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

[aart]

I have some questions for everyone: What size/design should I use for brooding 15 Salmon Faverolles?

I was successful in raising 8 chicks this year with a 14"x22" MHP (one heating pad) outside in a separate part of the main coop. Which amazed me since I don't have an insulated coop and the nights dropped down into the single digits when they were 1 & 2 weeks old, not getting above 20 F for weeks. They never spent 1 day inside my house.

Do I double the size of what I did the last time? Do I leave both ends open? Also, I noticed that the chicks I raised (now 7 week old light Brahmas) are very skittish. Should I have the new batch inside for a week with the MHP in order to get them used to people before putting them outside?

I am deeply grateful to everyone who has shared their experiences both good and bad, all of which have educated me.

I did 16 outside with a 12x24, ramping down heat slowly. They didn't fit under at about 4 weeks, so removed it.
ETA: partially covered back and front with overhanging towel, they could get in and out there, but sides were blocked with straw.

 

[Blooie]

I have some questions for everyone: What size/design should I use for brooding 15 Salmon Faverolles?

I was successful in raising 8 chicks this year with a 14"x22" MHP (one heating pad) outside in a separate part of the main coop. Which amazed me since I don't have an insulated coop and the nights dropped down into the single digits when they were 1 & 2 weeks old, not getting above 20 F for weeks. They never spent 1 day inside my house.

Do I double the size of what I did the last time? Do I leave both ends open? Also, I noticed that the chicks I raised (now 7 week old light Brahmas) are very skittish. Should I have the new batch inside for a week with the MHP in order to get them used to people before putting them outside?

I am deeply grateful to everyone who has shared their experiences both good and bad, all of which have educated me.

I used the same size for my 15 chicks, @JLS and had no problems at all. They won't be under it that long as the temps warm up, so by the time they outgrow it they'll likely have outgrown their need for it as well. As you've seen, they're pretty tough little critters, but of course that doesn't mean we ignore their needs either. If you were to leave the back open too, as many are doing, that will lessen the chances of them packing in back there and one getting smothered by the others. And just because you paid your dues once doesn't mean you don't owe for the new batch!

Having them inside for a week and then putting them outside will probably do nothing for skittishness. I'd say just spend more time with them out there, moving quietly and letting them come to you. @azygous is particularly good at having her outside chicks becoming very friendly, so I hope she'll chime in here.

So after lurking on this forum the last couple days & trying to read as much as I can I'm going to make the MHP today for my 7 wellies that I got on Monday. Basically I think I need a frame, a heating pad, something to secure the heat pad to the frame press & seal & possibly a pillowcase to go around it all to keep any babies from getting stuck in the frame- does that all sound about right? I'll send pics when I get a set up. Also looking forward to getting these babies outdoors before the 'required' 6 weeks or whatever they say!

Welcome to the Broody Brigade.....can't wait for the pics!!

 

[Bowldy45]

A hen would have them out in the grass and dirt at a couple of days old. Depending on how high off the ground the coop is and how steep the ramp the chicks will figure it out. Wouldn't hurt to play "Hansel and Gretel" and put some chick food on the ramp.
You would definitely want to be out there with them at first to make sure they DO figure out how to get back to the MHP. One difference between the Mama Heating Pad brooder and a real hen brooder is the latter heat source moves with the chicks

We finally got the smaller-to-grow-up-some coop set and together yesterday and got the chicks moved to it. They absolutely loved being able to have their toes on the grass and just forage about! They started making they beds of dust, and doing all the things chickens basically do lol. Only problem was, when it was getting dark last night, they were making quite a racket and would not, or couldn't figure out, how to get up the ramp to the MHP inside. I tried lining the ramp with feed and mealworms, but they wouldn't have anything to do with it. I finally had to catch them all and just put them to bed.
I was out there awhile ago, and opened the pop door, took their food and water out of the coop and put it back into the run area. I again lined the ramp with some food and mealworms, but they still are not crazy about using that ramp. Still sitting up in the coop just looking around. Am I being impatient on wanting them to get out and forage around? Or is there something different I need to do to get them to come outside and then back to bed again tonight?

 

[bruceha2000]

So after lurking on this forum the last couple days & trying to read as much as I can I'm going to make the MHP today for my 7 wellies that I got on Monday. Basically I think I need a frame, a heating pad, something to secure the heat pad to the frame press & seal & possibly a pillowcase to go around it all to keep any babies from getting stuck in the frame- does that all sound about right? I'll send pics when I get a set up. Also looking forward to getting these babies outdoors before the 'required' 6 weeks or whatever they say!

Yep, you have the gist of the MHP brooder. The P&S is just to reduce the amount of chick poop you have to wash off the pad cover (the pillowcase or whatever you have used to make sure there is no way the chicks can get between the pad and the frame). If you have the cave covered with straw or shavings or whatever, I don't guess there would be a lot of poop on the cave cover.

