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Pros: Safer than a heat lamp. At least with the feather skirt, more natural... more like going into darkness beneath a mother hen for warmth. Easy to adjust (the legs) as the chicks grow. You don’t have that red glow from a heat bulb when you’re trying to take pictures! Easy to clean.Cons: With a heat lamp (I never used the huge 250 bulbs, only 75-100 watt reptile bulbs), I could easily see the chicks and their behaviors...piled directly beneath - not warm enough...avoiding the spot light - too hot...some beneath, others in the perimeter - ideal. With this form of heat, I couldn’t tell anything without shoving my hand beneath to feel for where they were. So not being able to quickly do a visual check was frustrating for me. Also, although the unit does have a small light on it, at least with the feather skirt, I couldn’t really see the light to make sure the unit was always working. With a lamp it’s very obvious whether it’s working or not. Obviously a wired lamp doesn’t get dirty, while this thing becomes a playground for the chicks within a few days of growth, so does get pooped on.I would like to note that while this is advertised for up to 15 chicks, those would have to be 15 teensy quail chicks, not chicken chicks. I could see up to 8 regular sized chicks fitting comfortably beneath it for the first 2-3 weeks, maybe 10-12 very small breed bantams. Also, the feather skirt gets pretty nasty after 2-3 weeks, but was well worth the extra $10 for the more natural feel of brooding.