Heating Plates for Chick Brooders
Product Details
An alternative to a heat lamp. Less of a fire risk. A heating plate simulates a hen keeping chicks warm and cozy beneath her feathers.
Heating Plate & Cover Dimensions (both sold separately):
- Extra Small: 10" x 10"
- Small: 12" x 12"
- Medium: 16" x 16"
- Large: 16" x 24"
Instructions/Diagrams:
Instruction Manual 
Common Uses
Specs
| Extra Small | Small | Medium | Large | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plate Item # | 540207 | 540203 | 540241 | 540204 |
| Cover Item # | 5402078 | 540205 | 540242 | 540206 |
| Capacity | Up to 15 chicks | Up to 20 chicks | Up to 30 chicks | Up to 50 chicks |
| Plate & Cover | 10" x 10" | 12" x 12" | 16" x 16" | 16" x 24" |
| Cover Height | 3.5" | 5" | 7" | 7" | Watts | 15 watts/hr | 22 watts/hr | 42 watts/hr | 66 watts/hr |
| Legs | 9.5"L | 9.5"L | 9.5"L | 9.5"L |
Height of all sizes adjusts from 1.5" to 6" by adjusting the yellow legs. ABS plastic. Cord: 70"L
Use a Heating Plate Temperature Controller which allows control of Premier's Heating Plates output between 20% - 100% of full output.
Benefits
Heating plate advantages over a heat lamp:
- Uses much less electricity. Only 15 watts (66 for the larger plate) vs 175 or 250 watts for a heat lamp.
- Less risk of fire because of the much lower surface temperature (only 125°).
- Field observation: Birds raised under plates appear more calm than those raised under lamps.
The rugged plate cover (optional and sold above) prevents older chicks from perching on top and fouling the unit with droppings. However, the plate can be hand-washed (do not submerge in water) to remove dust and debris.
How To Use
Worried that the plate feels hot to the touch? It isn't. If chicks get too warm, they can and do move out from under it for a time. Don't overcrowd—chicks need to have space to move around as they like.
When the heating plate is plugged directly into the outlet, the red light comes on and stays on.
When it is plugged into the Heating Plate Temperature Controller, it will blink based on the min/max adjustment. Slow blink toward minimum and quicker toward max. If you turn it all the way up, it will come on full time.
Precautions
Warranty
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Heating Plates and Covers
Heating Plate Temperature Control
Item #540229 -Manually control the heat output of Premier's heating plates for poultry
$19.00 -
Waterers and Accessories
Chick Nipple Drinker with Wire Hanger, 1 quart capacity
Item #540224 -1 qt. capacity nipple drinker sits or hangs above the litter so water is always clean. For use in poultry brooders and cages. Includes wire hanger.
$8.50 -
Brooder Kits and Panels
Disposable Cardboard Panel, each
Item #530150 -Build a safe, secure chick brooder using modular brooder panels. Quick to assemble with disposable and reusable options.
$2.40 -
Brooder Kits and Panels
Reusable Plastic Panel, each
Item #530155 -Build a safe, secure chick brooder using modular brooder panels. Quick to assemble with disposable and reusable options.
$6.00 -
Brooder Kits and Panels
QuikClean™ Chick Brooder
Item #530095 -Metal chick and poultry brooder for the bird’s first few weeks of life. Secure and durable.
$228.00 -
Books
Hatching & Brooding Your Own Chicks Book
Item #981016 -Learn skills from selecting a breed to choosing an incubator. Covers chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys and guineas.
$29.95
-
Heating Plates and Covers
Replacement Leg for Heating Plates, each
Item #5402032 -A safer alternative to a heat lamp. A heating plate, or hover heater, simulates a hen keeping chicks warm and cozy beneath her feathers.
$3.80
Write a Review
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Curtis S from Colorado
It works, uses less electricity and I don’t have to worry about burning down the coop and setting the state on fire.
The piece of mind was worth the $100.
Kiersten C from New York
We had to purchase replacement legs as our others had broken and 2 of the 4 new ones have already broken. I set my heat plate down next to the brooder and tipped it so it was resting slightly on the 2 legs and they broke. Very cheaply made. I’m extremely frustrated as I love the heat plate itself but the legs are ridiculously brittle.
Paul H from Maryland
I evaluated these heating plates by setting up a controlled test area to compare their effectiveness against traditional heat lamps. In a group of 72 chicks housed within the test space, all consistently chose the heat lamps over the heating plates. Not a single chick was observed using the plates during the trial period.
Additionally, heat lamps offer the advantage of continuous visibility, allowing for easy monitoring of chick activity and health. In contrast, heating plates may obscure chicks from view, making it more difficult to quickly identify potential issues without physically lifting the plate to check underneath.
Ann H from Missouri
I have two different sized units with the covers. I raise purebred poultry and have a busy spring hatching season. These heating plates are very well built and easy to set up. They are better than incandescent light bulbs, which have become hard to find and expensive.
Paul G from Oregon
The plates work well. The number of birds that each size supports is very optimistic, though. I would divide it by half. We have 10 chicks under a small plate, “up to 20 chicks,” and 16 under a medium, “up to 30 chicks,” and I would not want any more birds per plate than we have.
A small plate would support 20 day old chicks, but they would quickly outgrow the plate, with not all birds fitting under it and staying warm. This is based on Cornish Cross chicks, which grow fast.
Issues with the size estimates aside, the plates work well and are a great alternative to a heat lamp, both saving electricity and being much safer. We had a heat lamp fall into the pine shavings once, starting to smoke. Luckily we caught it before the house burned down. This isn’t a concern with these plates.
