Brooder Plates in Cooler Temps

MissE

Crowing
Oct 17, 2020
1,098
3,370
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Northern MN
Does anyone have experience with brooder plates for new chicks in cooler temps?

My brooder is in the barn. I currently have a 250 watt infrared light, which is keeping the brooder at 95-98 under the light. The other end of the brooder stays around 65-70.

It is 33 degrees in the barn. We can expect low temps in the 30s or even 20s until June.

I would like to use a brooder plate for multiple reasons, one being natural light and darkness cycles, but I don't know if it would be warm enough.

My chicks hatched 4/10 and I just set a new batch of eggs yesterday. One option would be to use the heat light until the new hatch comes, move the old hatch to the brooder plate, and keep the new ones under the heat light until three weeks old. By then, the others would be just over six weeks and wouldn't need heat, and the new hatch could then be moved to the brooder plate.
 
I used a brooder plate designed for 12 chicks out in my built-in brooder in the coop. I brooded 15 chicks under it in April in NY. I tossed an old towel over it to make a little cave.
When they were just over one week old, I went out on a frosty 23F morning to the coop and they were zipping all over in their brooder doing just great.
 
I used a brooder plate designed for 12 chicks out in my built-in brooder in the coop. I brooded 15 chicks under it in April in NY. I tossed an old towel over it to make a little cave.
When they were just over one week old, I went out on a frosty 23F morning to the coop and they were zipping all over in their brooder doing just great.
Thank you! I prefer real life experience over any claims a company may make. Just look at how many chickens some coop companies claim their coop can hold.
 
We are dealing with the same issue. I have our brooder in the garage in Northern Wisconsin. It's been cold this week, low 30s and 20s at night. Probably 40s in garage. We had over 7 die because they were transported in the coldest week of the month. We have a 15 chic brooder plate plus a heat lamp going. They still have a cold half of the coop too. We're afraid to shut the light off because it's hard to see what's going on under the plate. With the light running too they come out and we see their health. I'm considering after 1 week going to just the heat plate to see. Also hard to monitor temp under heat plate.
 
Most plates are designed so the chick has to make contact with the surface to warm up. Put your hand 2 inches away from the plate. Can you feel anything? Now touch the surface. Where is the comfort zone? I know with the Sweeter Heater, they need to touch it.
Thanks! So, do you want them to beable to lay down and touch it or stand? Under heat lamps they like to lay down and sleep. Can they do that under a plate? I'm still running both, not confident in the plate yet.
 
Thanks! So, do you want them to beable to lay down and touch it or stand?

Both. Set it so one side of the plate is higher than the other. On the low side, chicks should be able to sit under the plate and touch it/close to touching it, and on the high side, they should be able to do the same while standing.
 
Does anyone have experience with brooder plates for new chicks in cooler temps?

My brooder is in the barn. I currently have a 250 watt infrared light, which is keeping the brooder at 95-98 under the light. The other end of the brooder stays around 65-70.

It is 33 degrees in the barn. We can expect low temps in the 30s or even 20s until June.

I would like to use a brooder plate for multiple reasons, one being natural light and darkness cycles, but I don't know if it would be warm enough.

My chicks hatched 4/10 and I just set a new batch of eggs yesterday. One option would be to use the heat light until the new hatch comes, move the old hatch to the brooder plate, and keep the new ones under the heat light until three weeks old. By then, the others would be just over six weeks and wouldn't need heat, and the new hatch could then be moved to the brooder plate.
Chicks and dust. Its incredible how much dust even little chicks can create... we switched to a heat panel tho we wanted the vertical plate that is adjustable. The dust and fine feathers were a huge worry especially for my hubby over an accidental issue with heat lamp. And if we weren't gonna be around to run errands we turned it off. A couple times it got left on... so bad.
I wish the heat panels and things were more affordable, that's the only reason we had $16-25 vs $39+
If the heat panels were under thirty and there were 20-25 options
I believe there would be a shift.
 

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