Exactly.
As I said, I just couldn’t justify spending a lot for something that gets used so infrequently. Bonus with the heating pad I use - it’s totally washable! Take off the power cord, toss the pad part into the washer, lay it flat to dry and store it flat, and it can be used on your own aches and pains between batches of chicks......hubby is sitting in the recliner with our large one on his shoulder as I type. Try that with a commercial heat plate or heat lamp!
As far as reliable, it is just as reliable as any other electrical device. I monitored like crazy the first time I did it. Now it’s pretty much set it and forget it. My chicks go outside into a wire brooder pen in the run at just a couple of days old and all I really do is feed and water. I can tell at a glance how they are...if they are running in and out, exploring and eating, lounging on top of it or beside it, they are fine. If they don’t go under, it’s probably too warm and I turn it down a notch. If they are huddled and giving that distressed cheeping sound, they are probably chilly and I either turn it up a notch and scoot them under or lower the frame a bit. It should be at the level of their backs, and raised as they grow.
I should also note that it ain’t warm here during normal “spring chick season”, often with daytime highs in the upper twenties, dropping into the teens sometimes, with snow and winds. If MHP wasn’t reliable, I’d never have raised a single batch this way, nor would the ever- growing group of other users.
