Brooder plate questions/ issues

[Folly's place]

This spring I bought the Premier 16" brooder plate, set it up, and things seemed okay. Some chicks died the night after they arrived, but I thought shipping stress, so not good but it happens. After the first three days, everyone did fine.
The end of August I got it back out for fewer chicks, ten meat birds from TSC. After an hour in the brooder, they were all huddled away from the brooder plate where I'd set them on arrival. I felt the underside, and it was TOO HOT to leave my had there! No wonder the chicks left it!
I went back to the heat lamp for them.
So, I turned it over and placed a thermometer on it in the center; over 120F, and near the edge, 118F. No hen is that hot, and the directions say that the chicks should be able to be in contact with the plate. Not this plate!
I looked at the manufacturer's site, and called Premier, and this is 'normal' for the unit. So rather than return it, I got the temperature regulator gadget that they now sell (wonder why!) and have fiddled with it, and can get down to a reasonable temp on the plate.
Anyone else with this story?
A friend has the 12" plate, and it goes to 80F, and her chicks do fine.
Mary

 

[chickens really]

I have only used heat lamps personally. My friend fried and froze 25 chicks in 3 days trying to figure out her heat plate settings..

 

[coach723]

Wow! I have not used that brand, good to know, have certainly looked at them. I have a Brinsea Ecoglow 50 and have never had any issues. It's warm to the touch, but never hot.

 

[Folly's place]

I am interested in reports here, because I've heard nothing but positive reviews in the past.
Try setting yours up upside down, with a thermometer on it in the center, and near the edges, and see what happens. Is mine typical, or an outlier, and defective?
Mary

 

[Pork Pie]

I tend to make the front legs slightly longer than the rear legs, thus giving a gradient of temps and I’ve never had issues.

The idea of setting and forgetting is not wise. Observing chick behaviour is always the most effective way of knowing if they are fine or not.

 

[Folly's place]

That's exactly what I do, so there's a choice, but 120+F? Really?
Mary

 

[Criticalicious]

I use this brand but I have the extra small size. I've never had a problem with chicks getting too hot, because they have plenty of space to move around in the brooder. They self-regulate. It's possible that wherever your brooder was, it could have been too warm to need supplemental heat.

 

[Folly's place]

The brooder was NOT too hot, and the chicks were huddled together because they were cold, but wouldn't go back under the brooder plate. When I felt how hot it was to the touch, I took it out.
Mary

 

[PolergirlOH]

Mine (also a Premier) was too hot for my hand but my chicks seemed to love it and thrived even in subzero temperatures outside in my unheated brooder.

 

[Cindy in PA]

Only used mine once this spring & had no problems. It was not to hot for my hand, but I did not measure the temp.