I have ordered chicks for delivery for the first time (23 cochin, d'uccle and japanese bantams from Ideal) and my brain is incessantly counting down the days until Feb. 24th! I keep thinking about how they aren't even laid yet, and what day they might be starting to develop in their mama hens and what their lay day will be...woo milestones! I wonder if anyone else does that? I've settled on getting a Brinsea EcoGlow brooder for them, but have been fretting over getting a 20 vs. 50. I know the 20 is meant for 20 standard chicks, so would it be sufficient for 23 bantams? I'm unlikely to be brooding again this year or as many next year, so I'm a little hesitant to go for the 50, especially given the cost differential. They will be in the spare bathroom in the house, where the ambient temp is kept at 65, but I still worry about anyone getting cold. What say you, more experienced chicken peeps? Should the 20 be enough, or would the 50 be necessary?
The 20 should be enough. Bantams are so small. I have a couple of the Premier 1 brooder plates, the small and extra small. If I need to brood a lot, I have two homemade Ohio brooders that can take about 100.
They work, at much lower energy cost than a heat lamp. It is amazing how often they need to be elevated as the chicks grow.
I have the EcoGlow 20. I used it with 15 chicks, 7 bantams and 8 barred rocks. For me, I think with the amount of chicks you are getting, I would go with the 50. That way, as they get bigger, they will have enough move-around room. My BR quickly pushed my little ones out from under it once they realized that they were bigger.
