When you are raising baby chickens, 24-hour light and inescapable heat might be “natural” for a factory-farmed chicken. But for a backyard chicken or free range hen, these conditions are entirely artificial. 

Naturally-raised chicks, that is chicks raised by a mother hen, sleep when it is dark. They experience the ambient temperature, exploring the world outside of their mother’s warmth and moving back under her feathers when they become too cold. These chicks learn to sleep when it is dark and regulate their temperature from a young age. 

A heat lamp is the traditional way to warm chicks in a brooder. But as well as being a common source of house fires, heat lamps create an environment that is artificially warm and lit 24 hours a day.

Brooder heat plates are a better alternative to heat lamps for chickens. Using a Chick Plate creates a much more natural environment. Baby chicks experience natural light and the ambient temperature. Moving under the plate for warmth is similar to huddling under a mother hen’s feathers and helps to teach chicks to regulate their body temperature. 

A Chick Plate is the most natural way of raising baby chickens in a brooder.

Features: Chick Brooder Heater - 30 Watt - 35cm x 35cm

• Modern, radiant heat technology provides a more natural heat source

• Well-suited to Australia’s warm climate

• Accommodates up to 30 chicks

• Adjust the height as chicks grow (5-15 cm)

• Ideal for raising all types of baby chicks, from quail and bantams to ducklings and goslings

• Low energy use

• Safer alternative to a heat lamp with a temperature fuse and a resistance fuse

• The top of the plate stays cool

• 35 x 35 cm

• Factory-fitted with an Australian plug

• Global Mark Electrical Certification GMA-510491

• 12 Month Warranty

How to use a Chick Plate when raising baby chickens

Chick Plates are only suitable in areas where ambient temperatures are 10 degrees Celsius or above. In winter, it may be necessary to situate the poultry brooder indoors.  

Set up your poultry brooder heater, the Chick Plate, in one corner and food/water in another. The brooder should initially be quite small, so chicks cannot become lost or move too far from the brooder heat plate. Turn the Chick Plate on and place your chicks underneath. Adjust the height of the plate according to your breed.

When you first introduce the chicks to the brooder, watch them carefully until they learn to use the Chick Plate as a heat source. If a chick strays away for an extended period, place it back beneath the brooder heat plate.

Monitor your chicks to ensure they are warm enough. If they are huddled together and peeping, they may be too cold and you should lower the plate. If they are far away from the plate or panting, it may be too hot. Consider a larger brooder or a cooler spot.  As the chicks grow, adjust the height of the brooder heat plate.

Manufacturers recommend covering the top of the Chick Plate with contact paper or similar to extend its working life.