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

[jmdes]

Hello All, The chicks survived their first night out under MHP in the big coop. it got down to 30degrees last nite. The chicks are only 2.5 days old. Here is a photo of them running around, flapping their wings and eating and drinking this morning. It is 48 degrees in the coop when I took this photo. They just pop back into MHP to warm up now and then, and then pop back out and play, eat and drink.

The Big hens still don't know what to think. They act curious, and also afraid of them.

 

[TexasLisa]

GREAT NEWS!!!

 

[Coop de Grass]

I think that I need to enlarge the coop... it is an 7 x 8' sunmaid shed that has windows, and that we adapted. DH added a window low down so that the girls could look out if it was crappy outside. They do sit there and watch the world. It really would be fantastic to have the space to have a pace for a Brooder in the coop.

 

[TexasLisa]

Uh oh.....somebody has been bitten by the chick bug!

 

[ShrekDawg]

Uh oh.....somebody has been bitten by the chick bug!    

It definitely seems they have!!

I have too i think. Ive been telling myself 8 is good and somewhat hard to manage free ranging and i do not need or want anymore. Plus my dad has limited me to 8. But now I have a strong desire for Speckled Sussex, some Wyandottes, and every color Orpington.

 

[lazy gardener]

Good evening. Do any readers use a heating pad that has just the HI - MED - LO settings, and if so, any idea how it compares to the Sunbeam Xpress with the 6 settings? I may be setting a lot of chicks this spring, and really don't want to do a heat lamp. Not sure if I'd set LOTS of chicks under multiple heat pads in one space, or if I'd divide my brooder space into 2 areas with 2 MHP's. May even have some ducks in the mix.

 

[ShanandGem]

Good evening. Do any readers use a heating pad that has just the HI - MED - LO settings, and if so, any idea how it compares to the Sunbeam Xpress with the 6 settings? I may be setting a lot of chicks this spring, and really don't want to do a heat lamp. Not sure if I'd set LOTS of chicks under multiple heat pads in one space, or if I'd divide my brooder space into 2 areas with 2 MHP's. May even have some ducks in the mix.

I have a HI-MED-LO heat pad, and there is about a 10 degree difference between HI and MED. It makes me nervous but the chicks don't seem to care; I just turned it to MED today.

 

[aart]

Good evening. Do any readers use a heating pad that has just the HI - MED - LO settings, and if so, any idea how it compares to the Sunbeam Xpress with the 6 settings? I may be setting a lot of chicks this spring, and really don't want to do a heat lamp. Not sure if I'd set LOTS of chicks under multiple heat pads in one space, or if I'd divide my brooder space into 2 areas with 2 MHP's. May even have some ducks in the mix.

My first pseudo heat plate had just lo-med-hi...worked fine.

 

[Blooie]

Henless uses one that is just Hi Med Low too. The one she found can even turn itself back on to the last setting in the event of a power outage.

http://www.sunbeam.com/pain-relief/...ology-blue/000771-810-000.html#sz=12&start=18

Ignore the reviews. If you look at them, you'll see that people are citing a different model number than the one in the ad.

 

[Coop de Grass]

@TexasLisa

I was bitten by the chicken bug even before I actually got my chicks. I fell in love with them the moment I got them. I am fascinated by them, and so is my once reluctant DH! He fusses over them more than I do. I do have to remind him that a piece of straw floating in their water is not a reason to clean out a pail that was just washed that morning... they do spend their days digging in the dirt looking for bugs.

They are really funny when they come up to me with their mud hanging off of their beaks!

I am so happy to be a chicken crazy lady!