Trouble-shooting MHP for new chicks

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imacowgirl2

Songster
Apr 11, 2022
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south central IL
Our 24 1-day old chicks arrived this morning -- I've set them up with food, water, and mama heading pad, but they're noisier than I remember our last batch being in March. However, our last batch was only 14, and we have 24 this time. They've been in their brooder for about two hours now... I've put them all under MHP multiple times, and they stay under there for anywhere from 30 seconds to 5-10 mins...but then they come back out and they're very soon chirping very loudly. If I shove them back under, they're quiet for a few mins, then we start the whole cycle over again. There are some that have gone under there and taken a nice long nap completely racked out flat (I thought they were dead when I peeked under there, until they finally sat up) -- so I think the MHP is low enough in the back for them to get comfortable and get enough heat. I did raise it up a bit more in the front because they were having trouble figuring out how to get under it, but that hasn't seemed to help.

How long until these guys figure this out? I'll add some pics here in a minute from my phone of the setup...
 
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imacowgirl2 said:
They are in the living room, which has the thermostat set to 72.
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Sounds like you've got everything right! I'd just watch them. If they are active, running around, making happy peeps (as opposed to distressed screaming), then they are probably fine. If you see them huddled off to the side, then they are too cold and haven't figured out that the MHP = warm goodness.
 
jreardon1918 said:
They are going in and out. Some napping. Lots of chirping. Sounds like it is working just fine. Perhaps they are already feeling less need for constant heat.
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Is it normal for there to be almost constant loud chirping? Its not a quiet 'talking to each other' chirping, its the 'I'm lost' loud chirping sound they make when they get separated from the group or you pick them up and they don't like it. They've been here for 3.5 hours now, and at least one of them has been loud chirping basically the entire time (not the same one all the time), with the exception of a minute here and there.
 
imacowgirl2 said:
Is it normal for there to be almost constant loud chirping? Its not a quiet 'talking to each other' chirping, its the 'I'm lost' loud chirping sound they make when they get separated from the group or you pick them up and they don't like it. They've been here for 3.5 hours now, and at least one of them has been loud chirping basically the entire time (not the same one all the time), with the exception of a minute here and there.
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The ones I'm brooding now are awfully loud, but it's hard to say. You have experience with chicks, so if you think something's off, you should go with your gut, imo.

If you are worried they might get chilled, you can always switch to a lamp. I prefer the MHP, but it's not beneficial if you don't have peace of mind.
 

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