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

[lazy gardener]

Thank you, Paganrose! Your post makes me feel better about using just one MHP for now instead of the two that I showed in my brooder (got some concern from folks on here about not enough open space). I'm getting in 21+ tomorrow or Wednesday and I think I will just keep an eye on them and make sure one MHP is enough for them. I feel like I need two feeders in there because I am gone to work 10+ hours a day and I would hate for them to run out! Also why I am trying the vertical nipple water system. I can fit two MHPs in the coop brooder easy, so hopefully they will be fine til then!

I was able to brood 22 chicks under a Sunbeam XL last spring.

That actually happens in a coop and run situation???

Never heard of hens THAT evil...if I had them, they'd soon be in a jar. Usually an older hen will only bother little ones if they are competing for food...mine don't even do much of it even then.

Sure did. And it was my flock. Unfortunately, I couldn't figure out which of 2 "look-a-like" gals it was. If I could have figured it out, she'd have been the evening's featured entree. The broody was one of my wimpy Doms, bottom of the pecking order, and one of the girls enjoyed separating her from her chicks just for the fun of it, but... I could never id which one it was.
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Originally Posted by chickwhorides

Blooie thanks so much for being so detailed with your instructions. I set a heat pad over wire i.e. Mama heat pad style, but the heat temp only registered 89 at the highest. Once I turned off the light they all snuggled inside close together but I worried that 89 wasn't high enough. Is 95 an absolute, or is 89 close enough? I lost one chick yesterday but I don't know why- clear vent, clear eyes, it was active, and appeared to be sleeping. That's when I put the heat lamp back up. This is my first time ever with chicks, I brought home 6 from TSC. The heat lamp setup is giving me nightmares, but I'm worried about the heat pad being warm enough.
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I think that if the chick who died was cold, she would have been giving the distress chirp. Other chicks would have been distress chirping as well. I agree with other posters, that for some reason, some chicks just end up getting weak and die. The temp under my HP was 85* last spring, and it was plenty warm enough outside without any extra heat.

 

[emorems0]

I ordered two of these for my MHP... think they will be good? The dimensions are (L x W x H): 15.4 x 10.2 x 5.3 - I assume the listed dimensions are the 'large' (at least I hope so!). I hope these dimensions are right because the other 'helper shelves' are more like 8" tall, which would be too high, right? http://www.walmart.com/ip/Grey-Help...fault&beacon_version=1.0.1&findingMethod=p13n

What's the current consensus on covering the towel and heating pad with Press N Seal? There are too many pages in this thread to read through everything!

 

[ShrekDawg]

I just tossed some bedding on top to cover the poop and that would get knocked down by the chicks...and the poop along with it.  Just kept doing that twice a day until they finally stopped pooping up there as they aged and it was no longer needed.  Then the heat of the pad just dried out the residue to be found there and it was no longer an issue.  Just brushes right off after it's dried.  Of course, I had a flannel pillow case, so that might make things a little different...a smooth pillow case might not react in the same manner, but the flannel tended to hold onto the litter/bedding I placed up there until it was forcefully knocked off by the chicks climbing up there, which removed the dried poo along with. 

I never had any issue with using a pillow case....just secured it tightly around the frame with no openings at all available to the chicks.  One thing to remember about these HPs...they are completely washable, so even if they get anything on them, they wash up great. 

I never thought of putting bedding on top of it, that's a great idea. Although now that I think of it, their poo mostly dried up eventually too but in the mornings or if they all decided to hang out it would be especially bad as all 8 would poo a ton and there'd be so much there. Sometimes they mistook it for food too but I tried to shake it off a lot. But as I'm thinking of it, I think the problem with mine was a bunch had diarrhea from both the medicated feed and the fact I had the heat on too high for the first week. So they would always get diarrhea on it which was the gross part cause that stains rather than coming off. That's why I thought maybe I'd use aart's method but would probably stain the wood too. Maybe next time I won't do medicated feed.

I think that was my problem, I had the openings open at first. I just remembered though that the first pillowcase I used was the kind with the opening in the middle instead of the end and I was dumb and put the open end under MHP plus it sagged. All sorts of problems. Plus the duct tape fail. Once I switched pillowcases to one with the opening on the end and that also zipped and then later switched to a towel after that got gross, i had zero issues. I forgot the pads were washable though, may have to wash mine. It's been sitting in the garage next to the still assembled brooder and has some shavings on it still. Plus the dog found it and tried to eat it last week. But thankfully I was out there and he dropped it right away. Our first pad broke within the first week. Not even a week even, 6 days. And had to go buy a new one.

 

[chickwhorides]

What's the current consensus on covering the towel and heating pad with Press N Seal? There are too many pages in this thread to read through everything!
[/quote]
Just a couple days experience so far, but the press and seal is impressive- the poo slides right off.

 

[aart]

.....That's why I thought maybe I'd use aart's method but would probably stain the wood too. .....

I covered the wood with press and seal to avoid that...and it did.
Used a hard rubber roller(ink brayer) to make it stick really good.

Was hoping I could rinse it off under running water but it wasn't really water tight enough...
....but....
....poops dried up fast (wood was warm) and could be flicked off.

 

[duluthralphie]

I like the press-n-seal. hen laying a disposal bed pad on it, Keeps the heating pad real clean..


Last night all the chicks were sitting right outside the mouth of the cave. These chicks are a week old. They are real small as they are CLB's. I thought they needed the heat so I had the pad on 6. I turned the pad down last night to 4 and they crawled back under it and seemed way happier. They are all out and playing and eating this morning.

Again, I tried to force them to be too hot. I cannot believe how much cooler they like it, compared to what I think they will like.

 

[aart]

I like the press-n-seal. hen laying a disposal bed pad on it, Keeps the heating pad real clean..


Last night all the chicks were sitting right outside the mouth of the cave. These chicks are a week old. They are real small as they are CLB's. I thought they needed the heat so I had the pad on 6. I turned the pad down last night to 4 and they crawled back under it and seemed way happier. They are all out and playing and eating this morning.

Again, I tried to force them to be too hot. I cannot believe how much cooler they like it, compared to what I think they will like.

There ya go!!....kinda cool (haha) how that works, huh?

 

[jmdes]

Is anyone online who is able to have a short phone call ? Wish there was a chick-hatch-Hot-Line. I goofed up and am fretting here. The nice fluffy chicks got TOO humid and wet overnight. I'm drying them out now in a brooder box w/heat lamp. Would sure like to talk it over with someone and ask some questions. I can send a PM with my phone number. Anyone ?

 

[perchie.girl]

Is anyone online who is able to have a short phone call ? Wish there was a chick-hatch-Hot-Line. I goofed up and am fretting here. The nice fluffy chicks got TOO humid and wet overnight. I'm drying them out now in a brooder box w/heat lamp. Would sure like to talk it over with someone and ask some questions. I can send a PM with my phone number. Anyone ?

Look up @Sally Sunshine

 

[jmdes]

Thank you perchie girl, I sent you a PM just now. Pls call me at your convenience.

Jan