Heat lamp alternatives

[misslady]

I've used the mama heating pad for several batches of chicks. Large and small groups, bantams and LF. Everybody loves it and I never have pasty bum problems after the first couple days (from shipping or store I think).
If you have a pretty large brooder it's a good idea to be around on the first day so you can show them where it is when they start screeching. They learn quickly.
I learned everything I needed from Blooie's thread.

Good tips! Thanks!

 

[member 373180]

good luck! My bet is you'll never go back to the lamp. I love the second night; you go in after lights out and find a completely empty brooder. You lift the edge of the cave in panic and there they all are, sleepy and making those happy little purring sounds.

 

[mechanic57]

You should be able to find that out by looking at the specs listed on the site you bought your pad from. Remember, when they list the amount of power: it's not a constant draw, the way a heat lamp is. The pad cycles on and off.

I looked on a couple of web sites at different models and the wattage info was not listed, just that it uses 120 volts. Watts = volts X amps so I need an amp draw or the wattage info so I can calculated how much power it uses. The model I selected has a constant on feature. I don't want the pad cycling off and on when its cold out. I was using a single 250 watt red heat lamp bulb so I was curious how this compares. If nobody knows, I'll find out Tuesday when it gets here.

 

[mechanic57]

Ok so I found it. I checked the product Q&A and someone had the same question. The Sunbeam 002013-912-000 King Size XpressHeat Heating Pad (12" x 24") from Amazon uses 180watts

 

[lazy gardener]

While it uses 180 watts, I don't believe it draws a full 180 watts 24/7. That's what I was trying to say when I said it "cycles". It would be good if we could get some info from the manufacturer regarding the actual electricity usage at various settings with their pads. Even so, 180W is far less than 250W!!! @Blooie should be able to answer this, as her hubby is an electrician.

 

[Folly's place]

I think that the heat blankets will use a lot less electricity than that 250w light, although reducing the wattage as the chicks grow under the heat lamp does help. Mary

 

[artistazalea]

I really really love this idea. I hate heat lamps, they make me super nervous inside the house or outside the house they are still an accident waiting to happen.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Definitely read through Blooie's thread if you are considering the heating pad cave. It's a long thread but has lots of good info in it. It's a great system when set up right. You can brood chicks in the house or outside with it, even in really cold weather.

The primary concerns are that you need a pad that does not have an auto-shutoff feature, a lot of them shut off after two hours. You need one that automatically comes back on after a power outage. I get those power blips all the time out here. Blooie's husband also mentioned to not use an old pad. They can get brittle as they get old and the wires inside can break, causing a short and a fire hazard. And of course anytime you use electricity be careful how you run it. Keep it dry and set it up so no person or no animal can accidentally unplug it.

 

[IdyllwildAcres]

I used a Premier heat plate for my chicks this spring from day one in the coop, lows were in the 20's when I started and they were off of heat at 4 weeks.

Gary

 

[~KH~]

I also was looking for an alternative to the 250w heat lamp and went with the Premier heat plate. I was considering the heating pad option, but online that specific heating pad was fairly pricey and so I spent a little more and got the heating plate. It only uses 22w which is awesome - especially considering how expensive electricity is where I'm at. I also liked that it was really simple to raise it as the chicks got older.