Again..disclaimer.... I may only use this one season and if I decide to keep doing meat birds I will likely purchase the large Premier plate. It is 24x16. If I know I'm going to use if over the long-haul I'd rather use an item made for that purpose and the price won't be so prohibitive if I get many seasons of use out of it.
I had 4 sides open still squished chicks again only the bantams , and I only use a 75 watt bulb about 1 ft above the chicks so only the spot I want gets warm not the whole tote. About 95 directly under lamp and 75 and other end of tote. It is all about what works for you.
I had 4 sides open still squished chicks again only the bantams , and I only use a 75 watt bulb about 1 ft above the chicks so only the spot I want gets warm not the whole tote. About 95 directly under lamp and 75 and other end of tote. It is all about what works for you.
That's good to know on the bantams. I try to set things up so I can see under it but that doesn't always work (I cut a little window out of the cardboard box if brooding that way to see in from the side.) I like to be flexible and have a "plan B" if needed
Wow, thanks everyone, lot to think about, thank you Leahs Mom, you whittled down my thoughts, if I decide to switch at some point. I will take the wall plates I saw off my list to consider.
I wondered about brooding bigger groups and them trying to all get under the same pad, I can see the flat ones wouldn't cause the same problem as the curved pad. I always wondered if at night when chickens don't move, what about one that's stuck in the middle of the curved pad and wants out. I'm assuming curved ones aren't good for anything but small batches.
With the Premier heat plate, all sides are open so if there is any "squishing" they can escape through any side. I like that even better than the Brinsea EcoGlow because with the Brinsea, 2 sides are enclosed and there isn't as much leeway for precise adjustment of height as with the Premier.
RE the heating pad - You can make it on a rigid frame to mimic the Premier plates so that they can escape from all sides. Some of the folks are making them tightly enclosed which seems like it could be a "death trap" for weaker or smaller chicks.
Using the Premier as a pattern, and using examples that @aart and @henless made with heat pads is the best design in my opinion.
I post these photos with "reservations" as I already stated: 1. I haven't used it yet. 2. I am very cautious about recommending that someone should use a heat pad that wasn't designed for this use.
With those disclaimers up front, here is how I put together the heat pad for the meat chicks.
We have tons of the closet shelving material that my husband nabbed when it was being thrown away at work. So use the shelving cut to exact length of the heat pad. Aart and Henless have frames that are made from other things but they are also rigid with varying types of legs.
Adjustable legs made with carriage bolts and large 2" washers and a wing nut on top.
8" Long, 1/2" Diameter Carriage Bolts; 2" Diameter washers; regular nut below and wing nut on top.
Will put something on top just don't have photos of that. Likely a folded towel for padding inside a woven feed bag or something like that. They will like spend a good amount of time on top
I had 4 sides open still squished chicks again only the bantams , and I only use a 75 watt bulb about 1 ft above the chicks so only the spot I want gets warm not the whole tote. About 95 directly under lamp and 75 and other end of tote. It is all about what works for you.
I meant to add last night that this is a good option - a regular bulb instead of a heat lamp. That is what the breeder I got my chicks from last year uses for the first week while they are in a tote in his bathtub - then they go out to a shed and so forth.
And it goes without saying that if you are using anything electrical you should always check the cord/wiring for any frays and don't use an old heating pad. I bought a new one for the purpose - and since it stayed clean because it was wrapped in a towel and Press N Seal, it can be used as a regular old heating pad - plus it's washable too, I washed it . My mom is a nurse and she said they started making them with auto shut offs because people would fall asleep with them on and get deep tissue burns - basically slow cooking themselves. For a heating pad brooder you need one that you can bypass the auto shut-off and it has a heat adjustment - mine is from 1-6. So, I start out at 6 and lower as they grow. They love hanging out on top of it. I like the rack idea better than the cave so I'm going to try that today. I have my first pip, so I better get to it!
I started out with heat lamps but after using a heat plate, I'll never go back to a lamp again.
The reasons I like the plate or pad are typical.
One of the reasons I like them is that They have a normal day/night cycle which seems like it is more healthy and natural. Under the lamp you see chicks going and going at all hours of the night then they just "collapse" wherever they are out of exhaustion. With the plate, the sun goes down and they go to sleep. The sun comes up and they get up. They run under the "pseudo-mamma" when they are cold and come out when they choose. I notice that during the day they are out from under the heat most of the time rather than being subjected to heat all the time.
When I brought these babies home, I purposely set the room they were in as cold as I could get it. That was about 49-50F. They spent very little time under the heat.
When I had a broody that hatched eggs in temperatures in the teens, those babies were out running around much more than I thought they'd be. When they got cold they'd start chirping lout and mamma would drop and under they'd go for a quick warm-up...then out again in no time at all. They sure blew to pieces the idea that they needed to be kept at 95 degrees all the time for the first week!
I think this helps them to acclimate on their own time table.
If all I had was a heat lamp, I'd use it. But my experience is that this sure beats the 24 hour lamp and heat they can't escape.
Edited to add: I also like the idea of the "comfort" for them of being able to go under something like they would a mamma rather than always being exposed and open.
These are the reasons why I use the momma cave. For the cave I use the bottom of a pet carrier with bubble foil insulation on the inside. Today is their first day going outside (20 chicks). They love it!
Here's the inside of the pet carrier. It's lined with bubble foil insulation. It comes with a partial sticky side. The heating pad is on the bottom, wrapped in aluminum foil, then old towels, then Press and Seal.
