Help! Brinsea Ecoglow Safety 600 too hot?

[CharlieBaby]

I bought the Brinsea Ecoglow Safety 600 chick brooder and it arrived yesterday. The heat plate is much hotter than expected. I can't hold my fingers against it for more than a couple of seconds. Touching the plate reminds me of walking barefoot on very hot sand -- you can hardly stand to walk on it and by the time you reach safety your feet are throbbing and raw. If flipped upside down, I wouldn't want my chicks walking on the heat plate for fear of sizzling their little toes.

I was afraid the Ecoglow would burn my chicks who are just under one week old, so I compromised by keeping the heat lamp and trying the heat plate in a large area (see pic). The chicks sometimes go under the Ecoglow, other times the lamp. Temperature directly under the heat lamp is 93 degrees and other areas are cooler; the area near the far-left waterer is 78 degrees. The heat under the Ecoglow is about 90 degress, but that doesn't account for the radiant heat my thermometer can't measure. The ambient temperature is 68-70 degrees. The plate itself is still as hot as ever.

To make matters worse, one of my chicks died unexpectedly yesterday morning, in the open box. It was devastating. She seemed completely fine the night before. The temperatures then were the same as listed above, minus the heat plate which hadn't yet arrived. Everyone else seems comfortable as far as I can tell, even my tiniest chick who required hand feeding. I don't know if I did something wrong or my little one died from other causes, but I'm terrified of hurting my remaining chicks.

So...

• Does my heat plate sound like yours?
• Do I need to worry about chicks getting too cold or overheating when I unplug the heat lamp with their only heat source being the hot heating plate?
• How high or low off the ground would you adjust the legs of the heat plate for chicks just under 1 week old? Any tips for adjusting the height as they age?

Thanks for any insight you can share!

 

[bradley10466]

I have that same model, and I could hold my fingers on the plate without issue. It was warm, but not hot. I was afraid that mine wasn't hot enough, but the chicks would huddle underneath of it and have thrived. I kept the heat plate at the height where the plate was at their back level. I adjusted it upwards a couple of times as they grew. I removed the plate when they were about 4-5 weeks old. They were moving about and not going underneath the plate any longer.

 

[CharlieBaby]

Thank you! I appreciate your insight about plate height. It sounds like mine is hotter than yours. I’ve decided to keep using the heat lamp until I can figure out what to do with my Ecoglow.

 

[bradley10466]

Thank you! I appreciate your insight about plate height. It sounds like mine is hotter than yours. I’ve decided to keep using the heat lamp until I can figure out what to do with my Ecoglow.

You may want to call their support line to see if they can help you. I assume they have a help line?

 

[CharlieBaby]

Yes, they do. I reached out to email support when I first posted this but haven’t heard back. Good idea to talk with them; I’ll try calling.

 

[HollowOfWisps]

If you feel it’s too hot set the plate at an angle. I set the back just low enough that if they stand they can touch and then the front up higher. This allows your chicks to adjust to what they need. Before I started setting at an angle I had a couple of chicks who looked like they singed their back with the eco brooder plate. After the angle adjustment I did not have any more since cases.

Edit: Also if they are inside the house that 250w bulb is going to be too hot.

 

[bradley10466]

Yes, they do. I reached out to email support when I first posted this but haven’t heard back. Good idea to talk with them; I’ll try calling.

I should have mentioned that I kept my plate at an angle also, higher in the front and sloping to the rear.

 

[CharlieBaby]

Update: Not sure how to explain it, but after several days of being plugged in continuously, the plate is no longer as hot as it used to be. It’s now a nice warm temperature that I can comfortably touch without getting burned. At four weeks old, only one of my chicks continues to use the Brinsea plate. The plate is marketed as safe for up to 20 chicks, but in my opinion it would be best to get a larger size if you have more than 10 chicks (see pic, chicks at 4 weeks). The tilting mentioned be @bradley10466 and @HollowOfWisps has worked well for my chicks.

When the heat plate started working properly, I removed the heat lamp. I strongly recommend anyone using a heat lamp keep at least two thermometers in the coop at all times — one under heat and another away from it — to make sure your hot temp is not too hot and the lower temp is at least 10-15 degrees cooler. This is the guide I use.

Thanks for everyone’s input above!

 

[bradley10466]

Update: Not sure how to explain it, but after several days of being plugged in continuously, the plate is no longer as hot as it used to be. It’s now a nice warm temperature that I can comfortably touch without getting burned. At four weeks old, only one of my chicks continues to use the Brinsea plate. The plate is marketed as safe for up to 20 chicks, but in my opinion it would be best to get a larger size if you have more than 10 chicks (see pic, chicks at 4 weeks). The tilting mentioned be @bradley10466 and @HollowOfWisps has worked well for my chicks.

When the heat plate started working properly, I removed the heat lamp. I strongly recommend anyone using a heat lamp keep at least two thermometers in the coop at all times — one under heat and another away from it — to make sure your hot temp is not too hot and the lower temp is at least 10-15 degrees cooler. This is the guide I use.

Thanks for everyone’s input above!

I think they say it's safe for up to 20 chicks, but that must be day old chicks!! I have 8 chicks, and by the time they were 4 weeks old, they barely fit under the plate. Worked out well though, they were ready to give up the heat plate anyway. I'm glad the heat plate worked out for you!!

 

[MrsNorthie]

We used this one: https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/producers-pride-brooder-and-coop-heater?cm_vc=-10005 It is quite warm but does not burn, I picked up with bare hands twice a day to clean out the "nursery". It is also quite flexible. There is a brooder setting and heat setting. The brooder setting is not as hot as heater. When they start getting too big to get under it you can fix it to something to make it higher or stand it on its side.

Our chickens loved it and we even put it in the coop for a few weeks when we first moved them outside. The heater seemed to be a real source of comfort for them (like a security blankie) and made the transition from being in my office with constant attention to being in the coop and run, a lot easier. We plan to get couple more just incase we get a harsh winter. (one for brooding new peeps, 2 for the coop.) Buffs are supposed to be relatively cold hardy and we are in South Carolina, and rarely get harsh winters, but it will give them options for their comfort.