Local hatchery says never use brooder heat plate for new chicks?

[amama]

I have always used a heat lamp with red bulb, but am going with a large cardboard box brooder setup this year, (getting chicks tomorrow) and did research and want to switch to the brooder heat plates. They sound easier and safer. Then I saw our local hatchery announcement on their webpage about plates. Now I'm confused and not sure if I should buy the heat plates or not? Thanks

ATTENTION! WHEN BROODING FRESHLY HATCHED BABY POULTRY DO NOT USE HEAT PLATES OR PADS FOR HEAT SOURCE. USE HEAT LAMPS THAT SHINE DOWN VERTICALLY.

 

[Beaus plus baby Bunny]

I have always used a heat lamp with red bulb, but am going with a large cardboard box brooder setup this year, (getting chicks tomorrow) and did research and want to switch to the brooder heat plates. They sound easier and safer. Then I saw our local hatchery announcement on their webpage about plates. Now I'm confused and not sure if I should buy the heat plates or not? Thanks

ATTENTION! WHEN BROODING FRESHLY HATCHED BABY POULTRY DO NOT USE HEAT PLATES OR PADS FOR HEAT SOURCE. USE HEAT LAMPS THAT SHINE DOWN VERTICALLY.

the hatchery is speaking nonsense heat plates and pads are generally safer and provide more reliable heat.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

I have heard this too. I think shipped chicks are weaker or more vulnerable due to shipping so the idea is to heat them up quicker while also getting them eating and drinking immediately which is harder to do simultaneously with a heat plate.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I have always used a heat lamp with red bulb

That's the way I do it. I brood outside in a large brooder in both cooler and warmer weather, sometimes with a 240 watt bulb, sometimes a 75. I don't know how you were brooding before but as you are changing it is a good time to consider alternatives.

Then I saw our local hatchery announcement on their webpage about plates.

Call them and ask them why. See if it makes sense to you in your circumstances. Heat plates are probably the favorite method of adding heat to a brooder used on this forum. The problems I'm aware of with them are some are not recommended if the ambient temperature falls below 50 F (18 C) and they are only good for a limited number of chicks. When they talk about how any chicks they can handle they are more likely talking about day-old chicks, not 4-week-old chicks.

I brood outside in the heat of summer or sometimes when the ambient temperature is below freezing. I typically have 20 chicks at a time or more. I consider a heat lamp the way to go for my circumstances. I do not know enough about your circumstances to have an opinion on what is best for you.

 

[nuthatched]

Heat plates are too cool to bring chilly shipped chicks up to heat quickly, I'd start with a light then switch to a plate if necessary.
Most hatcheries reccomended heat lamps for the first 48 hours.

 

[BY Bob]

I have used both and the heat plate has worked wonderfully with shipped chicks. I assume because this is a local hatchery you will be picking them up.

How will you be transporting them? I have had great success with those hand warmer packet designed to put in your pockets to keep your hands warm in the winter. I wrap it in a washcloth and the chicks will sit on it if they get cold during transport.

I have a friend @RoyalChick who used this method to transport chicks over 6 hours by car and then put them with a heat plate and there were no ill effects.

I highly recommend heat plates. They allow the chicks to get heat when they want or need it not all the time and there is no risk of fire. I also find much less pasty butt with heat plates.

 

[RoyalChick]

I have used both and the heat plate has worked wonderfully with shipped chicks. I assume because this is a local hatchery you will be picking them up.

How will you be transporting them? I have had great success with those hand warmer packet designed to put in your pockets to keep your hands warm in the winter. I wrap it in a washcloth and the chicks will sit on it if they get cold during transport.

I have a friend @RoyalChick who used this method to transport chicks over 6 hours by car and then put them with a heat plate and there were no ill effects.

I highly recommend heat plates. They allow the chicks to get heat when they want or need it not all the time and there is no risk of fire. I also find much less pasty butt with heat plates.

I too am a big fan of heat plates.
As Bob mentioned I drove to collect my last batch of chicks from a big hatchery.
The journey back in the car was closer to 8 hours because the chicks were quite vocal and I kept being frightened that they were cold or killing each other, so I kept pulling off the road to check on them. Each time they were totally fine and keen to explore the wider world.
They were in a small box on the passenger seat so probably 70°F ambient temperature.
I put one HotHands hand-warmer in the box after a few hours (I wrap mine up in an old sock) because i was worried we would never get nome if i had to keep pulling off the road.
When we got home I showed them where the water was and then put them under the heat plates so they could find it if they needed it.
They would pop in and out as they saw fit.