Brooder EQUIPMENT
Brooder heat sources
One of the most important jobs a mother hen has is to keep her chicks warm during the first weeks of life. If you’re hatching chicks using an egg incubator or purchasing day-old chicks, you’ll need a brooder heat source to keep your chicks warm. The chicks will rely on the heat source until they’re fully feathered and ready to be moved to their coop at around six weeks old.
COSY CHICK®
A modern alternative to traditional heat lamps
The Cosy Chick® brooder heat plate provides adjustable warmth for up to 24 chicken chicks, 16 ducklings or 48 quail chicks while being safer and using significantly less electricity than traditional heat lamps.
Key Features
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Won’t rust or rot.
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Secure door frame helps prevent predators from lifting the closed door.
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Small: Ideal for compact chicken coops.
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Large: Suitable for all poultry, including ducks and geese.
Key Features
Already have a sliding chicken door? Keep it and add the Safe Coop automatic door controller.
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Compatible with sliding doors weighing up to 1.5 kg.
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A simple option for upgrading your existing coop door.
Key Features
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Built-in locking mechanism helps keep predators like foxes from lifting the door.
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One size fits all chicken and duck breeds.
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Made with UV-resistant ASA plastic and stainless steel for long-lasting durability.
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Choose the right Brooder heat source
There are two ways to keep chicks warm, and neither is wrong. Heat plates use less power and let chicks huddle underneath much as they would under a hen. Heat lamps cost less upfront and warm a larger area, which matters once you're raising more than a couple of dozen chicks. Pick the one that suits your brood size and your setup.
Heat plate vs heat lamp Comparison
Traditional heat lamps have long been used to keep chicks warm. Today, brooder heat plates offer an alternative with the following advantages:
Brooder heat plates
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Use, on average, one-sixth as much electricity as a heat lamp, making them much cheaper to run.
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Chicks rest directly against the warm underside, which is more natural as it’s much closer to how they’d stay warm under a mother hen.
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With a temperature knob and well-designed legs, a heat plate is easy to adjust as the chicks grow.
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Provide warmth without an exposed heat globe. Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions for safe setup and use.
Traditional heat lamps
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The heat globe becomes extremely hot during operation, creating a potential fire risk if misused or incorrectly set up.
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Usually use a clamp system that requires a mounting point on the brooder box and can be challenging to adjust as the chicks grow.
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Provide heat over the area beneath the lamp. The lamp’s height and the surrounding temperature affect how much warmth reaches the chicks.
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The heat globes have a limited lifespan and need replacing periodically.
Features | Brooder heat plate | Brooder heat lamp |
|---|---|---|
Replacement bulbs | No separate heat bulb to replace | Bulb or ceramic emitter needs replacing when it fails |
Electricity use | Low 30 W power rating | Depends on the bulb; often 150-250 W |
How it provides warmth | A sheltered warm spot directly beneath the plate | Directs radiant heat over the area beneath the lamp |
Capacity | Up to 24 chicken chicks per plate | Depends on the lamp and bulb |
Exposed hot parts | No exposed heat globe; insulated top | Bulb and shade become hot during use |
Around children | The safer choice | Requires supervision |
Adjusting the warmth | Built-in temperature knob and legs adjustable from 3–21 cm | Raise or lower the lamp |
Light from the heat source | No light from the heating element; small LED temperature display | Ceramic emitters produce no light; red or clear bulbs emit light |
A sheltered resting place | Chicks can tuck underneath, much as they would beneath a hen | Provides overhead warmth without a physical shelter |
Why chicks need supplementary heat
Chicks can’t regulate their own body temperature for the first few weeks of life. In a natural brood, the hen does it for them, and they duck under her whenever they feel the cold. A brooder heat plate or heat lamp takes over that role, providing a warm spot the chicks can move towards and away from as they need it.
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Brooder heat plate frequently asked questions
Find answers to common questions about chick brooder heat plates.
