Brooding chicks outdoors, will heating plate work?

I have looked into brooding chicks outdoors and as so far I've seen heating pads used to make a sort of cave for the chicks. I don't have a heating pad but have a heating plate which I have previously used successfully (though then indoors). I won't move the chicks outside right away no matter how I do it, I imagine they'll be inside for at least the first 2 weeks. But plans might change depending on the weather, how many hatch etc. Question is, can this be done with a heating plate or should they have a cave? I wouldn't dare wrap the plate in with something because when touching the plate it does feel insanely hot, but it might be possible to put it inside a box and then wrap the box in a towel or something. I would prefer to just use the plate though if possible because it's just easier.

Where, in general, are you? If you put your general location into your profile people can give you better-targeted advice because climate matters.

What are the outside temperatures?

I brood outdoors and have a Producer's Pride brooder plate, which doesn't have a suggested minimum temperature in the manual.

Some plates, however, say that they shouldn't be used below 50F. To get around that, I used dual heat on during a cold snap -- the Big Red Bulb kept the area over 50F and the plate kept the day-old hatchlings warm.

3KillerBs said:

Some plates, however, say that they shouldn't be used below 50F.

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This is the main reason you see mama heating pads outside instead of plates, because the heating pad can be used in lower temperatures.

My guess is as long as the temperatures are moderate, and you test the plate ahead of time, they're probably fine to use in an outdoor brooder. But I'd test it well in advance, just in case.

A "cave" also isn't necessary in most cases, the heat source just needs to be placed somewhere draft free/climate protected.

I did this with my chicks I picked up today. Since the video was taken though I turned the plate the long way so they can either go in the cave or just lay on the plate outside of the cave. Not sure if that helps!

Thank you all of you for your replies! I'm in Northern Norway and the summers are unpredictable, which makes it hard to plan things like this in advance. It might be really warm and nice or it might be super cold and wet. I'll check the heating plate I have, but I can't remember seeing anything in the manual about any minimum temperature. I haven't seen mama heating pads for sale in Norway, so I was thinking of getting one for pets. I hadn't realised there was a separate product for chicks.

Temperatures right now are 12-14 C at day and down to maybe 6 C at night. By the time the chicks move out it should be warmer. But again, it might not be, in which case I'll probably keep them indoors for longer. Last year I moved them out into the coop at 3 weeks and it was fine, but I had some additional heat. By then they didn't use the heating plate anymore.

If you put your general location into your profile it will help people give better targeted advice.

Agathe said:

I haven't seen mama heating pads for sale in Norway, so I was thinking of getting one for pets. I hadn't realised there was a separate product for chicks.

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I don't believe that there is a special product for chicks. People make them from heating pads intended for people.

@Blooie is an expert on this.

I am raising my 2nd batch of chicks in the coop with a heat plate. First was in Fall 2020 & it got down to 33 when they were 3 weeks old. The present chicks hatched 4/20 & were put in the coop the day they arrived. We got down to 33 less than a week after I got them & they were fine. We have had many nights in the 40s. They are no longer sleeping under the plate, but sleep behind it. They are 4 weeks old & mostly feathered. YMMV

3KillerBs said:

If you put your general location into your profile it will help people give better targeted advice.



I don't believe that there is a special product for chicks. People make them from heating pads intended for people.

@Blooie is an expert on this.

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Thanks for the tag…..I don’t know about being an “expert” but I have been using Mama Heating Pad for many years with great success.

@3KillerBs is correct. Mama Heating Pad is just a human heating pad arched over a scrap of metal fencing to form a “cave” of sorts, which the chicks use just as they would use a broody hen. They duck under when they need a quick warmup or if they get spooked, and as the sun goes down in the evening. It mimics a broody as closely as possible.

I don’t know what similar products might be available in Norway. But it’s critical that the heating pad be able to stay on continuously rather than automatically shut down after a couple of hours. Most of here in the States use the Sunbeam x-Press Heat heating pad because there’s a button on the controller that specifically says, “Stay On”.

Personally I can’t tell you what to do…..if I say “go ahead and use the heating plate outdoors” and something happens, I’d feel terrible. If I tell you to skip the plate and go with a heating pad and that doesn’t work for you, again I’d feel just as bad. Only you can decide what’s best for you and your chicks. All I can do is tell you what Mama Heating Pad is.

That disclaimer out of the way, I don’t see a need for you to buy anything more than the heating plate you already have. I know most plates do say not to use under 50 degrees F but 42F is not that far out of that temperature range and, as you say, they sure don‘t need it for long before they start weaning themselves off heat anyway. Check it regularly, and I wouldn’t put anything on top of it because you’re right, they do get hot. I think they actually get hotter than a human heating pad - I’d rather put a heating pad set on “high” on my body rather than have continual contact with the surface of a heating plate! A lot of people do use Press ‘n’ Seal on top of their plates. Shoot, I don’t even recommend that they put it directly on the heating pad, either.

I hope this helps.

Blooie said:

That disclaimer out of the way, I don’t see a need for you to buy anything more than the heating plate you already have. I know most plates do say not to use under 50 degrees F but 42F is not that far out of that temperature range and, as you say, they sure don‘t need it for long before they start weaning themselves off heat anyway.

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What I did when we had some of the coldest nights all winter when I had new baby chicks (down below 20F -- laughable to cold climate people), was to run both the plate and the Big Red Bulb at the same time.

The Big Red Bulb wasn't adequate to keep the chicks warm along (IIRC, it was about 65F under it), but it kept the area warm enough for the plate to work effectively.

3KillerBs said:

What I did when we had some of the coldest nights all winter when I had new baby chicks (down below 20F -- laughable to cold climate people), was to run both the plate and the Big Red Bulb at the same time.

The Big Red Bulb wasn't adequate to keep the chicks warm along (IIRC, it was about 65F under it), but it kept the area warm enough for the plate to work effectively.

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I’ve heard that mentioned before from a few other people who use plates. You know me - I won’t allow a “Big Red Bulb” within a hundred miles of my place. But then I’ve never used a commercial heat plate either, so my expertise is zero.