The "required" period to go outside is "they don't need supplemental heat once they are fully feathered" which is usually by 4 weeks. With MHP, they can be outside from day one because you aren't trying to heat a large volume of air as you do with heat lamps. I can see keeping them in the house for a few weeks if you get them when it is sub freezing outside. Not for them but for us. Who wants to go out to sit and watch the new "chick TV" episodes when you are freezing your butt off? This time of year, any excuse to get outside (at least for those of us that have winter) is a GOOD thing.

Well thanks to the great advice about the putting the MHP into a pillowcase so they can't get their little heads stuck in the wire frame from @Molpet we now have an updated version of our MHP.
We slid the frame and mat into a pillowcase, I slip stitched the bottom of the pillowcase to the wire frame so the pillowcase doesn't sag and placed a fresh towel on top.





Update on temp: The plant seeding mat we are using is holding at 95 without issue. They go right under it and come out to eat and play just like they should. All in all this has been a fabulous success. Our results (so far) appear to be exactly the same as @Blooie which is what we were hoping for as a best case scenario.

I cannot express how much I appreciate all the thoughtful advice and ideas we have taken from you all!

Are you measuring 95F on the pad or the air in the cave? If the latter, you might want to turn the pad down. As you know this is a "contact heat" method, not an "ambient air" method.

Having them inside for a week and then putting them outside will probably do nothing for skittishness. I'd say just spend more time with them out there, moving quietly and letting them come to you. @azygous is particularly good at having her outside chicks becoming very friendly, so I hope she'll chime in here.

I agree. Our first chicks were bathtub in the house heat lamp raised (this was pre MHP era) and were no more friendly (probably because the 5 fingered monsters that came in from the sky were SCARY) than the broody raised ones. For some reason tiny little prey animals fear BIG animals, I don't get it

All my birds are of a varying degree of "friendly". They will all come for treats but only some come REAL close to see what I am doing (which means "maybe the big ugly chicken will stir up some worms or other bugs for me to eat"). If you hope for "lap chickens", I suspect sitting down in their area with treats will be your best bet. But don't expect they will necessarily think you should be holding them. Like cats, some yes, some NO!!!!!!

 

[bruceha2000]

We finally got the smaller-to-grow-up-some coop set and together yesterday and got the chicks moved to it. They absolutely loved being able to have their toes on the grass and just forage about! They started making they beds of dust, and doing all the things chickens basically do lol. Only problem was, when it was getting dark last night, they were making quite a racket and would not, or couldn't figure out, how to get up the ramp to the MHP inside. I tried lining the ramp with feed and mealworms, but they wouldn't have anything to do with it. I finally had to catch them all and just put them to bed.
I was out there awhile ago, and opened the pop door, took their food and water out of the coop and put it back into the run area. I again lined the ramp with some food and mealworms, but they still are not crazy about using that ramp. Still sitting up in the coop just looking around. Am I being impatient on wanting them to get out and forage around? Or is there something different I need to do to get them to come outside and then back to bed again tonight?

How high is the coop off the ground?
How steep is the ramp?
Does the ramp have wood cleats every 3"?

If the drop is a lot (for a 3" high chick) - scary
If the ramp is steep - scary
If there are no cleats and the ramp is a "slip and slide" both up and down - scary.

As much as we are all amazed at them just naturally knowing what they should do (scratch, dust bath, etc) we do have to remember they are just babies and naturally cautious about things that could be painful (like falling 3 feet from the top of the ramp). Also good to remember that if they were raised by a hen "in the wild", they would be out on relatively flat ground, not up high in a big box so the ramp is quite unnatural.

 

[Blooie]

Right here my own backyard, so to speak. Aside from the benefits to the chicks, THIS is why I so detest heat lamps in any way, shape or form. The story appeared in this week's paper and we wondered where the smoke plume was coming from - now we know!

 

[bruceha2000]

Ouch! Articles like that and copies of "how to build a MHP brooder" should be posted at every store that sells chicks.
And the big hatcheries need to get on board as well.

 

[csneill]

Oh geez- I can't get home quick enough today to get rid of my heat lamp. I'm now 100% on board w you guys/gals!

 

[lazy gardener]

I was at the feed store a couple of weeks ago, praising up heating pad brooding. Employee expressed a little bit of "ho-hum you're boring me" interest, and in the same breath, he told me about a recent brooder/heat lamp fire that claimed the life of one woman.

 

[Blooie]

I know!! It makes no sense to me! Folks would never light a fire in the middle of the living room floor to heat the house, but they'll do practically the same thing to heat a brooder. I just don't understand. <shakes head sadly>