Is anyone using the Premier "heat plate" brooder for chicks?

[Beekissed]

I replaced the broody pillow with a thin, stretchy, old fleece pillow case and it was much better...that's what I'll be using. The heating pad I'm using doesn't have a plastic side or area as it's built into a velour/velux type pad that cannot be removed. Surprisingly, though, this entire pad can be machine washed...it unplugs entirely from the power cord for this purpose. Never saw a heating pad this nice!

 

[LindaB220]

I replaced the broody pillow with a thin, stretchy, old fleece pillow case and it was much better...that's what I'll be using. The heating pad I'm using doesn't have a plastic side or area as it's built into a velour/velux type pad that cannot be removed. Surprisingly, though, this entire pad can be machine washed...it unplugs entirely from the power cord for this purpose. Never saw a heating pad this nice!

What kind is it again?

 

[Beekissed]

It's Sunbeam brand and it can be had at Walmart. The top part of the pad is made from this plush material and the bottom is a brown color with instructions written upon it, but still very soft to touch. It's supposed to be bigger than most heating pads and the box says it's 12x15 but I measured it and it's only 12x14. The one I'm using for the nest/brooder has been in continuous use since this experiment started. I'll also be using one to warm my seedlings I'll be starting inside the house...my bedroom is certainly getting put to use this winter for some things at least!

I've kept my FF bucket in there this winter, I'm doing these nests in there and I'm sprouting seedlings in there on that window seat this spring as well. Every once in awhile I actually go to sleep there.....

 

[Chickens R Us]

I have been having some troubles with Premier lately (the company not their plate, as I still don't have it-but I should)

Around two weeks ago, I got a phone call from a very nice lady that worked at premier. I had just got my 2 waterers and heat plate cover a few hours before. She called to confirm my card number. I asked why they needed my card number again. She said that once they ship out part of the shipment, their system got rid of the card number. So I gave it to her and she said that my leg bands and heating plate would be shipped out March 1st. Which would of worked out great as I am expecting chicks from a breeder, but do not know the exact date (March or April). I posted awhile back that I was not happy with my heating cover, as it wasn't what I was expecting. Well it was not worth it to ship it back, so here it is sitting in its box in my bedroom. Not too long ago I had decided to email premier to see what the hold up was with my shipment. I was going to last weekend, but was helping some family move. Today I sat down and decided I would get to work on that email. Ironically I just got a call from premier. They said they had my leg bands in, but their was a problem with them. Apparently the numbers rub off. So now I would just 25 blue leg bands, 25 green leg bands, and so on without any numbering. She asked if I still wanted them or if I would want to wait for the back order. I asked how long the back order would be. She said she didn't know, it would be until the resolved the problem with the numbers. So it could be a week it could be months. I can live without the numbers so I agreed to accept them. I just wanted to use the colors to mark generations. She asked me for my card number again. I asked why. She said there system whipped it out again. Odd because they haven't shipped me anything else since I last gave them my card number. She said they declined my card. I have never had any problems with my card. She retyped it and for some reason it worked (good because I was about to flip). I asked if she knew when my heat plate was going to come. She said it would ship out April 1st. I explained to her how I placed my order in Feb. when it was only back ordered to March 1st, how I had been told that it was going to be shipped out March 1st, and how I purposely ordered over $100 of merchandise, because I didn't want to pay shipping. She said that I still won't have to pay shipping. And that my heating plate would be shipped out April 1st! Next it is going to be June first and I will already have chicks. I don't want to have to use a heating lamp and I am already in the time frame of when my chicks should be here and am heat plateless.

This has me concerned because my heat plate was back ordered until March 31st. After reading your post it sounds like I probably won't be getting mine until much later. I am doing a Memorial weekend hatch so I ordered mine in plenty of time to receive it by hatch time, so I thought. I will be calling them today to see the status of my order. I also ordered the plate cover not exactly what I thought it would be and I don't want to send it back, but I think it would be perfect as a seed starter cover.

 

[Chickens R Us]

I just got off the phone from Premier and my order is to ship April 1st. Keeping my fingers crossed.

 

[jbher]

I just got off the phone from Premier and my order is to ship April 1st. Keeping my fingers crossed.

I hope yours AND mine ships the 1st!! That's what they told me on the phone when I ordered 3 of them last week... eeeeek. Fingers crossed for all of us that have orders in!

 

[Beekissed]

You can always cancel the order, get a heating pad at Wally World and save yourself $40 and a ton of worry.

 

[henless]

You can always cancel the order, get a heating pad at Wally World and save yourself $40 and a ton of worry.

Really love your heating pad idea!

 

[aart]

I MacGyver'd a pseudo brooder heater plate using a heating pad if anyone wants to see it.

 

[debp]

This has me concerned because my heat plate was back ordered until March 31st. After reading your post it sounds like I probably won't be getting mine until much later. I am doing a Memorial weekend hatch so I ordered mine in plenty of time to receive it by hatch time, so I thought. I will be calling them today to see the status of my order. I also ordered the plate cover not exactly what I thought it would be and I don't want to send it back, but I think it would be perfect as a seed starter cover.

I suspect that all of us waiting for heat plates, whether we ordered back in Feb. when they were back-ordered to March 1 or later are waiting for the same shipment from Holland. I don' t think the March 1 shipment came- that was the impression I got when I talked to someone at Premeir. I am hoping that when that next shipment arrives, all of us who have ordered will be sent our heating plates. What concerns me a little is the multiple requests for card numbers - although, if the company is deleting card numbers from their system as orders are shipped, that is actually a good protective measure against possible hacking of their site, it would seem to me.