Lighting with Eco-glow brooder

[loveclucks]

Thank you, I may go that route instead. Is the small one (12x12) enough for 15 chicks?

 

[ladycat]

Thank you, I may go that route instead. Is the small one (12x12) enough for 15 chicks?

Plenty big. It's bigger than the eco-glow. I use the eco-glow in the house and the Premier plates out in the barn in the big brooders.

 

[Alabama Jack]

I like how the premier is open on 4 sides. Didn't know about this one when I ordered the eccoglow.

 

[AKfishchic]

Thanks for the info, folks. I wasn't aware of the Premier plate and was going to order the Eco-Glow. I may have 12-16 chicks in March so I think this will be perfect. Has anyone put theirs outside in a coop? I live in AK and think this might help take the chill out in early spring.

 

[lazy gardener]

Double check the heating specs of both brands of plates. I think some of them have a dis-claimer for use in very cold temps.

 

[Alabama Jack]

Looks like the premier runs hotter. Which isn't necessarily a good thing, but it could be.

 

[henless]

I have a premier heat plate that I used last year with my chicks. I kept them in a cardboard brooder outside in my husbands shop. The outside temp would get into the low 20's, and the temp in the shop would get to the upper 20's. They did fine with just the premier as their only source of heat. Their brooder for the first couple of weeks was a cardboard watermelon box from Walmart.




Can you believe, there are 21 chicks under the premier? It's the small one, since they were out of the larger one when I ordered it. It worked perfectly! I love, love, love it!!



Here's the in coop brooder they stayed in from about 2 weeks on. I would have put them in it from the start, but it wasn't quite ready when we got them at the end of Feb. last year.

 

[loveclucks]

Thanks for the advise. I am going to save some money and get the Premier instead of the Ecoglow.

 

[scflock]

I just wanted to give my first impressions after my first weekend with new chicks under the ecoglow. It warmed the chicks just like I expected, and pretty much lived up to what I had read on the reviews. I think fitting 20 under it would be a stretch after a week or two, but I only have 12 this time, so I should be good.
The thing I have noticed, that I haven't read about, is how much more calm and tame these chicks are than any I have reared under lamps. Under a lamp, my chicks have always flitted and tried to get away when I came in from above in the brooder. These chicks are much more relaxed. I know that it's the safety of having cover. They come running out as soon as they hear me come into the room, and will run right up to my hand when I put it in the brooder. Has anyone else noticed this? I love the energy savings and fire hazzard reduction, but having more relaxed chicks is a huge bonus to me

 

[ladycat]

That's one of the biggest reasons I like the plates. The chicks are much more calm and secure.