Mama Heating Pad in the Brooder (Picture Heavy) - UPDATE

[bruceha2000]

Lots of nice feathers there! They will slowly expand their "range" as they get comfortable with the space. Zorra didn't take "the kids" any further than just outside the door to their brooder for the first week. Then she would bring them more toward the barn door (~7 meters distant) but not all at once. Just a bit more every day. I think I finally coaxed her out of the barn with them when they were about 3 weeks. Over the next few months she expanded their range to all the places the older girls had figure out for themselves 3 years ago. Then she kicked them to the curb as if she hadn't raised them from 4 day old chicks.

 

[Nursedanni]

I am so excited to try this method because I'm terrified of burning the barn down with a heat lamp.
I live in Ontario and the temperatures have started to drop to about -5 at night. The chicken coop is fairly insulated and we haven't had the water freeze yet. One of our hens is sitting on eggs and we have 7 eggs of varying ages in our incubator (we can see chicks moving!!!). My question is whether or not the chicks will be safe in the barn right away? We kept out first batch of chicks in our upstairs bathroom until they had feathers and the dust was just unbelievable!

 

[aart]

I am so excited to try this method because I'm terrified of burning the barn down with a heat lamp.
I live in Ontario and the temperatures have started to drop to about -5 at night. The chicken coop is fairly insulated and we haven't had the water freeze yet. One of our hens is sitting on eggs and we have 7 eggs of varying ages in our incubator (we can see chicks moving!!!). My question is whether or not the chicks will be safe in the barn right away? We kept out first batch of chicks in our upstairs bathroom until they had feathers and the dust was just unbelievable!

You might want to keep the hatched chicks in the house in a room closed off from the rest of the house with a window open to keep it as cold as possible in there after the first couple days to acclimate them to the cold before putting in in a safe place in the barn separate from the other birds.(can you say runonsentence? haha)

Concerned about 'varying ages' of eggs in incubator...what's the 'age' difference?
Why do a staggered hatch.....do you have a separate hatcher bator?

When are the incubator chicks due compared to the broody chicks?

 

[Nursedanni]

You might want to keep the hatched chicks in the house in a room closed off from the rest of the house with a window open to keep it as cold as possible in there after the first couple days to acclimate them to the cold before putting in in a safe place in the barn separate from the other birds.(can you say runonsentence? haha)

Concerned about 'varying ages' of eggs in incubator...what's the 'age' difference?
Why do a staggered hatch.....do you have a separate hatcher bator?

When are the incubator chicks due compared to the broody chicks?

We have a large dog crate in the barn that we have used to separate a wounded rooster in the past and we were going to modify it to make it safe for the chicks while still in the chicken coop.

Everyone is due within, give or take a few days, a week of each other, including the eggs under the hen. We originally thought that eggs could only be successfully incubated if found when they were still warm, that's why they all have different hatch dates. From lots of reading I gather now that that's not really true.

 

[aart]

Quote: Nope, I've incubated eggs that had been in the fridge.
Important thing it set them in the incubator(or under the hen) on the same day so they all hatch within 1-3 days.

 

[donrae]

Just wanted to post a pic of my chicks "self regulating". This is a small brooder for just a few chicks for about 2 weeks. I didn't use a wire base to support the heating pad, just a small open top cardboard box to give it some structure. Wound up with a fold in the pad between the box and the side of the tote. The chicks love to climb in there! At first they couldn't figure out how to get back out and would raise a fuss, but now they're in and out all day. So cute to see just heads poking out!

 

[lazy gardener]

Nice. I have an XL and a smaller pad. If I end up doing a large hatch in the spring, I'll be using both pads. It will allow for some creative set up!!!

 

[katbriar]

For anyone thinking about getting a heating pad- Sunbeam is having a super online sale. I saw one pad for 70% off.

I purchased one from them last year; it has no auto off feature so it heats constantly and comes back on by itself in the event of a power outage.

Customer service was super helpful when I called and told them I was looking for that type of heating pad. Better than just going by a model number whose available features could have changed over time.

 

[henless]

For anyone thinking about getting a heating pad- Sunbeam is having a super online sale. I saw one pad for 70% off.

I purchased one from them last year; it has no auto off feature so it heats constantly and comes back on by itself in the event of a power outage.

Customer service was super helpful when I called and told them I was looking for that type of heating pad. Better than just going by a model number whose available features could have changed over time.

I got that same pad and loved it!

 

[2FunKids]

Yay, my fifteen littles should be here tomorrow!!! This will be the Michigan test. Initially I was worried because I was not getting the heat but after reading that the hot side is opposite the plush side it's now around 85 degrees with a forty degree day.

Here is my heating pad support. The picture on the bench was before I realized I had the hot side up.