Heating pad and heat lamp

[aj_matt]

Hello!

We've had quite the morning. I woke up to the power being out the day that my turkey poulets arrived at the post office due to a freak snow storm. I was able to get them from the USPS and get home and keep them by the fire until the power came back on.

The issue is that I set up a wonderful brooder box (on floor) in the garage for them and have a heating pad under that brooder box because the concrete can get very cold as it's still super cold out. It doesn't heat, just keeps the floor area not ice cold. But, due to the insanity of this morning, I've had to cobble together a makeshift brooder box in the 3 season room where the fire is located. Now that the power is back on, they're under lamps, but there's very little way to control how far off from the top of the box it is since the room isn't set up - I want to keep them here, though, in case the power goes out again. Clamping the lamp on the window sill makes the lamps too close and they were getting way too overheated. I've put together a makeshift lift on the lamps, which is kind of at the level, but not very stable and I really do not like the set up. They're starting to do a pile up on the spot where the lamp is shining, so I think it may be just too far away. I'm too afraid of taking the hour long there-and-back car ride to a tractor supply to get a bucket while they're still just 1 day old having had such a tumultuous morning, so I am trying to make-do with what is around.

Can I put the heating pad under the box in addition to their lamp, or would that be too hot? I have it set to 75. Has anyone else had to do a makeshift brooder box?

 

[Debbie292d]

If you have a thermometer to lay on the bottom of the brooder under the lamp, you could put the heating pad under there and see what the temp is. They probably don't have a lot of room to get away from the heat but try to keep the lamp and pad all far to one side.

Otherwise, do you by any chance have a music, mic stand, closet wardrobe, or a closet you could clean out real quick? You could use all of those to hang the lamp from with a chain or rope. We even used the shower head once.

 

[rosemarythyme]

If the power is back on why can't they go into the garage where I assume you had things set up to your liking? Are you slated to get more outages (i.e. an extended storm rolling through area)?

 

[Birdinhand]

For reading the temp, if you have a lazer temp gun then take a variety of readings with that. Behavior is ultimately the key, if they are huddled together but happy, that’s usually good, if huddled together and chirping loud, then it’s typically too cold. If sprawled out, panting, it’s too hot. I have not had good luck with heat from below until they are older, so I’d be cautious about that, particularly if combining with a light as well, even more caution if the area is more enclosed. Of interest in general, you might want to look up “Whooley hen”, the thing they used before we had heat lamps. It is the use of fabric, cut in strips and hung from above, close together, to mimick the heat trapping qualities of a brooded hen. If you get in a pinch, you can create a box that traps their body heat but has enough holes in it to keep them from asphyxiating themselves and find a happy medium. The mother heating pad “cave” concept works even when you don’t have an additional heat source, it just takes more finagling, more tedium, but if you see they are happy, you’re good.

I’d keep them inside for a few days, have a nest made handy for them in case the electricity goes out, a way to cover them a loosely and just see how it goes.

 

[aj_matt]

Yes, I expect to get a power outage on Saturday when we get 2 feet of snow. So, they’re inside where the generator cord is set up and the fire can add ambient room heat.

They’re piled and quiet to one of the cooler sides of the box, so it looks like they are a bit hotter, but have a way to escape. The issue is that the room is a 3 season room and gets quite cold overnight when the fire is out (as it is now).

The wind is still up at 40mph (was 50 when we lost power, but hasn’t really died down). So, I’m going to be getting up every couple of hours to check on them since I can’t trust we won’t loose power again overnight.

I do have a digital thermometer. That’s a good call, I’ll see if i can find it and use it now!

Appreciate the help!

 

[NatJ]

They’re piled and quiet to one of the cooler sides of the box, so it looks like they are a bit hotter, but have a way to escape. The issue is that the room is a 3 season room and gets quite cold overnight when the fire is out (as it is now).

If you can make the box much longer, that can help give them more choices of temperature.

It is a relatively easy way to deal with temperatures that swing widely, because you can make one end always warm enough (but sometimes too hot) and the other end always cool enough (but sometimes too cold.) That means they can always find somewhere at the correct temperature, between the two extremes, but they move closer to one end or the other as temperatures shift during the day and the night.