Weird idea from a noob. Poke holes in it please!

[Guernica]

So I'm thinking ahead to when my chicks finally move out to the coop and I got to thinking. Always a dangerous thing for a noob.

I've noticed that when the chicks get a little chilly, when I pick them up, their little feeties are cold. Once their feet get warm again *they* seem to get warm again.

So... I was wondering... Would it be possible to spin off Mama Heating Pad onto a ROOST? In other words, hang the heating pad over the roost (with a towel on top) so that it keeps their feet warm?

In my case, the advantage there would be that I've got one of those old school A-frame hutch/tractor things that TSC used to sell, where the roost and nesting box are relatively low to the ground. With a bigger heating pad (or two) I *think* I could just about make the roost into the tent pole of a chicken-sized pup tent, so that if they got *really* cold they could go underneath.

When the time comes, I do think I will try this and report back, but I'd love to know others' thoughts on it before I give it a go!

 

[klohman]

My husband is in electronics and his reaction included
-heating pads aren't meant to stay on that long, it will likely burn out
-always consider weather and electric devices that aren't specifically designed for outdoor use (whether in a coop or not)
-there is no radiant heat on a heating pad so the tent would not necessarily be warm.
-your electric bill will definitely reflect pulling the extra for it.

That being said, we have always had good luck with heat lamps and covering coop windows with plexiglass. I totally understand about their feet though, but I would maybe stick to wrapping in a towel or cloth and supplementing with a heat lamp. Be sure to change it often for sanitation purposes though. And always make sure there is somewhere to go if they get too warm.

Hope that helps

 

[Blooie]

My husband is in electronics and his reaction included
-heating pads aren't meant to stay on that long, it will likely burn out
-always consider weather and electric devices that aren't specifically designed for outdoor use (whether in a coop or not)
-there is no radiant heat on a heating pad so the tent would not necessarily be warm.
-your electric bill will definitely reflect pulling the extra for it.

That being said, we have always had good luck with heat lamps and covering coop windows with plexiglass. I totally understand about their feet though, but I would maybe stick to wrapping in a towel or cloth and supplementing with a heat lamp. Be sure to change it often for sanitation purposes though. And always make sure there is somewhere to go if they get too warm.

Hope that helps

Well, I guess you raise some good points. However, my chicks have been out in the run since day one, and are thriving using Mama Heating Pad and a cave. They sit on top of it if their tootsies are cold, they scoot under it if their bodies are cold, and they love the security of the dark cave if they get scared of something. This is the second time I've used this method. I use a Sunbeam X-press heat heating pad with a switch to be able to bypass the "auto-off" feature so it stays on continuously. It's been on for almost 2 months this time, and for 2 months last time I used it out in the coop. There most assuredly is radiant heat under their tent...it's kept them toasty warm and safe when our temps have been down in the 20s. It kept our other chick warm when it was 4 below zero. We haven't noticed a huge jump in our electric bills.

I'm certainly not trying to be argumentative because anyone who knows me knows that is not in my nature. But it's worked so well for us that we'll never risk a heat lamp again. A broody hen doesn't heat up the air, the walls, the surrounding bedding and the whole brooder...she just warms the chicks. So does the heating pad. If it burns out, well, I have a spare. I'd love for you to wander over to this thread and look at the photos and the videos of how the system works! If nothing else you'll see some very contented, very healthy chicks!

Edited to add the link:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/956958/mama-heating-pad-in-the-brooder-picture-heavy-update

 

[Blooie]

So I'm thinking ahead to when my chicks finally move out to the coop and I got to thinking. Always a dangerous thing for a noob.

I've noticed that when the chicks get a little chilly, when I pick them up, their little feeties are cold. Once their feet get warm again *they* seem to get warm again.

So... I was wondering... Would it be possible to spin off Mama Heating Pad onto a ROOST? In other words, hang the heating pad over the roost (with a towel on top) so that it keeps their feet warm?

In my case, the advantage there would be that I've got one of those old school A-frame hutch/tractor things that TSC used to sell, where the roost and nesting box are relatively low to the ground. With a bigger heating pad (or two) I *think* I could just about make the roost into the tent pole of a chicken-sized pup tent, so that if they got *really* cold they could go underneath.

When the time comes, I do think I will try this and report back, but I'd love to know others' thoughts on it before I give it a go!

And it just dawned on me that I forgot to answer your question! I do apologize for that. I just don't see the advantage to covering a roost with the heating pad. Chickens' feet are always colder than the rest of them, so I really doubt that, like us, if their feet are cold they are cold. Mine slog around in snow just fine and when I pick them up their bodies are toasty warm under all of those feathers. If you were to try to cover a roost with the heating pad, I can almost guarantee that with their flying around from it and landing on it, it's not going to stay where you put it. I covered the cave with straw and that didn't even stay on long.

Now, experimentation is fun, and it's often very instructive....so if you want to try it I'd say go right ahead. Some thought I was nuts for trying the heating pad method on my chicks, but now having seen how successful it is, and how simple it is, they are having a great time with using it. Some have modified it, so why not you? The only caveat I would add is that it's critical to make sure that the chicks don't pay the price for trying something new. I saw the original video using a heating pad in a run some time ago before I decided to try it myself, and made sure that my back-up was ready in case it didn't work out. That was when Scout had been injured and we brought him in for treatment, then put him back out in the coop when he was ready for it. My backup plan is now sitting in our storage unit! (You can read Scout's story and see pics of him using a tent similar to what I think you are talking about by clicking on the link about Scout's adventure with frostbite at the bottom of my posts) If you do decide to try this, keep us posted over on the Mama Heating Pad thread....