Brinsea - USHD500 EcoGlow Brooder for Chicks or Ducklings

Brinsea brooder warms newly hatched chicks or ducklings, and has a radiant-heated underside to produce a uniform temperature and minimize power consumption. The brooder can be adjusted to three heights to accommodate various chick sizes, and has an indicator light for confirming the brooder is connected. The brooder measures 12.0 x 8.0 x 8.0 inches (L x W x H) for holding up to 20 chicks. (L is length, the horizontal distance from left to right; W is width, the horizontal distance from front to back; H is height, the vertical distance from the lowest to highest point.) The brooder, which includes a 10-foot power cable for extended reach, operates on 12.0V from a main transformer (included), and consumes up to 18.0 watts of electricity. The brooder€s cabinet is made of antimicrobial polyurethane plastic for durability and resistance to bacterial contamination. Polyurethane is nonconductive and has good abrasion, chemical, and UV radiation resistance. It is also resistant to oil, weather, ozone, heat, electricity, tearing, and various chemicals. The brooder is suitable for any waterfowl or game bird chicks, and for classroom hatches.

Brinsea Products, Inc. manufactures bird and reptile breeding products, including incubators, brooders, and accessories. The company, founded in 1976, is headquartered in Titusville, FL and meets International Organization of Standardization (ISO) standard 9002.

HELP & ADVICE

The EcoGlow chick brooder is designed to be extremely economical to use, especially for small numbers of birds.  A typical heat lamp runs at 250 watts compared with 14 watts for the EcoGlow. Considering the brooder is on 24/7, this is an important saving.
 
To get the best use from this low power unit it is important to understand that there is no big margin of €˜spare€ heat and some precautions need to be taken depending on the ambient temperature in the room, and on the age and number of chicks €“and the size or species.
 
First, it is better to have the unit on a lower height setting, if in doubt.  The chicks will move away from the EcoGlow if they are too warm.  If brooding very young quail or very small numbers of any small birds, it is a good idea to confine them in a cardboard box at least twice the size of the EcoGlow, but put the brooder against one side of the box so that the birds can only enter on the other side.  This conserves warmth under the brooder but still allows birds to move freely out into the open as they wish.  Another useful trick is to put the whole box on a slab of 1€ Styrofoam to reduce heat loss from the bottom. 
 
In an extreme case, it can be useful to remove one end of the EcoGlow so that it rests directly on the floor.  The other end is best at the middle or higher position.  This gives very small birds to option to touch the warm surface or adjust their position for maximum comfort.
 
Because the heat from the black underside of the EcoGlow is largely radiant, measuring the temperature with a thermometer is of little value.  Radiant heat passes through air without warming it. Only a solid object will absorb and be warmed by Radiant heat. So a thermometer will register the air temperature but not the radiant heat and will usually show some 5 to 10°F lower than the effective temperature felt by the chicks.  Always watch the behavior of the birds.  They will naturally huddle together if they are cool.  The more of them, the less external warmth they need.
 
For larger numbers of birds, from two to four EcoGlows can be assembled side by side.  Above four units, it is probably better to leave a gap between units for birds to exit freely.