living creature 24 hours a day is going to cause problems. Chicks have no way to know when it's day or night, they run around until they're so exhausted they just fall over and sleep... randomly. Among (many) other side effects, this unnatural environment is usually what causes pecking in the first place, the red light just camouflages any blood to deter further pecking. A truly injured chick should be separated (but still in view of its buddies so it's not totally alone) to allow it to heal undisturbed.

Everything everyone else says about how wonderful heating plates/pads is true... and you have a much better chance ending up with calm & confident chickens. With all the dangers and negative side effects of heat lamps, I don't know why they're even still recommended.

Ever since I switched from the heat lamp to a heat plate and my chicks now have day and night. When I turn off the bedroom light for bedtime, my baby chicks throw a huge fit. They eventually settle down and go to sleep. They are just like children

 

[feathermaid]

Ever since I switched from the heat lamp to a heat plate and my chicks now have day and night. When I turn off the bedroom light for bedtime, my baby chicks throw a huge fit. They eventually settle down and go to sleep. They are just like children

I know right?!
I think it's because they can't see anything when it gets dark suddenly and they feel lost.
So I started leaving on a "transition" light... like a light in another room... to somewhat simulate a "sunset". Then I would shoo them underneath, still with a little protest -totally like children! But they seem to quiet quicker.

Also, if the brooder is near a window with no other lights on in the room, they sometimes put themselves to bed when it gradually starts getting dark. Just like learning to head for the coop at dusk!

My last batch was only in the house for about about 2 weeks before I moved them to the coop brooder. That made it super easy for them to learn where "home" is. By age 4 weeks they were completely done with the heating pad and roosting on their own with the big girls!

 

[KikiLeigh02]

My problem is more that I'm not able to check on them for about a 6 hour period during the day. So I don't want them pecking before I have a chance to remove it. We haven't had an injured one yet, hopefully we won't start this time.

Great to hear you already went with the heat plate!

Just wanted to add to what you were thinking originally, in case anyone else was wondering... about the red light light helping to deter pecking:

Basically, it's just that the red light is better than a plain white light. Lighting in general shining on any living creature 24 hours a day is going to cause problems. Chicks have no way to know when it's day or night, they run around until they're so exhausted they just fall over and sleep... randomly. Among (many) other side effects, this unnatural environment is usually what causes pecking in the first place, the red light just camouflages any blood to deter further pecking. A truly injured chick should be separated (but still in view of its buddies so it's not totally alone) to allow it to heal undisturbed.

Everything everyone else says about how wonderful heating plates/pads is true... and you have a much better chance ending up with calm & confident chickens. With all the dangers and negative side effects of heat lamps, I don't know why they're even still recommended.

 

[drumstick diva]

I'm wondering what is different about the Brinsea, as opposed to the Premier, since some Brinseas has caused fires?

 

[horsekeeper]

I'm wondering what is different about the Brinsea, as opposed to the Premier, since some Brinseas has caused fires?

Construction - The Brinsea is cheaply made and falls apart easily. Both of mine had the bottom plate fall off, exposing the heating element. I crazy glued it back on, but it was only glued to begin with. The Premier is much sturdier and put together with screws. Looking and feeling you can tell the difference in quality.

The Power Cord - The Brinsea cord is very thin and has a power supply plug box that takes up space in the outlet. The Premier has a regular size cord and plugs in with a regular plug. It is much sturdier.

Price - Brinsea is overpriced (for everything they sell) in my opinion. The Premier costs less and is better quality.

Cleaning - The Brinsea is a nightmare to clean. To do it right you have to take it apart and I always worry that the thin plastic will snap as I struggle to get the sides loose. Because they like to stand on top of it the poop gathers in the letters of the embossed logo on top and you will find yourself trying to pry it out with a toothbrush without getting the inside wet. The Premier is simple to take apart and clean with the leg design and with the cover there isn't much to clean off that a damp cloth won't handle.

Height Adjustment - Total struggle with Brinsea and can only be done in preset heights. Not helpful with different sized chicks. The Premier takes a few seconds and can be set on a slant to accommodate different sized chicks.

The Chicks - Seem to like the Premier better and don't get caught up against the legs like they do with the Brinsea. As they get less dependent on the heat they like to sleep around the outside edges with their little butts just underneath. With the more open design it is easier for them to adjust to their own comfort.