Safest brooder?

[CannedMonster]

I like the heat plates because I only have to buy it once, it has no fire risk, the chicks are calmer and are able to go underneath when they feel scared as well as cold and it allows them to have a normal day/night cycle.
They aren’t afraid of the dark and aren’t constantly waking and sleeping 24 hours which isn’t a natural state for them to be in.
The heat plate is closer to a mother hen without the hen.
I like technology that allows us to brood chicks in a more natural way.

 

[TwoShepherds]

Well, I guess I went old school. This year I repurposed one of my riding mower garden dump carts to act as the brooder. I made a wooden frame on top with 1/4" hardware mesh. I am using heat bulbs and reflectors that I purchased 20 years ago and only used for one season when I got 50 broilers. So the heat lamps and reflectors only had about 4 weeks of use.

I was seriously considering the heater plates like so many others have mentioned, but, to me, it came down to how much I wanted to invest in new brooding equipment when I already had good equipment which I could use. A 250 watt red heat lamp, which I already have 2 on hand, costs me 60 cents per day to run. That is about $4 per week. I expect to run lights for about 4 weeks where I live for this time of year. So about $16-$17 for this brooding season. Actually less, because I am going to use a 125 heat lamp starting next week. The heating plates I looked at cost $80-$100. From a cost point of view, I decided to use what I already had. If I had to buy all new equipment, I might have gone with the heating plates.

I have my garden dump cart brooder in my attached garage, and I did consider if there was a fire danger. In my case, I hang the reflector and heat lamp above the 1/4" hardware mesh which is on top of my brooder. If ever the reflector did fall off the chain, it would just drop on the mesh and never get close to the pine shavings in the brooder.

I am concerned about a light burning out at night and the chicks getting too cold, so I usually have 2 lights on at night (one 250 watt and one 125 watt). The chicks are very comfortable and I sleep well at night knowing that if one light burns out, there is another heat lamp to keep them warm. During the day I am able to check on the birds frequently, so I only have to use one lamp.

I talked to a number of people around here who have raised chicks for many years, and they all just use heat lamps. Probably because that is what they started with and have been successful. Nobody locally sells the heater plates, just the heat lamp bulbs and reflectors. One advantage of the heat lamps is that you can look in the brooder and see if the chicks are too warm or cold.

If the heater plate fails, and all your chicks are under the plate, how would you know if the chicks are in trouble? That question bothered me. All I have to do is look out into the garage and if the heat lights are still on, I don't worry.

Sorry for the long reply, but I thought someone should offer a more positive thought on using the heat lamps. In the end, I think you would be better off getting whatever system makes you more comfortable. Best wishes.

Thank you for the really thoughtful reply. You bring up some great points. That's a good idea to put hardware cloth under the lamp. The lamps are pretty cheap, if I do go with the heat plate, perhaps I should get a back up lamp just in case. It's probably too expensive to get a back up heat plate this year. I'm also worried about the power going out, and our electric outlet shorting out (we have a wonky one in the garage, so I'm thinking I might run an extension cord a few feet to an outlet in the hall that I trust more). Anyway, thanks again. I most likely wouldn't be worried about fires if we didn't have two young kids. I worry much more about things like that now!

 

[TwoShepherds]

View attachment 1761291 View attachment 1761292 I think it’s entirely possible to set up a heat light safely, but I have one of those clamp lights and it never seemed all that stable. (I had a grow light in it for seed starting.)

I have had an old heating pad for years, and it was simple to set it up on a wire frame. The chicks love it, and I have a thermometer in there I can read remotely. The temperature varies from 84-89 F. They are 1 1/2 weeks old.

One morning my two Buff Orps were inside, and my Black
Australorp and G-L Wyandotte were roosting on top, asleep. Adorable! And everybody found their preferred temp!

That is so cute! Lovely chicks! I really like that set up, it does seem like a very natural method. I also like that you can check the temperature. I was reading about the heat plates, can't remember which brand, and it said they use radiant heat, and not to try to take the temperature. It'd be nice to be able to verify that all was functioning okay, but I guess you can tell from the chicks behavior if the temp is okay.

 

[gtaus]

...That's a good idea to put hardware cloth under the lamp.

Works great as a physical barrier between the heat lamp and the pine shaving bedding. It's just a basic frame with 1/4" hardware cloth sitting on top of the garden dump cart. When I am done brooding the chicks, I will use that frame and mesh as a compost sieve the rest of the year.

... I'm also worried about the power going out...

That is one of my biggest concerns. I purchased a power fail light with alarm for less than $15.00 on Amazon.com. If the power goes out, the alarm sounds off automatically. The alarm is loud enough for me to hear inside the house because I have an attached garage. Of course, I do wish it was louder, but still, I can hear it at night when nothing else is turned on and making noise.

My garage GFCI outlets have tripped in the past (wonky outlets), but the alarm sounds off and I can just reset the outlets. I have a freezer out in my garage, so I don't want the power to go off and not know about it. My brooder lamps are on the same garage circuit, so the alarm will sound off if I lose power to the lights.

If you get the heat plate brooder, many of them are only about 18 watts. You could hook up a small computer Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) that switches over to battery power and sounds an alarm if the power goes out. Even a small UPS would power a 18 watt heat plate brooder for hours. Bonus, when done brooding the chicks, you could use the UPS to protect your computer system or other electronics.

...most likely wouldn't be worried about fires if we didn't have two young kids. I worry much more about things like that now!

Yes, and paying extra for a device that reduces the chance of a fire makes perfect sense. I do think the way I have my lights above the wire mesh eliminates any worry I have of an accidental fire.

