HELP
& ADVICE - EcoGlow Chick Brooder
- hints on use
 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.
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