"ecoglow"-style chick brooder

I'm mostly a lurker and a learner- my internet searches often bring me to permies.
I thought I'd throw this out there in case anyone's interested. It's a lower-electricity and lower-risk brooder.
It's a bit like the "ecoglow" brooder in that it uses radiant heat to warm the chicks.
I just started with one and it's working well so far- it's just mini Christmas lights and sand in a seal-able container- mine's around 9"x13"- suspended just above the brooder floor so the chicks can snuggle under it. The sand holds the heat and it has some of the huddle-up/mostly enclosed traits of the igloo in cold brooding.

The instructions and some more details are here: https://pureandsimplelife.wordpress.com/2015/03/11/homemade-diy-version-of-an-ecoglow-style-brooder/

Cool idea! We are off the grid and the first few weeks of chick like are daunting, power wise.

Zenais Buck the Ressiliant Gardener talks about raising chicks before their was electricity. I am outside right now but if you remind me or I remember later on I will see what it says.

Meryt Helmer wrote:Zenais Buck the Ressiliant Gardener talks about raising chicks before their was electricity. I am outside right now but if you remind me or I remember later on I will see what it says.

Oooh, thank you! That book is on my list; it might have to move up to the top!

Right now I have about 10 chicks in a box next to the wood stove. They seem content, but I am concerned about them. Not to mention burning up: we usually keep the house much cooler than the 70 degrees we are at right now! Whew!

Zenais Buck wrote:

Meryt Helmer wrote:Zenais Buck the Ressiliant Gardener talks about raising chicks before their was electricity. I am outside right now but if you remind me or I remember later on I will see what it says.

Oooh, thank you! That book is on my list; it might have to move up to the top!

Right now I have about 10 chicks in a box next to the wood stove. They seem content, but I am concerned about them. Not to mention burning up: we usually keep the house much cooler than the 70 degrees we are at right now! Whew!

I am up with insomnia and went to find it and now I think it may be a different book. I just saw it in the past few days though so I will look in the morning at the other books I have. I am not off grid and raising some ducklings for the first time and noticed it just the other day while looking for information on something else. it is probably just something mentioned in Story's Guide to Ducks but I think it was something that would apply to chicken chicks as well as ducklings or it was in Story's Guide to Poultry or another book here. I am dealing with some illness and if I don't comment send me a pm or something to get my attention it just means I forgot but I am happy to try and find whatever it says to see if it is of any use for you and doing so will be good for me and distract me some form my health issues!

but also it may just suggest to do what you are already doing. I don't remember for sure. I keep imagining that you could do something with a terracotta planter and some warm rocks but I know that is in no books. just something I keep thinking about.

Thanks, Meryt! I think I will try the terra-cotta thing. Off to do some research!