For me, even if I had the more expensive heat plate brooder, I would still want a backup system just in case one device failed. Chances of a failure are small, but when the outside temp is +32F, or lower, at night here in northern Minnesota, I really would not sleep well at night without some backup system. If I had waited until June to get my chicks, it would not be as much of a concern as the nights would be much warmer.

 

[Acre4Me]

When we’ve used heat lamps, they are doubly secured. We found a good deal on a heat plate on Amazon (a large one), and we really like it: easily adjustable, low wattage, provides day night cycle bc no light. But, the heat lamp has been a good option too. We recently had momma hen raised chicks in the barn. As they got bigger, and it was still frightfully cold outside (and they were in unheated barn with momma), We set up a heat lamp above the corner of the brooder. They used momma for main heat, but often would take turns on the roost under the heat lamp.

We just got 28 baby chicks this week. No momma hen, so they are in the brooder with the heat plate and doing well.

Good luck.

 

[TwoShepherds]

Works great as a physical barrier between the heat lamp and the pine shaving bedding. It's just a basic frame with 1/4" hardware cloth sitting on top of the garden dump cart. When I am done brooding the chicks, I will use that frame and mesh as a compost sieve the rest of the year.



That is one of my biggest concerns. I purchased a power fail light with alarm for less than $15.00 on Amazon.com. If the power goes out, the alarm sounds off automatically. The alarm is loud enough for me to hear inside the house because I have an attached garage. Of course, I do wish it was louder, but still, I can hear it at night when nothing else is turned on and making noise.

My garage GFCI outlets have tripped in the past (wonky outlets), but the alarm sounds off and I can just reset the outlets. I have a freezer out in my garage, so I don't want the power to go off and not know about it. My brooder lamps are on the same garage circuit, so the alarm will sound off if I lose power to the lights.

If you get the heat plate brooder, many of them are only about 18 watts. You could hook up a small computer Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) that switches over to battery power and sounds an alarm if the power goes out. Even a small UPS would power a 18 watt heat plate brooder for hours. Bonus, when done brooding the chicks, you could use the UPS to protect your computer system or other electronics.



Yes, and paying extra for a device that reduces the chance of a fire makes perfect sense. I do think the way I have my lights above the wire mesh eliminates any worry I have of an accidental fire.

For me, even if I had the more expensive heat plate brooder, I would still want a backup system just in case one device failed. Chances of a failure are small, but when the outside temp is +32F, or lower, at night here in northern Minnesota, I really would not sleep well at night without some backup system. If I had waited until June to get my chicks, it would not be as much of a concern as the nights would be much warmer.

An alarm would be great for peace of mind, and would be useful beyond chick-rearing, so definitely will be thinking about one of those. We also have a chest freezer that has tripped the circuit before. We've been having highs in the mid-80s, lows in the 60s lately. Not too bad, but can get a little chilly at night. I think the next time I go to tractor supply, I'll pick up a heat lamp also, just in case.

 

[TwoShepherds]

When we’ve used heat lamps, they are doubly secured. We found a good deal on a heat plate on Amazon (a large one), and we really like it: easily adjustable, low wattage, provides day night cycle bc no light. But, the heat lamp has been a good option too. We recently had momma hen raised chicks in the barn. As they got bigger, and it was still frightfully cold outside (and they were in unheated barn with momma), We set up a heat lamp above the corner of the brooder. They used momma for main heat, but often would take turns on the roost under the heat lamp.

We just got 28 baby chicks this week. No momma hen, so they are in the brooder with the heat plate and doing well.

Good luck.

Thank you for sharing. It's nice to know that your chicks are all doing well under the heat plate. These are my first chicks, and most of the research I've done on rearing chicks involves the heat lamp, so it makes me a bit nervous to change my plan. However, the majority of the online reviews I've found seem positive. I ordered a large one too. Unfortunately, they were out of medium. This one is probably bigger than I need with only twelve chicks, but I figured they could use it even when they were somewhat larger.

 

[CannedMonster]

I like to adjust the legs on mine after about a week so that one side is lower than the other. That works well if you have breeds that are different sizes too.

If I want to check to see if my heat plate is working I just check the red light on it or put my hand underneath a feel it.
Sometimes it may not feel all that warm to you but as long as the chicks are behaving normally (going back and forth from heat plate to food/water; exploring, etc) you know everything is okay.
I have run an extension cord out to the coop outside and brooded chicks from about 2 weeks old outside with the heat plate.
I’ve done this with 3 batches of chicks now and it works great.
You’ll do fine and you’ll be amazed at how fast they grow.

 

[gtaus]

...and would be useful beyond chick-rearing...

Most of my brooding equipment can be used after chick-rearing. The utility garden dump cart brooder will be used year round for yard work. The 1/4" mess hardware cloth on the top frame will serve as a compost sieve for the rest of the year. The brooder lamp reflectors can be used to grow plants with a different bulb. And my electric power off alarms are used year round in the garage because I have a freezer out there. My chick waterers and feeders are about the only thing that gets put away and not used for anything else.

I am currently planning/building a walk-in shed style chicken coop so that if I ever stop raising birds, I can convert it into a nice garden shed.

 

[PolergirlOH]

That's awesome! That's just one more chick than I'm getting. What size did you use, if you don't mind me asking? I ordered a large just to be on the safe side. I think I'd have gotten a medium but they were on back order. The heating pad seems like a really great set up also, but this just looks so simple....

Well I *was* only going to have 8-10 chicks so I bought and used the one for 15 chicks - XS or S, I can’t remember. But then chicken math put more into my shopping cart. By the time they truly outgrew it they were old enough to self regulate, generate a little of their own heat, and cuddle together.