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Debated between a heat lamp and a brooder plate for my new chicks and chose wrong
I got 8 new chicks back in March and couldn't decide between a heat lamp or one of those radiant brooder plates. Everyone online seemed to swear by the plates, saying they're safer and more natural for the birds. But I went with the classic heat lamp because it was cheaper and I already had one in my shed. Well, two nights in a row I woke up to a 90 degree brooder because the lamp wouldn't dim right, and the chicks were panting and scattered in corners. I finally swapped to a brooder plate last week and they huddle under it perfectly, sleeping calm and cozy. Has anyone else had a heat lamp fail on them like that, or am I the only one who made this mistake?
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emma_hart2d ago
Bet you checked on them every hour that first night too, didn't you?
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drew_west2d ago
Oh man, "chose wrong" is right - I did the exact same thing last year with my first batch! My heat lamp got stuck on full blast too and I had chicks sprawled out looking miserable before I finally switched to a plate.
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