I perfer brooder plates-heres why...

[Pampered chicken girl]

When I first got chicks I assumed it was normal to use a heat lamp for them to stay warm I soon realized my tricks were extremely warm and that my heat lamp was already two feet off the bottom of the brooder just to make the temperature the correct for my one week old chicks. I did some research and decided to switch to a heating plate and I am so glad that I did. It allowed them to make a decision whether they were hot or cold and either go under the plate or not, it also was comforting for them to be able to go under something to get warm just like they would go under Mama hen to get warm if they were being raised by a broody. The fire risk was also lower and because they were in my house this was a especially good thing. I never used a thermometer underneath the brooder I knew when they needed it raised because they would start sleeping out from underneath it so I knew they were hot if they were all cuddled underneath it I would move it down. Plus if you're raising a small amount of chicks normal 250 watt heat lamps will make it too warm for your small brood I had four chicks and a 250 watt bulb so it was clear that they were to warm.
Here are the reasons stated plainly:
1. Lower fire risk
2. More natural and comforting for chicks
3. Allows then to get out of the heat whenever they want
4.lower over heating risk
5. Cheaper in long run ( heat plate may be expensive but they cost far less to run then a bulb)
So if you are a new chick owner or are getting some soon I hope this helps!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Thanks for sharing

 

[NatJ]

When I first got chicks I assumed it was normal to use a heat lamp for them to stay warm I soon realized my tricks were extremely warm and that my heat lamp was already two feet off the bottom of the brooder just to make the temperature the correct for my one week old chicks. I did some research and decided to switch to a heating plate and I am so glad that I did. It allowed them to make a decision whether they were hot or cold and either go under the plate or not, it also was comforting for them to be able to go under something to get warm just like they would go under Mama hen to get warm if they were being raised by a broody. The fire risk was also lower and because they were in my house this was a especially good thing. I never used a thermometer underneath the brooder I knew when they needed it raised because they would start sleeping out from underneath it so I knew they were hot if they were all cuddled underneath it I would move it down. Plus if you're raising a small amount of chicks normal 250 watt heat lamps will make it too warm for your small brood I had four chicks and a 250 watt bulb so it was clear that they were to warm.
Here are the reasons stated plainly:
1. Lower fire risk
2. More natural and comforting for chicks
3. Allows then to get out of the heat whenever they want
4.lower over heating risk
5. Cheaper in long run ( heat plate may be expensive but they cost far less to run then a bulb)
So if you are a new chick owner or are getting some soon I hope this helps!

For many brooder setups, I agree that a heat plate is better than a heat lamp, for the same reasons you listed.

However, if you are ever stuck with just a heat lamp, you can fix the "too hot" problem by using a very LARGE brooder. By very large, I mean at least 6 feet in one direction, with the heat lamp all the way at one end. That give the chicks enough cool space, so they can get away from the heat. Of course, that does not help with the fire risk or the amount of electricity used.

 

[3KillerBs]

IMO, both have their appropriate uses.

Heat lamps are better for large setups with larger numbers of chicks (like prefab coops, brooder plates claim to serve more chicks than they actually can -- because those numbers are for new hatchlings, not month-old chicks). So if you're raising 25+ at a time the brooder plate might not cut it.

Additionally, brooder plates often have a limit on how low an ambient temperature they can be used in.

But, conversely, in a very large, very well-ventilated brooder it might not be possible for the heat lamp to raise the temperature enough.

You can see in this thread how I ended up having to use dual heat with a heat lamp and a brooder plate to deal with temperatures below 20F. https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...ay-night-so-im-nervous-advice-wanted.1514590/

Alternately, I could have, with time and parts, built an Ohio Brooder: https://www.plamondon.com/wp/build-200-chick-brooder-two-hours-20/

The fire hazard of heat lamps can be minimized by:

• SECURING the lamp firmly with wire or chain instead of using the stupid, worthless clamp.
• Using it in an adequately large space.
• Keeping it at an appropriate distance from anything flammable.
• CLEANING it to prevent a build-up of flammable dust from the bedding and the chicks' own dander.

That said, what I like best about my heat plate is that I'm not constantly going out to the brooder to adjust the heat lamp -- raising and lowering it on the chain, swapping out bulbs of different wattages, etc.

Even the past 2 weeks with daytime highs varying from 80F to 98F and nightime lows varying from 78F to 68F I didn't have to adjust anything for my new-hatched chicks. They quickly learned where the warm place was and go in and out as they please.

That's so much easier and I don't have to worry about being at work and unable to make a change when it was needed.

This photo is from May, before I took the heat lamp out completely. It's a 4x8 space with 16 square feet of 24/7/365 ventilation at the tops of the walls and up to 10 square feet of additional ventilation one the door and at the end wall.

