that's a good idea.
the top one I was seriously considering using that for the feed area for the Guineas. Little Jack booters....So I found these while trying to figure out how to keep my duckling brooder clean and dry.
I need some MHP help. I have 9 chicks ages 2 to 5ish weeks in a dog crate with MHP all doing great, but getting too stinky and dusty for me (asthma). I also have a tiny chick that has had some kind of neurological or vitamin deficiency or whatever that was doing very very poorly. Couldn't keep its balance, wasn't eating or drinking, getting picked on by the others and literally could not walk to get out of the way of trouble, never mind finding the food and water in the big dog crate. So I took the baby chick, who is tiny compared to the others and set her up with her own MHP. I set her at 6 for warmth, fed her nutridrench every 3 to 4 hours and now she has improved. She is not out of the woods by a long shot but she can balance and move and is eating and drinking on her own etc. She has been peeping loudly today, probably feels better and wondering why she is alone. Here is a link to the thread about her if anyone would like to chime in and help me with her. Im a first time chicken keeper and really don't know what Im doing so much
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1163464/baby-chick-in-trouble/60#post_18321616
Anyway, Im thinking of putting one of the smallest chicks in with her for now and seeing how it goes but my MHP ? is will the other chick be ok with the higher temp of the MHP?
If they do well together and the sick chick continues to improve I would like to move her out to the coop at the same time I move the bigger girls out which will be some time this week. So how do I handle the MHP outside? The big girls are down to 4 and I was going to lower it again tonight to 3. but I feel the baby sick chick still may need the supportive heat. She is not nearly feathered out. I would hate to see this baby chick perish for some reason that is actually in my control. Thank you all
I have never seen anything like this in all the batches of chicks I've raised. Lost another one, again one of the tiny ones. I guess it goes without saying that this batch will not be going outside to live for a while yet. As much as I hate raising chicks indoors, I hate seeing them die even more. I am confident enough in MHP and the way I raised Silkies in the past that it's not something I'm doing wrong. But I'd be lying if I said I'm not questioning and re-hashing every single thing, too.
Katie was, well, Katie.At first she cried a little. When I put my arms around her she hugged me back, hard. I told her how sorry I am that this group just isn't doing well, and I told her I just don't know what's going on.
She said, "Well, Gramma, you didn't do it. You didn't step on them, did you? No, you didn't. You didn't turn off the heating pad did you? No. You didn't forget to feed and water them, did you? No. You gave them Nutri-stuff, didn't you? Yes. You told me that sometimes chicks even die when their real mom is taking care of them. So you have to do what she does when some chicks die. You have to just keep taking care of the ones you have left."
Have I ever mentioned how much I love that little girl?
