I'm thinking of getting 2 of these this year for our baby chicks and ducklings rather than messing with the heat lamps. We raise our babies in a main room of our house and the lights are too bright at night (long story) plus they make us nervous that a fire could start when we're away. Having 1 lamp last year was hard enough, but having 2 this year (one for each kind of bird) i really think would be too many. We will have other supplemental light for them to keep them from piling on each other (night lights). Is the brooder a nice alternative to the lamps?