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

[Jensownzoo]

Look at the label of ingredients, it might have grit in it. the cracked grain started from our mill had chick sized grit mixed in.

If it was lack of grit, wouldn't crop be bulging?

The feeding directions say to supplement with grit.

And not necessarily. Depends on several factors including chick selection of "favorite" bits, rate of intake, etc.. Not saying that a lack of available grit is responsible for anything, but it does need to be corrected before it does start causing issues.

 

[Blooie]

OhBummerBlooie!!! I hate when that happens, find it's often best to stop looking.
You'll remember just as you drift off to sleep tonite, BANG you'll picture it's exact location with startling clarity, then sleep with sweet cheeping dreams.


Not sure why we need a poll about using a heating pad for brooding, no matter what it's called....
....are we caucusing for a majority election? forming a cult? or just wanting to take a count of who on BYC uses a pad instead of a lamp?

I just share my ideas about all sorts of stuff, including the pad, I've made for chickening where ever I see a need, folks can take it or leave it.<shrugs>

That's how I feel about it too, but yesterday when I found out that this thread comes up when "using a heating pad to brood" is Googled, and then having new folks come by to say "hi" and they've heard about and have been using it too, I got kinda curious about how many others are doing it that we don't even know about. Surprising to find out a couple of months ago that a feed store in Ohio is using it instead of lamps too. But it's just a curiosity thing, and I'm sure the urge will pass.

Now, back to the heating pad search. Um, hey, maybe Google can find it for me!!

 

[Blooie]

Be sure to use chick grit if that's what you opt to do....it's finer than the grit for adults. I always toss a clump of sod in with mine. My first chicks (seems like forever ago!) would gorge on bagged chick grit so I quit giving it to them all together and went with the dirt.

 

[MesMama]

The feed doesn't contain grit :/ Ugh. So that could be what's killing them?

What about ground up gravel from the drive way?

And I do have two clumps of sod in there, they peck at the clover and grass but not so much the dirt, that I've noticed anyway.
@aart Didn't lose any bigs The BO was a chick. And they're 5 days old

 

[aart]

Quote: Might be able to put some in the blender or food processor for the chicks.....I do that even with crumble for the first week or so....but maybe they'd still need grit to absorb the nutrition........or you could soak/ferment it, still need grit?

 

[aart]

The feed doesn't contain grit

Ugh. So that could be what's killing them?

What about ground up gravel from the drive way?

And I do have two clumps of sod in there, they peck at the clover and grass but not so much the dirt, that I've noticed anyway.
@aart Didn't lose any bigs

The BO was a chick. And they're 5 days old

Ohhh thought it was a big.........at 5 days could still be just failure to thrive, some kind of genetic malformation inside.

 

[MesMama]

I think I'm going to try to crush up the bigs grit that I have. Do I mix it with their feed so they don't gorge on it?

 

[MesMama]

Also, I checked a couple of their crops yesterday morning when I did a butt check because Friday their crops were huge, anyway their crops were down to normal yesterday morning

 

[aart]

I think I'm going to try to crush up the bigs grit that I have. Do I mix it with their feed so they don't gorge on it?

You might be able to sift the bigs grit.....usually plenty of smaller stuff in there.

http://www.jupefeeds-sa.com/documents/GraniteGrit.pdf

 

[MesMama]

W

Ohhh thought it was a big.........at 5 days could still be just failure to thrive, some kind of genetic malformation inside.

With failure to thrive etc do they still grow normally? Feathers coming in and such?