Comfort Chicks heating plate brooder, seeking others opinions.

[Canieldonrad]

I'm very new to the method of heated plate brooders for chicks. Quite frankly, I think this is the way to go from here on. They are a lot more convenient, energy efficient and the way they function is very similar to the real thing(a hen).

I recently purchased both a Brinsea and another brand I had not seen around Comfort Chicks. The Brinsea I am very pleased with, although it was quite expensive compared to the Comfort Chicks. I see a lot on the Brinsea so I would like to discuss the other, Comfort Chicks.

http://comfortchicks.com/ Is their website, they seem to be based in Holland
http://comfortchicks.com/specs/ Their specs look to be 220/240 for everything, however the one I purchased was a WP30 that is rated 110/120(assuming they did this for US sales).

Things I like about this design.

-If you order from Premier1, as I did, they have a cover for the top. This was my biggest issue with the Brinsea. With the Brinsea, I have to make something. With this, I have one designed to keep them off the top. When it gets dirty, I just toss it into a dishwasher/scrub it in the sink.

-The legs are of a different design. The legs seem to be metal. They are grooved with a series of rings for height adjustment. They have a spring loaded tab to hold the grooves. This is what I expected the Brinsea to be. I was disappointed to discover the Brinsea was plastic and threaded when I received the brooder.

-This brooder was much cheaper than the Brinsea.

Things that I am concerned with.

-The plate is metal and therefore could, under some circumstances, prove hazardous if water is spilled on the heater. I could be wrong, it could have a safety mechanism for this.

-The plate gets VERY hot. There is a safety feature that blows a fuse if the temperature exceeds 120°C. But that is Celsius, and if my math is correct, that is just shy of 250°F. WELL ABOVE BOILING! If it were that hot I wouldn't have chicks anymore! Of course when I say "VERY hot" I don't mean that it felt close to boiling temperature. But it definitely felt warmer than the skin of a hen(102.5°F).


I am curious what others opinions may be on this product, if one has used these.

 

[aart]

Thread here about it.

 

[Azure Acres]

I ordered a Brinsea 20 and am sending it back after seeing the price difference. I ordered the Premier Large. I have noticed a huge difference in the heat of the Brinsea compared to the Premier. The Brinsea I could easily put my hand in after several hours of running. The Premier felt hot to me and I didn't want to keep my hand on it. It didn't burn my skin, but was a bit uncomfortable. Would love to hear others' thoughts.

 

[Canieldonrad]

I'd go with the Brinsea, for now at least. The Brinsea has definitely got the benefit of years of development. This could be a great item, but currently is not up to par.

The height sets and the cover are definitely a plus. But the entire concept is to have a plate that can WARM chicks, this thing could cook them.

 

[Prettyhorse32]

I would love the final opinion on these, I am also looking to buy one. Just not sure which is the better choice and are these 2 companies the only ones available. I was searching and didnt come up with anything else...

 

[aart]

Several people are using the Premiere plate (I think it's the same as Comfort Chicks, just distributed by Premiere) successfully.
Here's a thread discussing it.