mobius
Songster
Hi all....I'm new to the idea of having chicks. I got my first chickens at 8-9 weeks old last July. (Yay! We all survived our Canadian winter! LOL)
I'm REALLY intrigued by the idea of creating a mama hen cave for the 3 chicks I plan on getting this weekend. Since I'm in Canada and our weather isn't the warmest yet, I'll be keeping my chicks inside the house for a little while yet. Our garage is cold and dark so I don't want them staying in there...I want them to socialize with us! And I love the idea of raising them more naturally with the cycles of the sun. So because they will be in the house, I really don't want to use a heat lamp. I have dogs that if they got curious, could knock a lamp over. (Whereas they couldn't knock over a mama hen cave!! My brooder will be a 50 gal fish tank that we have in our basement. I've read lots of other people have had good luck with them as long as there is adequate ventilation. We will make a frame and wire mesh top for it so there is lots of air circulation.
My question is....can I use the mama hen heating pad cave in a fish tank? I could put it on one end and they would still have plenty of room to roam around. Is there any reason this wouldn't work?? And what kind of bedding is best to use? I have straw or pine shavings available.
And also, if anyone else can answer another question....Could I put my fish tank brooder in front of a window?
Thanks so much!!
Window should be nice for them...do be aware that they may outgrow even a 50 gallon tank rather quickly as their size doubles every week or so...you may want a thermometer in the tank to check it doesn't get too hot in overall ambient temp with MHP and window. Straw vs pine shavings is mostly personal preference from what I have seen....I use pine shavings, many others use straw...so I would support use of MHP in the tank with that caveat of the thermometer... not under MHP, just in the tank....
Last edited: