Brooding Question

[ShakeandBake21]

Hi! First time chick owner here. I am getting a mixed flock of layers (full size and bantams) in mid Oct. I was researching brooding options and came across the Mama Heating Pad method. I was wondering if I could get help figuring out if that is a good option for my chicks.

Originally I was going to use an old dog crate (modified for chick protection) with a brooder plate in my basement but then saw a thread about the MHP and thought that seemed like a good idea. I like the idea of brooding directly in the coop but am not sure if that is a good idea or not. I live in IL (about an hour SW of Chicago) and will get the chicks on the 18th of Oct. Our day time temps in Oct are in the low 60s and nightly lows are in the 40s (typically). In Nov daytime temps drop to average high 40s with lows in low 30s overnight.

Our coop will be able to have electricity run to it so powering a heating pad won’t be a problem (I read the brooder plates can’t be used if the ambient temp is lower than 55). I plan on our coop being dry and draft free.

Wondering which method seasoned chicken brooders would recommend - basement or coop? MHP or brooding plate? Thanks so much for your help!

 

[rosemarythyme]

You'd be warm enough to use a MHP at those temperatures, provided the brooding area inside the coop is draft free. I've used them down to mid 40s, a few folks have used them down around the 20s. Brooding plate use may vary, as you noted some of them have recommended minimum temperatures to be used in, so you'd need to read the description on any plate you're considering.

 

[ShakeandBake21]

You'd be warm enough to use a MHP at those temperatures, provided the brooding area inside the coop is draft free. I've used them down to mid 40s, a few folks have used them down around the 20s. Brooding plate use may vary, as you noted some of them have recommended minimum temperatures to be used in, so you'd need to read the description on any plate you're considering.

Thank you!

 

[NatJ]

Wondering which method seasoned chicken brooders would recommend - basement or coop? MHP or brooding plate? Thanks so much for your help!

The first few days, it is good to have the chicks where you can check on them very frequently. I don't know whether basement or coop is better for that, because it depends so much on details of your property and your schedule.

By the time they're a week old, I would definitely recommend brooding in the coop. The bigger they get, the more they throw bedding around and the more droppings (and smell) they make.

Space also becomes more important as they get bigger. So by the time they are a week or two old, it would be great for them to have access to the entire coop. If you have them in the basement, they will probably have less space.

If they are in the basement, you have to decide when to move them out to the coop. Because outdoors is probably cooler than your basement at that season, it's easy to worry. But if you have the chicks and their heat source in the coop from a young age, and start allowing daytime access to the run once they are a few weeks old, it will be easy to see how comfortable they are with the outdoor temperature. As long as they can warm up when they are cold, they will do a great job of acclimating themself to the temperature (run off to eat and play in the cold, come back to warm up, repeat.)

I have no experience with MHP or brooding plate, because I have always used a heat lamp. I put it near one corner of the space, so there is a warm area and a much larger cool area. In some conditions, a second heat lamp is a good idea (in case one quits working), but if I use two heat lamps I put them fairly near each other. That way there is still one warm area, and lots of cool space. Obviously a heat lamp must be used correctly to avoid fires, but the main other problem I see is when the lamp heats the entire brooder so the chicks cannot get away from the heat. (Brooder size makes an enormous difference for that!) I do not see a problem with the red light keeping the chicks awake at night. They mostly sleep at night, when the heat lamp is the only light source, and are mostly awake in the daytime when other light makes the area brighter.

(I'm not saying you should use a heat lamp instead, just telling what I've seen from using them, in case you find the information useful.)

 

[ShakeandBake21]

The first few days, it is good to have the chicks where you can check on them very frequently. I don't know whether basement or coop is better for that, because it depends so much on details of your property and your schedule.

By the time they're a week old, I would definitely recommend brooding in the coop. The bigger they get, the more they throw bedding around and the more droppings (and smell) they make.

Space also becomes more important as they get bigger. So by the time they are a week or two old, it would be great for them to have access to the entire coop. If you have them in the basement, they will probably have less space.

If they are in the basement, you have to decide when to move them out to the coop. Because outdoors is probably cooler than your basement at that season, it's easy to worry. But if you have the chicks and their heat source in the coop from a young age, and start allowing daytime access to the run once they are a few weeks old, it will be easy to see how comfortable they are with the outdoor temperature. As long as they can warm up when they are cold, they will do a great job of acclimating themself to the temperature (run off to eat and play in the cold, come back to warm up, repeat.)

I have no experience with MHP or brooding plate, because I have always used a heat lamp. I put it near one corner of the space, so there is a warm area and a much larger cool area. In some conditions, a second heat lamp is a good idea (in case one quits working), but if I use two heat lamps I put them fairly near each other. That way there is still one warm area, and lots of cool space. Obviously a heat lamp must be used correctly to avoid fires, but the main other problem I see is when the lamp heats the entire brooder so the chicks cannot get away from the heat. (Brooder size makes an enormous difference for that!) I do not see a problem with the red light keeping the chicks awake at night. They mostly sleep at night, when the heat lamp is the only light source, and are mostly awake in the daytime when other light makes the area brighter.

(I'm not saying you should use a heat lamp instead, just telling what I've seen from using them, in case you find the information useful.)

Thank you so much for the information! That was super helpful. I think I’ll do a week inside and then transition to brooding in the coop. Good thing I have time before the girls arrive so I can dry run everything and that way if I need to change plans I’m not scrambling. Thanks again!

 

[NatJ]

Good thing I have time before the girls arrive so I can dry run everything and that way if I need to change plans I’m not scrambling.

That is an excellent plan! Having things set up and tested before you get the chicks can avoid a lot of problems.