‘I’ve bred poultry for just over thirty years and my first successful hatches came from Brinsea incubators we still use today. What was a hobby has more recently evolved into a career as my wife and I are launching a tourist attraction based around the chickens (plus ducks, donkeys, rabbits, playground, shop and cafe) at our farm in Cornwall. Called the Poultry Patch and opening summer 2016 we specialise in raising rare and difficult to breed poultry. These are critically endangered breeds where every chick counts and we cannot afford to lose young stock through temperature fluctuations on a hot day or cold night.
Given this focus we were delighted when the Brinsea range evolved to include brooders. We’ve been using the EcoGlow 50’s for a number of years now having seen significant benefits. Setting aside the cost efficiency, where they are much cheaper to run than the heat lamps we previously used, the welfare benefits for our birds are huge. They have a safe place to shelter that is just the right temperature from day old onwards. They find the brooders calming and we will often keep them in with young birds as it reduces stress as we move them to larger pens. The brooders are an ideal size also as we keep our chicks in sensible sized groups which avoids behavioural issues and coccidiosis.
The EcoGlow works in a very natural way with a gentle heat just above the chicks, very much like a mother hen. So there is no guessing the temperature and trying to adjust the height like some of the heat plates out there. The height can easily be adjusted as they age which is primarily about access rather than controlling the temperature. The heat is focused on one area so there isn’t a lot of dust being created unnecessarily (which eliminates the associated respiratory issues arising from hot dust and excessively dry conditions) and they are easy to clean and maintain. Plus they are safe. I work with a rural insurer and one of the biggest concerns for the poultry industry is heat sources in wooden buildings. I trust the Brinsea products to be safe and to not be generating unnecessary heat or to have the electrical faults that seem to plague cheap imports. We love them but most importantly so do our chicks.’
Charles Pears, The Poultry Patch, Bosneives Mill, Withiel, Cornwall, PL30 5NQ
Charles Pears uses the EcoGlow 50 with his rare and endangered breeds
