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

[Beekissed]

Yep...you should be able to do 40 meat chicks under that, especially if it's next month in PA and you have a nice, snug brooder setup. They won't stay under that heating pad any time at all, as they have a faster metabolism and run a little warmer than do DP chicks. I'd advise to leave both ends of the brooder frame open to air...meat chicks tend to pile up on one another at night if given the opportunity.

 

[azygous]

This thread is a laboratory where everyone tries different things and we all share and learn from them. Your 40 chicks may be one of the largest to brood under this system yet. I wouldn't say no, you can't brood that many under just a couple heating pads, but with a few modifications, I believe you could pull it off.

When this thread was in it's earliest days, I got all excited and my imagination went sort of wild. Even though I never raise large numbers of chicks, preferring to stick with no more than six at a time, I came up with an idea for expanding the effects of a couple of heating pads over a larger cave area by utilizing one of those Mylar space blankets.

In effect, you would go ahead and rig your cave out of a wire frame to be a size you think would accommodate 40 tennis balls, that being about the size of baby chicks in their first two weeks. Buy two of the largest stay-on



-all-the-time heating pads and position them under the frame in the center of the two sides of the roof, secured with bungie cords. Then cut-to-fit a Mylar space blanket to fit over the underside of the frame, careful to secure all loose corners so busy chick beaks won't dismantle it. The stuff is tough enough baby beaks won't poke holes in it, but they can work at any edges left unsecured.

The principle is that the Mylar will reflect heat back toward the chicks, and even though some chicks may not always be in direct contact with the heating pads, they should all stay cozy and warm. They'll be constantly shifting around so some will be in contact while others won't but everyone should get a turn getting the heat they need because the heat will spread across the entire surface.

The top photo shows the heating pad attached to the underside of the wire frame with bungie cords. The lower photo shows how the Mylar is attached in lieu of a pillow case over the inside of the cave. This will provide a soft, silky surface for the chicks to snuggle directly against while at the same time helping to spread the heat over a larger area by conductivity and reflection.

I measured the temperature of this little lab experiment and it read 85F when the pad was on the highest setting, about what everyone has been getting with their various MHP setups. For those who aren't familir with space blankets, Mylar is not the same as aluminum foil. It's more like a reflective plastic or nylon material, so don't worry about chicks getting electrocuted by some wayward electricity.

 

[emorems0]

Yep...you should be able to do 40 meat chicks under that, especially if it's next month in PA and you have a nice, snug brooder setup.  They won't stay under that heating pad any time at all, as they have a faster metabolism and run a little warmer than do DP chicks.  I'd advise to leave both ends of the brooder frame open to air...meat chicks tend to pile up on one another at night if given the opportunity. 

yes, I was thinking I'd make it open like an arch rather than close one side like a cave. Good to know I should be okay with just two of these. I think we'll set the brooder up inside for the first couple days and then move them to the outside brooder. I just want to be able to monitor them the first few days, but I'm hoping this set up will allow us to get them outside from week one. Last year we noticed that they did much better once we got them off of shavings and outside on the grass.

 

[emorems0]

I was actually thinking of splitting them into two groups... I'm worried about them piling on and smothering each other if they are all trying to crowd under one space.

 

[Beekissed]

yes, I was thinking I'd make it open like an arch rather than close one side like a cave. Good to know I should be okay with just two of these. I think we'll set the brooder up inside for the first couple days and then move them to the outside brooder. I just want to be able to monitor them the first few days, but I'm hoping this set up will allow us to get them outside from week one. Last year we noticed that they did much better once we got them off of shavings and outside on the grass.

You'll get more surface area under your support frame if you square off the edges/walls instead of arching them in a curve. This leaves your pad heating the ceiling of the structure but not having to spread down the sides...like Azygous said, you can get more total heating surface from the pad if you put it on high and extend it's warmth with a warm or reflective covering such as the mylar sheet...I did it with a flannel pillow case, which has some additional warmth due to being flannel. Some here are doing it with cloth baby diapers. Fleece would be another great option, as it tends to really capture body heat much like feathers do.

If you don't mind me saying so, having them inside for a few days is most likely not necessary....it's just going to be a total mess with that many chicks and they won't have to transition to the outside temps from inside temps if you just put them outside from the get go. They are a little hardier to cold temps than are DP chicks, so you can get by with it easier doing meaties.

