Heat lamp vs. Heat pad

[MTP55]

Our fifth batch of chicks is arriving in a day. We have them set up in our garage at the house we are moving into in a couple weeks. The heat lamp is concerning me as the garage isnt insured right now(because of one curled shingle). Do the brooder heat mats carry the same fire risk as a heat lamp? I would rather just use one of those and a regular 60 watt bulb if I could.

 

[CluckNDoodle]

I love my heat plates 100 times more than the heat lamp! I actually ended up giving away my heat lamp and I bought a second heat plate. I have used the inexpensive Titan brand one from Amazon for several batches of chicks and they work great without all of the fire risk! Plus the chicks can sleep through the night like nature intended.

 

[Tortoise]

I don't have much experience with chickens. My first chicks I got in May.
However I have lots of experience with the heat mats as I used one for my chicks and I use them for my tortoises in winter. I have had tortoise since 2011.
The heat pads are perfectly safe. I would be very careful using and heat bulbs.
I made the heat pad extended so the chicks could warm up under it.

 

[SmallCityChicken]

I was using a heat lamp until yesterday & constantly worried about the risk. I made a heat cave & so far my chicks seem to love it (they were leery at first I must admit). Besides the risk of fire, I felt bad having them constantly in a lighted area, I wouldn't want to sleep with a giant red light beaming directly on me.
Here is an article you might find useful Kick The Heat Lamp

 

[Rshumpal]

I bought a brooder. They love it. As soon as they got here I turned it on and they ran under it. Now they are constantly in and out.
They are barely 2 days old (finished hatching 9:30 9/30

 

[21hens-incharge]

Can the heat pad be put on the floor with the wood shavings or does it need to be hung to the side of the brooder?

Are you looking for this?

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...d-in-the-brooder-picture-heavy-update.956958/

Think of them as a "cave". They heat from above the chicks like a mother hen would.

 

[mymilliefleur]

I have been using the Mama heating Pad method (https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/brooding-with-mama-heating-pad.67728/) for 5 years now, and highly recommend it. I have heard way too many fire horror stories to use a heat lamp again. I use the cheap Sunbeam heat pads from Amazon. The heat-plates are a little more convenient, but cost more.

 

[Compost King]

I like heat plates better than Heat Lamps but I am finding some flaws. it its rated for 20 chicks then 2 weeks later it only handles 10 or 15 chicks because there is not enough room under it for all 20 as they grow. This is fine in summer but in winter when its cold outside of the brooder plate I can see issues.

 

[CluckNDoodle]

I like heat plates better than Heat Lamps but I am finding some flaws. it its rated for 20 chicks then 2 weeks later it only handles 10 or 15 chicks because there is not enough room under it for all 20 as they grow. This is fine in summer but in winter when its cold outside of the brooder plate I can see issues.

I haven't had little chicks outside once it drops lower than around mid to low 30s Fahrenheit so I'm not sure about temps lower than that but so far I haven't had any issues with the number of chicks because as they grow, they spend less and less time under the heat plate and often prefer hanging out on top of the heat plate. When you actually have higher numbers of chicks they also keep each other warmer. This is much like what you see when they're with a broody hen but then again I've never had a broody hen raising 20 chicks either. lol!

 

[Compost King]

I haven't had little chicks outside once it drops lower than around mid to low 30s Fahrenheit so I'm not sure about temps lower than that but so far I haven't had any issues with the number of chicks because as they grow, they spend less and less time under the heat plate and often prefer hanging out on top of the heat plate. When you actually have higher numbers of chicks they also keep each other warmer. This is much like what you see when they're with a broody hen but then again I've never had a broody hen raising 20 chicks either. lol!

I agree on all your points, the only problem I will have is that I do not keep my brooders in heated rooms, I only climate control one tiny room in my house since I live alone I have a computer/Bedroom that I heat and cool. The inside brooder is in a room that gets rather cool in winter so I am going to need to make some sort of adjustment. I ended up buying 2 brooder plates to adjust but I may need a plan B if I end up with a 100% hatch of 42 chicks 2 weeks before a cold spell. But without these problems I might die from complacency/Boredom.
Now a power outage in winter could really do me some harm but I am working on a plan B for that too.