Ecoglow 20?

[Secretlyspotted]

I have 15 baby chicks coming the first week of February! So excited about my little ones. I have been doing research and I really want to use the Ecoglow 20 instead of a traditional heat lamp. We will be brooding the babies in the house for the first two months- in a cardboard box. I am worried about fire with the traditional heat lamps and the Ecoglow seems a little easier to use (no worrying about finding exactly the right temp). But of course- it is more expensive. Price is not the biggest object (heck if it was I would just buy eggs from the grocery store) but I don't want to waste money either.
So- thoughts on the Ecoglow 20? Will it be big enough for my 15 standard sized babies? Tips for its use? Anybody out there have reasons why a traditional heat lamp would be better? I need to hurry up and order this thing cause the babies will be here SOON!!

Oh- and just FYI- I have about 1000 other questions about brooding chicks. So I apologize in advance for multiple threads!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I've heard great things about the ecoglow. Apparently it pays for itself with energy savings.
That said, as long as the lap isn't touching the cardboard, there shouldn't be a fire hazard. If it was that hot your chicks would boil. In a small space indoors, a heat lamp isn't even necessary. If I just have a couple chicks in a Rubbermaid tub, a regular 75 watt lamp in a droplight is sufficient.
The ecoglow may be big enough but the box won't. For the first week you need 1/2 sq. ft. per bird. That's a pretty big box. For the rest of the brooding period(up to 8 weeks) they need 2 1/2 sq. ft. per bird. That's 40 sq. ft.
You really don't have to maintain the exactly right temperature. If you duplicate a broody hen, the chicks will be healthier and happier. That is providing a warm place and lots of cool space. After the first time brooding chicks, I quit using a thermometer (they pooped all over it and tried to eat it. It's much easier to provide a warm spot and observe the chicks.
If they crowd near the heat source, it needs to be hotter(or closer to them), If they scatter far from the heat, they're too hot. If they're scattered all over the brooder space it's perfect.

Here's a couple methods I use depending on how many birds I have and outside temperatures since the building is unheated.

 

[shmccarthy]

I've heard great things about the ecoglow. Apparently it pays for itself with energy savings. That said, as long as the lap isn't touching the cardboard, there shouldn't be a fire hazard. If it was that hot your chicks would boil. In a small space indoors, a heat lamp isn't even necessary. If I just have a couple chicks in a Rubbermaid tub, a regular 75 watt lamp in a droplight is sufficient. The ecoglow may be big enough but the box won't. For the first week you need 1/2 sq. ft. per bird. That's a pretty big box. For the rest of the brooding period(up to 8 weeks) they need 2 1/2 sq. ft. per bird. That's 40 sq. ft. You really don't have to maintain the exactly right temperature. If you duplicate a broody hen, the chicks will be healthier and happier. That is providing a warm place and lots of cool space. After the first time brooding chicks, I quit using a thermometer (they pooped all over it and tried to eat it. It's much easier to provide a warm spot and observe the chicks. If they crowd near the heat source, it needs to be hotter(or closer to them), If they scatter far from the heat, they're too hot. If they're scattered all over the brooder space it's perfect. Here's a couple methods I use depending on how many birds I have and outside temperatures since the building is unheated.

What's the wood sheet under the water for? Does that help keep shavings out?

 

[Secretlyspotted]

I'm going to use the box that the dryer came in- I would estimate that there is able 12 sq feet of space on what will be the floor. So that would work okay for the first week or so. After that I guess I'm a little stuck. They will be too little to go outside and I don't know how I would fit a 40 sq foot container in my house! My plan was to use this box and then upgrade to a refrigerator box as needed. Then I have a grow out pen they could stay in during the day once they have feathered out. The coup and pen are waiting for them whenever they can handle the outside temperatures- and are big enough that my four other hens will play nice. I was assuming that would be somewhere between 8-12 weeks of age. I hate going into something without everything 100% planned out but I don't know quite what to expect!
Do you have any suggestions on how many feeders and waterers I need to have for 15 baby chicks? Will one of each be enough or should I put a couple in there? I have read that I need to put rocks in the waterer at first to help prevent against drowning.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

What's the wood sheet under the water for? Does that help keep shavings out?

Yes. keeps the shavings at bay. As they get older I either hang the water/feed from the ceiling or set up on bricks to keep the lip at back height.

