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- #31
What brooder plate would you recommend? There's dozens with bad reviews on Amazon.I agree.
Brooding outdoors has so many advantages -- as long as you can assure sufficient heat.
I use a brooder plate now in warm weather and a brooder plate with a backup heat lamp in cold weather because most brooder plates are not rated to use in temperatures below 50F (though my Producer's Pride plate has been good down into the 40's with chicks a few weeks old).
I set up the Big Red Bulb so that it keeps the area around the plate over 50F and keeps the water thawed and the plate keeps the chicks warm.
My brooder is huge: Run to Outdoor Brooder Conversion I close off half of it for the first week or so to keep them from getting lost away from food, water, and heat.