heating pad vs heat light

[Molpet]

http://www.sweeterheater.com

Umm one can buy a whole lot of heating pads for the price of this

OH1111 $79.00 11 in
11 in

 

[Blooie]

I know that those who have Sweeter Heaters really love them, and for very good reasons. Since the goal is healthy chicks, and since there are so many really good options out there as far as Eco-glows, etc., it does make a person wonder why anyone would want to use a simple heating pad. That's a pretty good question, and a very fair one.

My reason for preferring the heating pad cave setup has little to do with the logistics of heating. If I was just interested in that, I could use just about anything, even a space heater cranked up. What I'm trying to do, and what all the other folks who have tried this are trying to do, is duplicate a broody hen as closely as possible. With all of their virtues, the thing that bothers me most about heat plates in general is that they are are hard, and they are wide open. Yep, that's it. (Well, that and I frankly just can't afford all of those other options.)

The heating pad is a soft heat - that is to say it's a heat source that also happens to be soft. It drapes all the way down the sides of the metal frame, forming a cave. A mother hen doesn't stand on her tiptoes and let the chicks just sit there in the open air space between her and them - she covers them. Light is excluded. Stimulation is excluded. It's a dark, peaceful, warm, secure place under there. And that's what we are trying to duplicate with the heating pad cave.

Does everyone have to like it? Heavens, no!! Truth be told, when I originally started the thread on using Mama Heating Pad in the brooder instead of heat lamps, I wasn't trying to "convert" anyone. I'm still not. I suggest it because I believe in it, but I certainly won't shove it down anyone's throat. I was simply saying, "Hey, this is what I did, this is who I copied (Patrice Lopatin and Beekissed), this is how I did it, and this is why I continue to use it." I never in a million years expected the response this has received, and I never imagined that so many people were as disillusioned with the conventional ways of raising chicks as I was.

So by all means, if someone is more comfortable using any other method to raise their chicks, they won't get any arguments from me. What works best is what works for them and for their chicks, be that a heat lamp, Sweeter Heater, or EcoGlow. I have learned that a lot of "chick raising" boils down to confidence, and you simply have to have confidence that you are doing the right thing for yours. When you have that, your chicks are calmer because you are calmer. And you can relax and enjoy the entire process. For me that just happens to be providing my chicks with an environment that duplicates the way a broody raises her chicks.

 

[3riverschick]

Blooie wrote:
For me that just happens to be providing my chicks with an environment that duplicates the way a broody raises her chicks.
-------------
And that's just fine, Blooie. I like the adjustability of the Sweeter Heater. wall, floor, roof, up or down. And I like the ability to choose the size I like. One thing I won't be doing again is ever using a red 250 heat bulb. For me it will be either a Sweeter Heater or a soft white incandescent bulb. I just like to spread the heat around a bit more than the heating pad cave.
Best,
Karen

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I don't use the 250 watt red bulbs either, I use the 125 watt. I personally like my heat lamp, I brood out in a shed and I can see the light from the house and I know it's working without needing to go out and check it.

 

[3riverschick]

I don't use the 250 watt red bulbs either, I use the 125 watt. I personally like my heat lamp, I brood out in a shed and I can see the light from the house and I know it's working without needing to go out and check it.

Hi,
I used 85 watt incandescent white blub in a ceramic socket with hood on a 125 gallon plastic tub and it worked great. I duct taped a wooden pole across the top of an IV pole I got at the Salvation Army and affixed the light to the pole. The IV pole adjusts up and down with a twist of the pole.
Best,
Karen

 

[alisan]

Doing a little shopping is probably a good idea.  My husband, who is an electrician with 49 years of hands-on experience, told me when I first started this NOT to use the heating pad we had stashed in with the medical stuff.  He said that age can make the old wires in them brittle and possibly cause a fire.  Chances are slim, but not worth taking in my mind.  Walmart carries the smaller sized pad, and a couple of MHP users have found the larger ones at Walmart and/or Walgreens if you'd rather check there before you order online.  It will say right on the box that it can be switched to "continuous on" and the control is digital from 1 to 6, which I like for fine tuning the heat, depending on what the chicks tell me they need.

Also a good way to fine tune heat is to get a inline temp plug that u can set. Mine turns off heat pad if it gets over 95 and turns it on if it gets below 80. I can reset those temps as they get older

 

[jconnon]

Will the heating pad method work well for ducklings as well? I am getting 4 ducklings next week and need to set up a brooder and the heating pad sounds like a good idea. I am not sure they would need it for long with the the weather warming up here but I would think I would need something like this for a few weeks.

 

[lazy gardener]

I see no reason why it wouldn't work well. You might want to post your ? on Blooie's thread to see what others have done. I know one poster used a HP for goslings, and it worked well. He had to make some adaptation due to different bird size and shape.

 

[mundosle]

After a long search and reviewing this thread, I found a plant heater with several heat settings and a non-stop/24 hour time setting. I am in Spain, but I am sure they have the same on Amazon everywhere. Cheers!