RentACoop 10x10” Heating Plate with Hard Anti-Roost Cone Set and Removable Comfort Feathers – Chick Brooder Heat Plate Warms Up to 15 Chicks

I got it for 4 baby ducks. It was perfect for them. (Of course, they outgrew the whole set up in 2 weeks and I had to move them.) I have 5 mini chicken eggs in incubator now and the set up (in the photo) is waiting for them. Perfect size heating situation. Can’t wait to use it again.

This really is perfect for brooding chicks. I ordered 10 American Bresse chicks on 11/17/22 and received them on 04/18/23, so I didn't want to write a review until I'd used it. I'm on a budget, and used a large, cardboard box as a brooder, so a heat lamp would have been dangerous. This heater was the perfect temperature from day one (see video), and the pyramid-style cover keeps it clean! The feature that allow you to raise it in increments made it so comfortable for the chicks as they've grown, and I've enclosed photos of their progress. They will be 4 weeks old tomorrow, and will be moved to a larger enclosure until they can be incorporated into the adult flock. All 10 are happy and healthy, and I'm so glad I purchased this chick heater!

After experiencing an overnight fire due to a heat lamp many years ago, I was sold on the concept of a fire-safe brooder plate and decided to give this a try. I bought this plate with the pyramid top (decided against adding the feather attachment) for 6 chicks initially. It takes an extremely long time to heat up, so definitely give it a couple hours to be fully ready for chicks. I took the advice to keep one side higher and one side lower to accommodate different sized chicks and different growth spurts, but in general they all seem to like the higher side most of the time. It takes a bit of guesswork to find the right height, but I like that it’s easily adjustable - so much easier than figuring out a safe way to raise/support a heat lamp. I also like that it lets them experience a true nighttime instead of constantly having the glow of a lamp. At night they’ll sleep under it, but during the day they seem to view it more as a toy in their imaginary obstacle course. Like someone else noted, the chicks like to play on it and they tend to get stuck on the gaps at the bottom of the pyramid top. Until they’re a bit bigger (and smarter?) I decided to leave the pyramid off so I don’t have to worry about injured chick wings or legs, and of course they like to get on top of the plate (up and down, repeatedly, like toddlers). It makes a mess, but I’d rather clean a mess than tend injuries. Overall though the plate is such a good alternative. It works, and it gives me peace of mind so I can actually sleep at night without worrying about another fire.

My first chicks that I got back in March, we used a heat lamp and had them in our guest bedroom for 8 weeks. Thank God nothing happened due to the heat lamp, but didn't want to use one again after reading the horror stories from house and coop fires. This time we did the brooder in our coop with this heat plate. It's amazing and gives me a piece of mind. I got 7, one day old chicks from a local hatchery and they all fit under it comfortably. Since they're in the coop during the summer it's consistently in the 80s and 90s during the day so they arent underneath it as much, but as it drops to the 70s at night they all huddle under it and stay nice and warm. I love the cone that fits on top because as they get older it'll keep them off of it so they can't make a mess. It also gets pretty tall so as they get older the legs can be raised. I may not need it much after 4 weeks since they're out in the coop during summer, but for the meantime and when I get more chicks down the road I will use this everytime!

We had a heat lamp for our chicken brooder but weren’t comfortable leaving it on all day while we weren’t home. After some searching I found this heater and liked that it came with the cone for the top (as an optional add on) so they can’t get on top and make a mess. SUPER easy to assemble. It says not to measure the temp in the brooder with a thermometer because it provides heat underneath but we have a temp gun for other things at home so we use that to gauge the temp. It definitely gets warm under there and provides the perfect balance in the brooder with a warm spot and space to let them cool off if needed. The temp gun isn’t needed though because the chicks do regulate themselves. As they’ve grown, they went from completely under it every night to sitting just outside of it, to further away until it wasn’t needed. It was well worth the money for peace of mind that our heat lamp wouldn’t fail on us.

The only thing I wish it had was some kind of light. The heat lamp provided a red light so you and the chicks can still see. With the table, you have to have some light source so they don’t panic and trample each other. Absolutely not a deal breaker though. If you’re on the fence, but this.

Did a ton of research and went for the brooding plate. Wasn’t originally going to get it with the cone but saw some plates without it and your chicks will roost on top. They poo A LOT. With the cone on, they cannot get on top (even though they definitely try) and so they system stays relatively clean.

If you’re debating between this or a heat lamp, this is the way to go hands down. A heat lamp is 220W and this is I believe 15W. It’s a power saver and far less likely to burn your house down. I adjust the height every week or so. The plate feels “less than” hot to the touch but don’t be fooled because you can touch it. It’s just the right temp for the birds and my birds have been doing well since they came home.

Heated it up the night before the chicks arrived. I’m a little more than 3 weeks in. I’ll continue to use this until my pullets have all their feathers.

So tldr; would highly recommend especially if you’re new to chicks like myself.

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.

Kept my chicks nice and warm. Had no issues.

