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

[Leigti]

I do not have any straw, will hay or pine shavings work? The night temps will be in the 30’s. I can get straw if needed. I predict they will be in their outdoor brooder for about a month brfore I integrate them with the older chickens. I will be using a wire dog crate.

 

[Blooie]

@Leigti So happy to hear that!! It’s a much more natural way to raise them and they seem to thrive!
Pine shavings will work just fine!

 

[Leigti]

@Leigti So happy to hear that!! It’s a much more natural way to raise them and they seem to thrive!
Pine shavings will work just fine!

Oh good! I used up all the straw when I thought winter was over, I rossed into the run. Not smart but oh well. I love this method.

 

[nmr]

Don't know if this has been pointed out or not, but your chicks really need to have contact with the heating pad in order to stay warm enough....you need the heating pad to be INSIDE whatever you are using as a cave or the material of the cave needs to be open as in wire, netting, etc. so they can get direct contact with the heat source, as they would a mother.

Here's my setup using a small portion of welded wire fence and using bungee cords to keep the heating pad on the underside of the "mama"....this pic shows the first step in building the mama. Her bones, so to speak.





Then I cover that with a trash bag to keep it clean from poo(her skin), then cover that with a flannel pillow case....her feathers.



More feathers....hay.



Then added chicks...you can see them putting their backs up against her warm "belly". You really need that heating pad where they can put their little bodies up against it without the coffee can creating a barrier to that process.



With such a setup they can feel the warmth from mama from underneath and also by standing on top of her....but the bottom is most definitely warmer.



With the wire framing you can adjust the height in less than a second by just pressing down on the middle. The meat chicks in the above pic didn't need the mama to be low to the ground as they don't tolerate heat as well as standard laying type chicks. For regular chicks I position it so they have to duck and crawl a little to get underneath it so that the heat source is closer to their bodies...as they age I just pull that middle portion upward and also turn down the pad a little so they can transition much like a mama hen does for them.




With a coffee can you can't make such adjustments, nor can they have direct access to the heat source....I'd suggest using a different material for your HPM.

HI

A question about the metal frame, is there any issue with the metal getting too hot and burning chicks if they touch it?

Thanks!

 

[Blooie]

Nope. I use Mama Heating Pad exclusively, batch after batch, year after year. I set mine up with the pad draped over the frame and never had that issue. If it’s set up with the pad under the frame and secured with small bungees, they never come in contact with the frame.

 

[aart]

HI

A question about the metal frame, is there any issue with the metal getting too hot and burning chicks if they touch it?

Thanks!

Not really, but I have had trouble with heads getting stuck in the first racks I used.
Best to have the pad below the frame/rack, IMO.

 

[bruceha2000]

Not really, but I have had trouble with heads getting stuck in the first racks I used.

I've never had an "open" pad and frame, always encased in some sort of fabric with the pad under the frame. Frame doesn't get hot, chicks never contact it.

I do not have any straw, will hay or pine shavings work?

I have only used pine shavings. Never a problem.

 

[aart]

I've never had an "open" pad and frame, always encased in some sort of fabric with the pad under the frame. Frame doesn't get hot, chicks never contact it.

Not everyone does it like that tho

 

[bruceha2000]

I know, just mentioning how I do it. I know it has been mentioned as one possible design many times before but with nearly 1,200 pages, new people surely aren't going to read through it all so they might just catch it here. It was easy for me to read all the posts since I started reading about a day after @Blooie's original post

 

[aart]

It was easy for me to read all the posts since I started reading about a day after @Blooie's original post

Same here.

but with nearly 1,200 pages, new people surely aren't going to read through it all

Has turned into a chat thread rather than a useful topic thread...
...as many threads do, SMH.