BYC Café

[CapricornFarm]

Just ordered a brooding plate. Uses less energy than a heating pad. Neighbour has an incubator she's not using, so I'm all set for the Easter HAL. Now I just have to wait until the 10th.

I don't know what day my new bator will get here, but i am collecting guinea eggs to hatch! I have 9 so far!

 

[ronott1]

I don't know what day my new bator will get here, but i am collecting guinea eggs to hatch! I have 9 so far!

I hope it gets to you soon!

 

[ShrekDawg]

Personally I think the heating pads are warmer and cozier, like softer, especially if you put a towel or pillow case over it, and also it is more cave like and very dark. The plates are kind of open and I would think not as secure feeling? But idk. But I think some have said the chicks won't use a plate but will use the cave.

A nice soft, dark cave seems more natural and broody like to me than either a heat lamp or a plastic heat plate.

That said, the plastic does seem way easier to clean than a heat pad, even a covered one.

And I had problems with mine falling plus got so dirty but I used a flimsier wire.

I do want to try a heat plate though if I ever get more chickens.

But also the bigger heat plates can be like $80 or $100+ which is a lot compared to a $15, $20, $30 heating pad or even the $40 one.

 

[ShrekDawg]

But I am not opposed to using other stuff. I don't think I would personally ever use a heat lamp though unless I had something that wouldn't use it or tons of chicks but if I got to the point where I had tons of chicks I would buy a big enough heat plate or heating pads or I would just use broodies haha

 

[Treerooted]

Ya, for me the heating pad method was significantly cheaper then a brooder plate, especially since I need a big one. Would be lovely for maintenance purposes though.

 

[ShrekDawg]

Ya, for me the heating pad method was significantly cheaper then a brooder plate, especially since I need a big one. Would be lovely for maintenance purposes though.

Ya exactly!

And i just googled and the king size sunbeam xpress heat heating pad without auto off is $40 and 12×24 and the biggest premier plate is 16×24 and $80. So 4 inches bigger but you could buy two heating pads for that price and brood double the amount of chicks.

Plus there might be cheaper models.

That said the Premier is wayyyy cheaper than the Brinsea.

There was a hanging one I saw once but I can't think of what it is called. It was white and hung over the chicks but not a lamp.

 

[ronott1]

Personally I think the heating pads are warmer and cozier, like softer, especially if you put a towel or pillow case over it, and also it is more cave like and very dark. The plates are kind of open and I would think not as secure feeling? But idk. But I think some have said the chicks won't use a plate but will use the cave.

A nice soft, dark cave seems more natural and broody like to me than either a heat lamp or a plastic heat plate.

That said, the plastic does seem way easier to clean than a heat pad, even a covered one.

And I had problems with mine falling plus got so dirty but I used a flimsier wire.

I do want to try a heat plate though if I ever get more chickens.

But also the bigger heat plates can be like $80 or $100+ which is a lot compared to a $15, $20, $30 heating pad or even the $40 one.

Heating plates do the same things and they are cleaner made from plastic.

They also use less electricity.

The premier1 plates are a lot less than the brinsea plates

 

[ShrekDawg]

But the heat plate is definitely not a bad option. But you can also make a heat plate rather than a cave with the heating pads. I know aart did that.

I would like to try the heat plate though

 

[ronott1]

Ya exactly!

And i just googled and the king size sunbeam xpress heat heating pad without auto off is $40 and 12×24 and the biggest premier plate is 16×24 and $80. So 4 inches bigger but you could buy two heating pads for that price and brood double the amount of chicks.

Plus there might be cheaper models.

That said the Premier is wayyyy cheaper than the Brinsea.

There was a hanging one I saw once but I can't think of what it is called. It was white and hung over the chicks but not a lamp.

And of course you would not say I was stupid for buying a brooder plate!

There are a lot of ways to raise chickens

 

[ShrekDawg]

Heating plates do the same things and they are cleaner made from plastic.

They also use less electricity.

The premier1 plates are a lot less than the brinsea plates

That's true! And yeah, Brinsea seems like a rip off on most things haha

And of course you would not say I was stupid for buying a brooder plate!

There are a lot of ways to raise chickens

No of course not!

Sorry if it seemed that way at all!

There is definitely more than one way to raise chickens! Lots more.

I was more just addressing the point that they were the same price or cheaper because they aren't but I wasn't saying one was better or worse, or at least not trying to, strictly addressing price.

For me, only having to raise 8 chicks, the heating pad was a better option.

Plus tbh I really didn't even know there were other options. I bought a heat lamp, found the MHP thread right before my chicks arrived, and ran with it. So I very well might have ended up with a heat plate if I had had more time. I just knew that what I read made sense and I did not want to use a heat lamp at all.

I am sure the plates are worth it and there is a good reason for the price. For one, they are way easier to clean I'm sure. And they have also had a lot of design and thought put into them. You also do not have to construct anything. It is just ready to go. There is something to be said for all of those things and I do think that makes it worth the price. Especially if you have a lot of chicks.

For a few chicks, I think the pad is fine and I liked it, but someone else may choose to go with the plate because of the reasons listed, probably especially being easy to clean and ready to go out of the box.

I think the price point on the smaller one is worse, expensive for the size, but the bigger one isn't so bad.

It's all just what one chooses and prefers and one certainly isn't better than the other and you're certainly not stupid for choosing a different method than me or being willing to spend more!

I completely understand the reasoning for choosing the plate over the pad.

I just have my own reasons for choosing the pad.