Could be. But I am hearing it from someone I respect on BYC. It may come down to when chicks are available, what the weather does, etc. I usually start them inside, but I hear chickens do so much better if they’re started outside. I just don’t think I have a warm and dry enough place to start them outside. The nice thing about the heat plate is that it is fairly low wattage. If the power goes out, I could run it off one of my battery back ups. I could even do that outside, maybe after they feather out.