Start it on high and watch the chicks, They'll tell you if it's too warm. If they stay to the front of the cave where it's higher and cooler, then it might be bit warm. If they huddle in a small ball of fluff and feet in one spot right up against the pad and do a lot of complaint peeping, they are too cold. That old "must be 95 degrees the first week then lower by 5 degrees each week until the chickens die of old age" stuff is one of the reasons folks like this system so much - we can ignore it! Keep it simple, and you'll be happy using it. With my heating pad on 6 (high) the temperature under the cave was 82.9 degrees, far below what the experts tell us it should be. The chicks were perfectly content and grew like crazy. Just be sure that the cave is low enough at first to bring the heating pad to about the level of their backs. You can raise the frame or turn down the pad if you see that they aren't happy under there. Conversely if they are too cool, just pressing down on the center of the frame lowers it a touch, usually all you need to start hearing that contented trilling they do. I think the reason I prefer the Sunbeam X-press heat pad is because of the small changes I can make in the temperature with the digital control, from 6 down to 1.
Oh, and don't expect them to be under it all of the time - they won't be. Once they know where the warm spot is, they'll head under there if they need it. Pictures, of course, are always more than welcome!! Good luck!