 

[BelovedBirds]

When I first got chicks I assumed it was normal to use a heat lamp for them to stay warm I soon realized my tricks were extremely warm and that my heat lamp was already two feet off the bottom of the brooder just to make the temperature the correct for my one week old chicks. I did some research and decided to switch to a heating plate and I am so glad that I did. It allowed them to make a decision whether they were hot or cold and either go under the plate or not, it also was comforting for them to be able to go under something to get warm just like they would go under Mama hen to get warm if they were being raised by a broody. The fire risk was also lower and because they were in my house this was a especially good thing. I never used a thermometer underneath the brooder I knew when they needed it raised because they would start sleeping out from underneath it so I knew they were hot if they were all cuddled underneath it I would move it down. Plus if you're raising a small amount of chicks normal 250 watt heat lamps will make it too warm for your small brood I had four chicks and a 250 watt bulb so it was clear that they were to warm.
Here are the reasons stated plainly:
1. Lower fire risk
2. More natural and comforting for chicks
3. Allows then to get out of the heat whenever they want
4.lower over heating risk
5. Cheaper in long run ( heat plate may be expensive but they cost far less to run then a bulb)
So if you are a new chick owner or are getting some soon I hope this helps!

I used a brooder plate instead of a heat lamp for my two ducklings, I tilted it, to accommodate for a small age gap, and they chose which side to go under. It worked perfectly. I doubted its use for ducklings because of how fast they grow, and my brooder plate wasn't huge. But my oldest stopped using the heater just before my youngest, so she had it to herself while her feathers started to come in. There was never a time that both used it and didnt fit. Then I removed it. It worked pretty perfectly!
I loved it for the same reasons as you, they were able to shelter under it like with a mama. I taught both how to use it, since both imprinted on me. I remember cupping my hand over them gently, under the brooder plate. Then once they fell asleep, I removed my hand and closed the brooder up. Sometimes I'd sing while doing this every night. And it worked! Even when they were bigger, I could sing to them or hum a tune, and they'd go underneath and sleep. It was just very sweet.
If ever I get more ducklings or get chicks, I'll definitely use a brooder plate again.
I can see the appeal of heat lamps, but for smaller brooders and less chicks, I think brooder plates make a lot of sense.

 

[NatJ]

That said, what I like best about my heat plate is that I'm not constantly going out to the brooder to adjust the heat lamp -- raising and lowering it on the chain, swapping out bulbs of different wattages, etc.

Adjusting the heat lamp? In the 4x8 brooder you are showing? I would not bother.

I would just put in a 250 watt bulb, secure it in one corner of the space, and leave it there until they no longer need it. They can adjust their own temperature by moving closer to it or further away.

I would probably have the feeder and waterer in a spot near the heat lamp at first, and move them to about the middle of the pen after a few days or a week.

Yes, I've done it that way plenty of times. The chicks are really good at moving toward or away from the heat. Having a single corner "too hot" does no harm, when they have plenty of space to move away.

 

[3KillerBs]

Adjusting the heat lamp? In the 4x8 brooder you are showing? I would not bother.

I would just put in a 250 watt bulb, secure it in one corner of the space, and leave it there until they no longer need it. They can adjust their own temperature by moving closer to it or further away.

I would probably have the feeder, and waterer in a spot near the heat lamp at first, and move them to about the middle of the pen after a few days or a week.

Yes, I've done it that way plenty of times. The chicks are really good at moving toward or away from the heat. Having a single corner "too hot" does no harm, when they have plenty of space to move away.

When the ambient temperature is over 90F it's really necessary to turn off even a 60W reptile bulb. 100F+ in the brooder isn't a happy situation. (I always kept a thermometer at chick height under the bulb and another at chick height next to the wall).

I only ever used the 250w bulb for the March hatch. Most of the time the 150 was plenty, or even too much -- thus the 100 and the 60.

There was a LOT of bulb and chain juggling in April, May, September, and October when days were 85-90 in the afternoon but nights were down to 45.

My lamp placement in that unit is limited by the structure capable of supporting it (if we'd have built it we'd have done it differently -- including not making it only 4 feet tall), and likewise I have to have the feed and water where I can reach them.

With a better designed space and a different climate your suggestion would surely have worked.

P.S. I wasn't able to get a photo because opening the door disturbs them, but on those hot nights the current chicks were sleeping in a line about 2" outside the edge of the brooder plate. Just close enough, I guess, that they get a little warmth. Or, at least, a feeling of security?

Then the night the temperature dropped they scooted under.

 

[Pampered chicken girl]

@3KillerBs @NatJ, both of those are good points, heat lamps are good for people who have large or outdoor brooders but in a scenario of a smaller or indoor brooder heat lamps get too hot even the 60 watt reptile bulbs. If you have so many chicks it won't fit under a brooder you probably have a big enough brooder box to use a heat lamp.

 

[3KillerBs]

@3KillerBs @NatJ, both of those are good points, heat lamps are good for people who have large or outdoor brooders but in a scenario of a smaller or indoor brooder heat lamps get too hot even the 60 watt reptile bulbs. If you have so many chicks it won't fit under a brooder you probably have a big enough brooder box to use a heat lamp.

There are no one-size-fits-all solutions.

 

[Pampered chicken girl]

There are no one-size-fits-all solutions.

So true