If you have access to some hay bales, it's real easy to setup an outside brooder using hay bales for walls and a piece of plywood for the floor to insulate against the ground chill. It's such a great brooder because you can change the size in just an instant and the bales are great insulation against the cold and wind. Then you can just place a plywood or other topper on the bale structure at night to keep it even warmer.

Here's one I did with meaties in an open air hoop coop in March in 20-30* weather, though these were done with a heat lamp...before I ever used a HP for hatching or for brooding. I had 54 meaties in this, then just opened up the hay bales when they were ready to transition to a bigger space within this same coop.

 

[Beekissed]

I was actually thinking of splitting them into two groups... I'm worried about them piling on and smothering each other if they are all trying to crowd under one space.

I agree...would be a great idea. I'd just sit the brooders side by side to one another so they don't all try to crowd into one(which is likely because they are chickens and that's what they do)and leave the other one empty because it's too distant from the other.

 

[emorems0]

Beekissed, that set up looks great. We don't have hay bales but the meaties will end up in our open air hoop tractor and I had been trying to figure out how I could insulate it for outdoor brooding, hay bales are perfect.

We will actually have 25 meaties and about 15 regular chicks, maybe I will separate them by type since the meaties will be going into the tractor and the other chicks will be going into the new breeding pen.

The main reason I was planning to have them inside for the first few days is that I will most likely be out of town when they arrive and I'm not sure I can trust hubs to keep them alive outside since he won't see/hear them throughout the day. Maybe I'll play it by ear and base it on the weather. They are supposed to ship "the week of March 28", last year I recall them arriving a day earlier than I anticipated and I'll be out of town until late on the 29th. I will have everything set up for hubs before I leave for the long weekend and he will pick them up at the PO and get them set up in their brooder. I just worry since I won't be here myself... I'm a bit of a control freak when it comes to my babies. Lol

 

[COChix]

If you have access to some hay bales, it's real easy to setup an outside brooder using hay bales for walls and a piece of plywood for the floor to insulate against the ground chill. It's such a great brooder because you can change the size in just an instant and the bales are great insulation against the cold and wind. Then you can just place a plywood or other topper on the bale structure at night to keep it even warmer.

Great idea, I have been trying to figure out how and where to put the chicks when we hatch this year. We are in a different coop and it is rather a pain to split it in half to brood in the coop, it is not big enough to have a dog carrier (like Blooie) for brooding in the coop. I was spoiled last year because I had a small coop for brooding along with main coop for the flock. So I have been toying with brooding in the run, but it isn't covered all the way. I am thinking we can cover the one section we need for brooding, if we don't get the roof done. Nothing like waiting until Feb to put the roof on the run. Luckily in Colorado we have days like today, sunny at 70 degrees. Thanks for the ideas on the hay bales.

 

[lazy gardener]

yes, I was thinking I'd make it open like an arch rather than close one side like a cave. Good to know I should be okay with just two of these. I think we'll set the brooder up inside for the first couple days and then move them to the outside brooder. I just want to be able to monitor them the first few days, but I'm hoping this set up will allow us to get them outside from week one. Last year we noticed that they did much better once we got them off of shavings and outside on the grass.

FYI, I brooded 22 chicks outside with an XL pad last spring. Worked well, but they abandoned it very early. I kept trying to stuff them back under it at night, but they were having none of that. I finally stuck my hand in the middle of the pig pile and felt how warm it was! They knew they didn't need that heating pad!

 

[Couchmo]

Same here...I haven't kept a chick inside since '08.  I don't even wait for a day to see if they are alright, I just put them in the outside brooder, watch them awhile to see if all are moving around and bright eyed, then check on them several times that day and at bedtime that night.  I trust them to God after that and He always does the job perfectly. 

Hey Bee; I would have liked to have done this right from the get go but their coop wasn't ready yet. Can you tell me the coldest temps you've brooded chicks at outside there in WV? I suspect we have similar weather. My next batch of chicks is due in mid June so no worry about temps then, lol but who knows for next year? Can you tell I'm a new chick mama? . I love trusting GOD to take care of things. He does it so perfectly