I was skeptical about this product, but living in an old house fire is always a concern. My twelve chicks did very well and I didn't have to worry about a heat lamp. Definitely recommend.

Works great and the chicks seem to like it and use it when they need. I just keep a eye on the chicks growing and raise the top as needed.

Worked great for keeping my little flock warm in their broader.
Pretty solid, easy to assemble and adjust as the birds grow. Looks nice.
Pyramid did a pretty decent job of keeping them from climbing on top, however they are persistent and found ways. They learned to slide down between the Pyramid and posts, which would hold them for a bit, and then they tried roosting on the tips of the polls.
The size was just large enough for the 10 chicks I had in the brooder, and didn't take up too much room in the trough.
The chicks definitely enjoyed it.

When I was researching this, several reviews said that it does not heat up properly. I just bought this and wanted to check that immediately. The instructions say that you should let it heat for a full hour to reach the proper temperature. I did that and then checked the temperature. It was 119.9 degrees.

Other reviews says that it fails to reach temperature after it’s been in service for several weeks. Since I jus got it, I can’t speak to that, but will update this review if I have that problem.

All other things, size, sturdiness, etc., are accurately reflected in the product description.

It doesn't get to hot. Not worried about a fire hazard with its use. The chickens love snuggling under it. Would recommend 👌

We purchased this Brooder Heating Plate for our new batch of pullets. The concept is very simple...the plate gets warm and the chicks go under it to keep warm. This is not a heater and it will not heat your room, coop or pen. It is designed to simulate a brooding mama hen and the chicks go under until they get warm then pop back out to play and peck around then return to warm up again. The weird looking cone is to keep them from climbing on top and pooping all over it. We set our s up in a portable chicken coop we purchased here as well. the heating plate gets warm to the touch but not hot and after it had been on for a few hours, I could still touch it with no burn or discomfort, so totally safe for the chicks to be under. We also purchased the optional feather skirting and the chicks seem really happy with this.

Easy to use, adjust, and keep clean! The pyramid on top is the best feature. I wouldn’t really recommend it for more than 10 chicks or so. As you can see in my video, at 2 weeks old my chicks have gotten so big! They don’t all fit underneath the plate comfortably at night. It’s fine and they’re happy and cozy because we keep the room that they’re in really warm with a space heater but I’d get the bigger size if you’re getting more than 10.

After a lot of reading, we decided to go with a brooder plate for a heat source for our new chicks. This brooder plate was highly recommended by other chicken people so I went ahead and ordered this one. We've had our chicks for 5 weeks now and the heat plate has been perfect. The chicks have used the brooder plate for both warmth and security. I've adjusted the legs and raised the plate over the past 5 weeks, and I just now unplugged it. They don't need the heat source anymore, but they do still like to get under it when they sleep at night and nap during the day. Once the chicks go outside into the coop, I'll clean up the brooder plate and store it away until we get another batch of chicks. Great purchase and much safer than a heat lamp!

My girls loved it. And I didn’t have to worry if they were getting too much heat or not enough. Love how it can be raised as they grow. Will always use this versus a heat lamp.

I just received the item. Have baby chicks coming end of March. I have always used a heat lamp, and honestly never had a issue, but I was looking for a safer alternative. Set up was a breeze. Plugged it in and waited an hour. It did not feel very warm, but I am used to the heat bulb. I took a thermo scan and checked the temp and it was 100 degrees. And I didn't have it very low. The comfort feathers were out of order, so I ordered some feather trim for costumes and attached to the unit. It should work just fine. looking forward to this more natural heat source for the chicks.

I have tried to other chicken brooders in the past. The first one was a little bit wider and could fit more chicks, but moving the unit height to the next step each week was such a pain in the butt. The legs on that one actually broke every time I tried to change the height.
Next, I tried a less expensive version that was the same size as the first one, And upon testing it when it arrived, it got to a scorching 180°! Enough to cook a chicken! Promptly sent that one back and ordered this current one.
This unit was definitely a little more expensive, but it seems like it is made to last and moving the unit up and down is super simple. The tent on the top is a game changer for not having to constantly wipe off poop from chickens who like to jump up.
My only complaint is that I wish it was a little bit wider for more chicks.
All and all it’s fantastic!

I have had chickens since 2018. I live in New England where we don’t have long summers so I order my chicks in the spring. That way they have plenty of time to mature before the cold weather starts again. I have no basement or garage so I had to keep my first 3 “batches” of chicks in my dining room for 6 weeks. ( Don’t worry- we don’t eat there when we have chicks). At the end of the 6 weeks, I would have to deep clean the whole room to get rid of the dust. I hated it.
I read an online article about raising chicks outdoors. I bought this heater and it is AMAZING! My chicks moved outside at 10 days old ( into a separate chick coop/run that is attached but closed off from to the big girls’ run) Temps were down in the 50s at night, but they were fine. All 3 huddled together under the heater. They came out during the day, but would duck back under if they got chilly. I will never go back to raising chicks indoors. Do yourself a favor and buy one.