Raising Day-Old Chicks: A Guide to Using Chick Plates

If you’re raising day-old chicks, keeping them warm is one of your most important jobs. For healthy chicks and less work, we recommend the Chick Plate.

Chick Plate heating plates for chick brooders take the guesswork out of providing the right temperature for your chicks. Instead of messing around with a heat lamp, a Chick Plate allows your chicks to regulate their own temperature. They move away from the heat source when they are too warm and towards it when they become cold, just as they would with a mother hen.

Specifications of the Chick Brooder Heat Plate:

• Dimensions: 45cm x 60cm
• Australian Plug
• 60 watts
• Safety temperature fuse
• Safety resistance fuse

Features of the Chick Heating Plate:

• Modern technology provides a more natural heat source
• Uses radiant heat similar to a mother hen
• Suitable for warm climates
• Warms up to 55 chicks
• Adjustable height (5-15 cm)
• Great for day-old chicks
• For use with chickens, quail, geese, and other poultry
• Low electricity consumption
• Designed so that the top of the unit stays cool
• Global Mark Electrical Certification GMA-510491
• 12 Month Warranty

How to Use a Heating Plate for a Chick Brooder

For a heating plate to be effective, the chick brooder must have an ambient temperature of 10 degrees Celsius or above. In cold climates, the brooder may need to be situated indoors.

Set up your chick brooder with the heating 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 heating plate. Turn the Chick Plate on and place your chicks underneath.

When you first introduce the chicks to the brooder, watch them carefully until they learn to use the heating plate. For the first day or two, direct stray chicks back to the plate unless they are eating or drinking.

Monitor your chicks. If they are huddled together, they may be cold and you should lower the plate. If they avoid the plate, it may be too hot. Consider a larger brooder or a cooler spot.

As the chicks grow, adjust the height of the plate to suit.

Covering the top of the heating plate with contact paper or similar will extend its working life.