Heat plate vs lamp

[Smileybans]

I know this is discussed a lot but I haven’t seen much of anything from the chicks point of view. I know we all want to keep our chicks happy and healthy so I thought I’d share my experience lately.

I have a room that I brood multiple ages of chicks in. Right now I have a couple days to four weeks old. So I have two separate cages in the room. One with a plate the other with a light. I found that when I turned the light on for the new chicks the ones that were staying under the plate left it. They wanted to be under the light instead. Even my four week old chicks want to sleep under the light. I thought ‘how odd. Maybe it’s warmer.’ But the four week olds don’t need as much warmth as the light is giving off. And my plate keeps the chicks happy during the day.

Then I read that they go to light because it signifies warmth to them. I’m paraphrasing but that was the gist of it. I’m interested in hearing others points of view on using both. I know the hazards for the light and the pros and cons to both. I think I’m more interested in how your chicks behaved with one vs the other.
This is the set up. The bigger cage has the plate in it.

 

[chicknmania]

Our chicks definitely prefer the light. They are with their mom but she prefers the light too. It's the sun, from their point of view. So in our case, for our mother hen and her six chicks in their pen, we gave them two heater panels, one at each end of their pen, and one heat light in close proximity to one of the panels. So that is their warm end of the pen, and if they're really cold that's where they go to hang out, but the other panel is on if needed too. At night, or if we are going away, we turn the heat light off and just leave the panels on, and the chicks have mama to keep them warm as well. During the day I monitor the heat lamp periodically to make sure it is firmly secured and not a hazard to anything.

 

[Smileybans]

I was surprised to see my chicks huddling under the light. That they chose that over the brooder plate. I got the plate because I had heard it was much safer and better for the chicks. But I found with these guys that I have had more pasty butts with the brooder plate only. That also might be because of my setup or some other factor. But the way you describe your setup gives me ideas for when my silkies go broody and decide to hatch chicks.

 

[chicknmania]

I was surprised to see my chicks huddling under the light. That they chose that over the brooder plate. I got the plate because I had heard it was much safer and better for the chicks. But I found with these guys that I have had more pasty butts with the brooder plate only. That also might be because of my setup or some other factor. But the way you describe your setup gives me ideas for when my silkies go broody and decide to hatch chicks.

Chicks with their mama are less likely to get pasty butt. I don't think we've ever had a case of it that I can remember. That's because they are less stressed when they are with their mama, and she can regulate their body heat better when they are under her. You could try getting a stuffed animal (ideally a stuffed chicken) for your babies to huddle under along with the heat light and heat panel. It sounds funny but I've found when we get chicks from the hatchery, I always give them a fake mama, and they do huddle under it and it seems to give them some comfort. (It's so cute! )

 

[spartacus_63]

I don't normally leave it up to the chicks to decide. I use what works best for me. Both methods work about the same and I have not received any grievances from the union reps.

 

[spartacus_63]

Chicks with their mama are less likely to get pasty butt. I don't think we've ever had a case of it that I can remember. That's because they are less stressed when they are with their mama, and she can regulate their body heat better when they are under her. You could try getting a stuffed animal (ideally a stuffed chicken) for your babies to huddle under along with the heat light and heat panel. It sounds funny but I've found when we get chicks from the hatchery, I always give them a fake mama, and they do huddle under it and it seems to give them some comfort. (It's so cute! )

Honestly, it is more likely a natural response as opposed to a thought process, especially if the stuffed animal does not produce heat.

I also disagree that chicks being with a mama and having reduced pasty butt has anything to do with stress. Baby chicks all have high stress. They are after all tasty snacks for most everything above a rabbit in the food chain. I believe the pasty butt is more associated with diet than stress. Chicks that do not hydrate enough are more prone to pasty butt. Mother hens will provide bile to chicks when water is not readily available.

I offer applesauce to all my chicks and I have all butt eliminated pasty butt.

I have raised chicks with broody hens as well as without and my opinions are just that, my opinions. I'm not trying to convince anyone that mine are better, just adding to the conversation.

 

[chicknmania]

Honestly, it is more likely a natural response as opposed to a thought process, especially if the stuffed animal does not produce heat.

I also disagree that chicks being with a mama and having reduced pasty butt has anything to do with stress. Baby chicks all have high stress. They are after all tasty snacks for most everything above a rabbit in the food chain. I believe the pasty butt is more associated with diet than stress. Chicks that do not hydrate enough are more prone to pasty butt. Mother hens will provide bile to chicks when water is not readily available.

I offer applesauce to all my chicks and I have all butt eliminated pasty butt.

I have raised chicks with broody hens as well as without and my opinions are just that, my opinions. I'm not trying to convince anyone that mine are better, just adding to the conversation.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct...sestreatmen/&usg=AOvVaw1126mb6z1bE9Kes9Wt3DG6

 

[chicknmania]

I'm not going to get into an argument here. But we've had chickens for over 16 years, and I know without a doubt that chicks without their mother are under more stress then chicks with the mother, unless the mother hen is not a good mother. Of the chicks we've had over that sixteen years, we've had many chicks...probably 85 % were hatched here. And, as I've said, we've never had any with pasty butt that I ever remember. Yes, diet can come into play. We start our chicks always on chick starter, then switch them over to Flock Raiser after a few weeks. You can think what you want about animal thought processes. Our chicks respond to a stuffed animal, more specifically a stuffed chicken, and they respond to both heater panel and heat light, but of course, the heat light, coming from above, would be more associated with sunlight.

I have never used applesauce for chicks. The only time we use applesauce is, if we have a sick bird, it sometimes encourages them to eat. Our chicks don't eat anything besides chick food, and what their mother might find for them, until they are five or six weeks old.

Everybody has their own methods, but these are what work for us.

 

[chicknmania]

And there is this: (just saying)

https://www.raising-happy-chickens.com/pasty-butt.html#:~:text=Chicks looked after by a,place of the mother hen.

 

[spartacus_63]

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiBzrmtnNjvAhWCGs0KHYqfAvQQFjACegQIAxAD&url=https://the-chicken-chick.com/pasty-butt-in-chicks-causestreatmen/&usg=AOvVaw1126mb6z1bE9Kes9Wt3DG6

As this shows no source information, I will accept it as yet another opinion.