Is this really how a brooder heat plate should be?

[SoCal Chicken Mama]

I used a Producer's Pride brooder plate and it is warm to the touch when on "brooder" setting, but not hot. It also has a "heater" setting, which is warmer, but still would hot burn me if I touched it. I've heard if they never go near it, they don't need it, but mine don't seem to be there at week 3 with cooler nights outdoors.

 

[TeresaW]

I used a Producer's Pride brooder plate and it is warm to the touch when on "brooder" setting, but not hot. It also has a "heater" setting, which is warmer, but still would hot burn me if I touched it. I've heard if they never go near it, they don't need it, but mine don't seem to be there at week 3 with cooler nights outdoors.

That weird because I have one of those and even on the brooder setting it's too hot for me to touch the underside of it.

 

[SoCal Chicken Mama]

They are nearly laying age now. I kept the brooder in their outside coop (on 7 pm to 7 am) until they all got feathers on their heads (6 weeks?), but they seemed to not want it much sooner than that.