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.
