Keeping chicks warm is the most important part of raising chickens. Are you looking for the safest, most reliable way to heat your chicks? Look no further than a Chick Plate. 

Chick Plates provide a more natural heat source for baby chicks. These modern brooder heaters are also safer and more economical than a traditional heat lamp. In the debate of brooder plates versus heat lamps, a heat plate will almost always win out.

Raise chicks naturally with a Chick Heat Plate.

Features: Chick Heat Plate (15 Watt brooder plate) - 25 cm x 25 cm Small

• Uses radiant heat technology
• More similar to a mother hen
• Only heats solid objects, not the air
• Ideal for Australian climates
• Warms up to 20 chicks
• Adjustable height (5-15 cm) for growing chicks
• Suitable for all types of poultry including quail, bantams, chickens, ducks and geese
• Saves electricity - low energy use
• Has a temperature fuse and a resistance fuse for safety
• The top of the plate doesn’t get hot
• Factory fitted with an Australian electrical plug
• 25 cm x 25 cm
• 12 month warranty
• Global Mark Electrical Certification GMA-510491

Brooder plates vs heat lamps

For modern chicken keepers, a brooder plate such as a Chick Plate is a much better option than a heat lamp. Heat lamps are renowned for causing fires in homes and chicken coops. They are also problematic because the constant light and inescapable heat interfere with the chicks’ natural processes.

Brooder plates provide a more natural heat source that the chicks can move away from if they become too hot. They do not provide artificial light, so chicks can sleep normally. Brooder plates such as Chick Plates are also safer, with a lower risk of fire. 

Brooder heat plates generally use less electricity than a standard heat lamp.

How to use a Chick Plate to heat a brooder

Chick plates should only be used where the ambient temperature is 10 degrees Celsius or above. We recommend keeping your poultry brooder indoors so that you can monitor your chicks closely at the most vulnerable time of their lives.

Set up your chick brooder as normal, with the Chick Plate in one corner and food and water in another. The brooder size should be appropriate to the number and size of the chicks - expand the brooder as the chicks grow so that initially they are never too far from the heat plate. The brooder can also be bigger in warmer weather, so that chicks can move away from the heat plate and so they do not overheat.

Warm up the heat plate and place the chicks underneath. Ensure the plate is at an appropriate height for the size of your chicks - they should not be able to touch the brooder heat plate.

Monitor your chicks closely. If they are huddled together and peeping, they may be too cold. Check the ambient temperature and 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. In the first days, if a chick wanders away from the plate for an extended period, gently bring it back to the heat source.

As the chicks grow, adjust the height of the plate so that they can fit underneath it. 

Most manufacturers recommend covering the top of the Chick Plate with contact paper or similar to prevent it becoming covered in chicken poo and to extend its working life.

Visit our blog to learn how to build a chick brooder box.