I never realized how inadequate the heat was until trying to use one myself. I just went back to using ceramic heat lamps and have no regrets for at least trying it.I have my heat lamps suspended with steel wire and both have guards. One is in a catio and the other is inside my run.
I was hoping they'd like it better and still kept it in the brooder until I turned them loose in the run.I had to put plastic around the dog crate and put the heater on top and made a tent between the dog crate and the brooder coop.The chicks ran and played in the tent area and dog crate but...
Not bashing the use of brooder plates or heating pads but given the choice between the two heaters my chicks chose the ceramic heater, not the one they had to hug
Day old shipped baby Chicks need to be kept 95-100 degrees minimum
The manufacturers of the brooder plates don't even recommend their use in ambient temps below 50 degrees. Day old chicks need more heat than this sorry
Unless someone can recommend one that puts out more heat than this model I won't be using another one. My chicks abandoned the wood coop the cave was placed in and stayed inside the wire dog crate with a ceramic bulb overhead( was meant to be their run)