I'm going to use the box that the dryer came in- I would estimate that there is able 12 sq feet of space on what will be the floor. So that would work okay for the first week or so. After that I guess I'm a little stuck. They will be too little to go outside and I don't know how I would fit a 40 sq foot container in my house! My plan was to use this box and then upgrade to a refrigerator box as needed. Then I have a grow out pen they could stay in during the day once they have feathered out. The coup and pen are waiting for them whenever they can handle the outside temperatures- and are big enough that my four other hens will play nice. I was assuming that would be somewhere between 8-12 weeks of age. I hate going into something without everything 100% planned out but I don't know quite what to expect!
Do you have any suggestions on how many feeders and waterers I need to have for 15 baby chicks? Will one of each be enough or should I put a couple in there? I have read that I need to put rocks in the waterer at first to help prevent against drowning.

1" feeder space per bird is enough up to 6 weeks for anything other than broilers. One is probably enough unless you see some keeping the others from it which may happen over 6 weeks of age. If they're roaming around and there is always space at the feed and water, no worries.
Keeping the feeder half full and bedding bone dry is the best defense against coccidiosis.

 

[spikennipper]

I have an Ecoglow 20 and I'm happy with it but it has a few niggles, it is not easy to change the height of the brooder plate when the chicks grow, and you have to force it using a screwdriver, always feels like it's going to break when doing this! also the actual black brooder plate came away from the brooder so I have had to use duct tape to stick it back! lol, saying that it does do the job really well and my chicks are happier under this than a heat lamp plus the savings, running at only 18W, I have never tried to brood 20 standard chicks under it but it does say it is capable of doing so though I would say it is a tad small.

 

[Secretlyspotted]

Bone dry- I like that idea. These babies are living in my house, so I want to have the brooder be as sanitary as possible. As for a bedding- would the little puppy pads for house breaking dogs work? I read somewhere not to use newspaper because it would cause foot problems. Shavings seem kinda hard to keep clean- the poop is too small to shovel out like I would a horse stall. I have sand in my coop now and have a modified pitchfork to clean it (so it looks like a litter scoop) and that works well. But I don't know about sand in the house. I figured I could change the puppy pads daily. Any suggestions there?

 

[Secretlyspotted]

Thanks so much for your reply!! I read on the reviews that it was hard to change the height, that the whole contraption except the heat panel seemed a little cheaply made. Which stinks, cause it isn't a cheap device! But I am so scared of fire. The chicks are gonna be in my basement, which is the floor my daughters' room is on, so we wouldn't just be risking the chicks lives with a heat lamp. How many chicks have you had under it? I am only getting 15- not 20- so I hope it will work.

 

[Farmer Viola]

I have 15 baby chicks coming the first week of February! So excited about my little ones. I have been doing research and I really want to use the Ecoglow 20 instead of a traditional heat lamp. We will be brooding the babies in the house for the first two months- in a cardboard box. I am worried about fire with the traditional heat lamps and the Ecoglow seems a little easier to use (no worrying about finding exactly the right temp). But of course- it is more expensive. Price is not the biggest object (heck if it was I would just buy eggs from the grocery store) but I don't want to waste money either.

So- thoughts on the Ecoglow 20? Will it be big enough for my 15 standard sized babies? Tips for its use? Anybody out there have reasons why a traditional heat lamp would be better? I need to hurry up and order this thing cause the babies will be here SOON!!

Oh- and just FYI- I have about 1000 other questions about brooding chicks. So I apologize in advance for multiple threads!

The Ecoglow 20 will definitely be big enough for 15 day old chicks. But I went for the 50 chick brooder for a few reasons. I might hatch over 50 meat birds in the summer. Also, the 50 chick brooder is still big enough that I used it to transition the chicks outdoors at 8 weeks. I brought it into the coop so they can sleep under it (and on it) at night with freezing temps - no heat lamp. The plastic legs are very flimsy though, if you use it for bigger chicks, you might want to build wooden legs (that's what we did) to hold their weight.

 

[SouthernCalBeachChick]

I have the Ecoglow 20 & love it. The chcks are absolutely adorable peeking out from under it. I'm about to order a second Ecoglow 20, since I'm doing staggered hatches. It doesn't seem cheaply made at all and I feel much safer using it inside. I've been happy with all the Brinsea products.