Solanacae
Crowing
I used a couple of seedling starting mats for a DIY MHP with this spring’s batch of chicks. It worked really well, though I would refine the design the next time around so it had a little more structure.
The seedling mats raise the temperature by about 15 degrees, and I had one in the brooder floor and one draped over a stick to make a rough sort of tent. When the chicks stopped nesting deep inside the tent, I turned off the bottom one. They liked climbing on top of the tent as well and would use that as a warming area also.
The seedling mats are designed to be very durable and are waterproof as well. I covered mine in burlap bags so they wouldn’t be so slippery. I much prefer it to the heat lamps - much safer and the chicks were happier too. Much less peeping, especially at night.
The seedling mats raise the temperature by about 15 degrees, and I had one in the brooder floor and one draped over a stick to make a rough sort of tent. When the chicks stopped nesting deep inside the tent, I turned off the bottom one. They liked climbing on top of the tent as well and would use that as a warming area also.
The seedling mats are designed to be very durable and are waterproof as well. I covered mine in burlap bags so they wouldn’t be so slippery. I much prefer it to the heat lamps - much safer and the chicks were happier too. Much less peeping, especially at night.
