Premier Chick Brooder Heating Plate - 16" x 24"

I've been using this for pheasant and quail. It works great. For the first week I have them in a pen indoors. After that I move them to a small coop outside with this brooder sitting right on the ground. The coop has a small door they need to exit through to find food and water. The pen itself is very secure. Depending on the weather, I leave the brooder in the coop for 2 or 3 more weeks.Some notes:* Pheasants may be a little tougher than some chickens. I'm not sure about the quail. Either way, I'm raising these birds for the wild, so I need them to be durable. So take that in consideration.* I've found that turning on a standard heat lamp during the day for the first few days encourages the chicks to leave the comfort of the hotplate to find food and water. I turn the lamp off at night because I want to encourage natural cycles. Also, I don't trust lamps all that much.* Because there is no light, I put in a dim nightlight. Some chicks get confused at night, and this seems to help them get back to warmth.* I tend to set one set of legs lower than the other so the birds can choose their warmth. For quail I put a board underneath in the middle so they could get even closer to the plate (quail chicks are like bumblebee size).* You can get a guard for the top, but I place a sheet of rubber shelf lining on it (the kind with the holes). This allows bigger chicks to jump up without slipping, and the liner can be washed. The top of the brooder itself is easy to wash.* The plate is HOT to the touch, but the chicks will press right up against it, so I guess it's not too hot for them. Chicks seem to be good at finding the best temperature. If all of your chicks are huddled in the center, the plate is too high. When they are at the edge sticking their heads out, you know they are comfortable, because otherwise they'd be farther under.I'm trying to talk myself into ramping up my pheasant-raising hobby. If I do I will definitely be ordering more of these.

I'm old school and haven't kept up with all the newest gadgets out there now for chickens. Boy, have I been missing out! My red heat lamps are a thing of the past now that I've discovered the brooder plates. This one is sturdy, very easy to put together and hopefully will last for years. The helpful red indicator light let's me know it's working and let's me check on my chicks from a distance without disturbing them. The heat can be pretty intense so caution should be used to ensure they aren't getting burned but it's a great solution to the heat lamp. Have purchased 3 and love them. So glad I came into the 21st century!

Love it except... Should design so chicks can't jump on top, without having to "buy" an additional part.

Wonderful!! I used this one heater to brood my 10 ducklings from day 1 up until 5 weeks when they no longer required any heat source. They loved it and all snuggled under it right away. As they grew and I raised it, some chose to sleep on top and others under. I chose to not spend extra on the cover and I am glad. The top gets mildly warm for sitting on, and it also gave the ducklings a sort of second floor to their brooder. I kept it angled (back legs lower) up until the highest level when I finally leveled it at its highest point. By angling it, the ducklings could choose how warm they wanted to be. It PERFECTLY fit my 10 ducklings for all five weeks. We used a large kiddie pool and pine shavings for their brooder. I never had to worry about fire or broken bulbs in a heat lamp. Highest recommendation!!!

I like the way the legs can be elevated, much easier than the screw on type. I have only used it for one set of chicks and find it most satisfactory. I put a piece of cardboard over the top to keep it somewhat clean. The chicks spend as much time on the top of it as they do under it. Weather is getting warmer and they are feathered out at one month.

Brooder works great. The adjustable height feature is handy and can easily be raised as the chicks grow. I see a lot of folks putting domes on the top to prevent the birds from perching on the surface. I think it’s great that they use the top, too. It is very easy to clean with a plastic putty knife and the larger youngsters, like ducks, really enjoy it. Five stars and I would highly recommend.

I am raising my fourth batch of baby chicks and I have used this for the first time. It is AMAZING, the baby's love it and I never have to worry about their being too hot or too cold. I added a band of feathers all along the sides and this is where most of them stay, right under the feathers. They have never been so quiet before!! I will buy a smaller version as well so I can use it inside a smaller brooder.

design looks brilliant. mine only worked for one day. want to order another one but now they dont ship to south africa

I bought this same heat plate two years ago and that original one is still working great. I liked it so much I decided to get a second one, but this newest one gets very hot - too hot to touch. I have to make sure it is raised up higher on the legs. Before I realized this, one chick actually got a burn wound on it's back.

Great product, sturdy, good height adjustment, worked very well with our Quail chicks

Inservible para España, viene con un enchufe americano, ahora qué hago para probarla y conectarla, si corto el cable y pongo un enchufe de aquí luego me dirán que pierdo la garantía. Totalmente insatisfecho, estoy pensando devolverlo tal cuál sin probarlo siquiera. Tiene buena pinta pero lo que he dicho, y sin instrucciones ningunas. Espero se pongan en contacto conmigo al menos.

Does exactly what we bought it to do. Have purchased another.