Sweeter Heater vs Premier1 Heating Plate

Heater Update!

Yesterday, my brother and I spent several hours remodeling my existing brooder to incorporate the new heater. We built a shelf into the wall and used screw-in cup hooks to hang the heater from two chains so one long side hangs flush against the wall. We then built a new sliding partition that is flush with one of the short sides of the heater (I always partition a smaller section of my brooder off when I first get the chicks to keep them closer to their heat source; last year I just screwed a big piece of cardboard temporarily into the wall--this sliding wooden panel is much nicer :lol:). We also built a "false wall" on the other side of the heater so that it is flush against a third side (so three sides of the heater are boxed in, with the front open). The false wall was only needed because of the way the front of my brooder is built--it would have been simpler without it, but I would have had to de-construct and re-construct the brooder's existing front panel to make it flush with the heater. But at least when the false wall is no longer needed, it is also easily removable by removing a couple of screws.

I'll try to post pics tomorrow. I know my description above probably doesn't make any sense without seeing it! :D But I had to share an update...I'm excited! T-minus 18 days until ship day!:jumpy:celebrate:jumpy And then I'll know if this heater was worth it!
 
I like to keep all 4 sides open for egress.
Don't want them getting stuck under there if they get too warm.

I completely understand this! I appreciate you for bringing this up. I decided to close in the three sides on the recommendation of the manufacturer for temps in the 20s and 30s. I'll be sure to monitor their behavior and make sure they're comfortable. If they're too warm, I can raise one or both ends of the heater or modify my design. Based on my testing with the heater, though, I'm more concerned with them getting chilled than getting too hot. I'll also only have ten the first week while I'm figuring things out (I'm letting my friend and her kids babysit a few), so I think they'll have room to move away from the heat if they desire--the open side is 16 inches across. I figure if they like, they can all lie down by the open edge of the heater pretty comfortably. I'll still keep a close eye on them.
 
Here are the pics!

View of my brooder from the front. I can't remember the exact specs but I think it's approximately 44" by 38" when the partition is removed. The hinged screen door side is covered in what I think is 1/4" hardware cloth (we made it a very long time ago--it originally was the door for a really nifty chinchilla cage my dad built over a decade ago...later repurposed as a chicken brooder door). The wooden side is a piece of plywood that can be lifted off as needed (it's not screwed in).
Brooder 11.jpg


Door open, giving a better view of the new wooden partition we installed yesterday. The plywood slides up and out (well, as long as the screen door isn't screwed in--something I didn't realize until after the fact...whoops. I think I could also remove the partition by unscrewing one of the wooden channel pieces and getting it out at an angle. Not the best design, but it's not a huge deal to me--I take most of this brooder apart regularly since this is a multi-purpose space in my coop. Once the chicks are large enough, I remove the top doors and the front panel to give them the full space of this pen. And after brooding time, this area is my storage closet.)
Brooder 10.jpg


Door open, wooden side of the top also removed. On the right is the new shelf we installed. It's about 17 or so inches across. Hanging underneath is the heater. On the lower right is the "false wall" we added, to keep heat in. We blocked off the little empty gap this new wall created to ensure that no fluffies got lost in it.
Brooder 2.jpg


View of the underside of the shelf, showing the shelf brackets, hooks, and chains. You can also see how the heater is boxed in on three sides by plywood. Pardon the hilarious alignment of the brackets. I wanted one bracket in a wall stud, but that resulted in an uneven spacing of the brackets (which of course probably undermines the fact that one is in a stud). Secondly, we had to move the right bracket in when we realized that we needed more space for the false wall. I got cheap brackets that had as much clearance as possible for the heater to be raised as the chicks grow. The cup hooks were from our junk drawer. The chain is double-loop chain rated for 90lb (plenty of margin for my 4lb heater :lol:).
Brooder 4.jpeg


View of the heater from a (tall) chick's point-of-view:
Brooder 9.jpeg


Now all it's missing is a good layer of paper towels, feeder and waterers, and of course...chicks! I'm also planning to probably add a low-level light in the coop, at least for a couple of days, while the chicks are getting oriented to their new surroundings.
 
Guys, my chicks are on their way! They flew the coop in Ohio yesterday morning! :celebrate

The brooder is ready and waiting for them (minus a few last things like plugging in a reading light and filling up the waterers):
tempImageYou1tl.png


Night-time temperatures for the next few days will be in the 30s to 40s, so we will truly be putting this new heater to the test. If the chicks seem uncomfortable, I'm prepared to scoop them all up and move them into our house, so we shall see what happens.
 
Guys, my chicks are on their way! They flew the coop in Ohio yesterday morning! :celebrate

The brooder is ready and waiting for them (minus a few last things like plugging in a reading light and filling up the waterers):View attachment 2627079

Night-time temperatures for the next few days will be in the 30s to 40s, so we will truly be putting this new heater to the test. If the chicks seem uncomfortable, I'm prepared to scoop them all up and move them into our house, so we shall see what happens.
Did you get some rooster booster for the water to use the first day?
 
Welp...chicks are here :ya and I put them out in their prepared and preheated brooder after I brought them home from the post office, but it was quickly apparent that they were not warm enough. :hmm It was about 32 outside this morning and the pets’ water bowl on the deck had frozen over overnight.

Sooo...we set up a temporary brooder for them indoors, and moved them and their heater into the house. It’s more fun this way, but a bummer that the setup in the coop didn’t work. I could feel that at least some of their feet were cold when I was picking them up out of the outdoor brooder and it took them a while to warm up once I brought them inside. They were shivering and looked pretty miserable. Now, though, they are bustling around their little dog kennel brooder between warmup sessions and seem much happier. Hopefully the weather will warm up by the time they are ready to move to a bigger space and I can put them back outdoors.

And of course, here are the obligatory chick pics:
 

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