Can you raise baby chicks in unheated garage

[feathermaid]

Your MHP should be perfectly fine if they can all fit under. You'll need to adjust the height as they grow, but they'll probably only use it for a few weeks anyway.

So if the chicks are spending most of their time under the mhp does that mean its too cold for them in the rest of the brooder? The are very quite

Quiet chicks are happy chicks. How old are they? Mine stayed under and didn't come out hardly at all for the entire first day or two. I had to bring them out to make sure they got enough to eat and drink. It's good to push them under to make sure they know how to get warm, and also show them where food/water is at first. Soon they'll be running all over and you'll wonder why you were ever worried.

A ceramic heat bulb is not a light, and nothing like a heat lamp. But I wouldn't add a heat lamp or any additional light beyond regular daylight. They need to learn to eat during the day and fill their crops before going to sleep at night. This cycle will help them acclimate and feather out quicker. My chicks were out in high 30s/low40s F and hardly every under the MHP during daytime at 2 weeks. Makes me wonder why "THEY" say chicks need to start with 95 degree heat and reduce 5 degrees each week.

 

[DobieLover]

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B010E9BL2C/?tag=backy-20

Thank you!

 

[DobieLover]

https://www.sunbeam.com/pain-relief...g-pad-light-blue/000756-500-000U.html#start=5

The Sunbeam site gives the specs for each model and there are a few without automatic shutoff. I think this is the one I have.

Thank you!

 

[debid]

I forgot to say that I've always brooded chicks outdoors in spring. Temps have ranged from mid teens to upper 80s. The MHP is the one thing I've used that was both warm enough in cold weather and not overheating the brooder space in the heat. Best idea ever, IMO.

And, only 50watts on high! When you're brooding 4-6 at a time like I do, there's no reason to go spinning the meter with a bulb designed to heat 25 chicks in a barn.

 

[feathermaid]

I searched for 2 days trying to find a heating pad WITHOUT the auto-off feature. No luck.

I bought this one:
https://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/st...ating-pad-in-garnet/1063271362?skuId=63271362
It was recommended on MHP threads, but if the power goes out even for a minute, this kind will not turn back on when the power comes back. So I ended up using the regular old blue kind like in the previous links... less worry and less temperature settings to fiddle with. I like things simple.

Are you just now building your own MHP?
I like building it in the "plate" style, high in the front, low in the back because it's easier to adjust. But with lots of chicks it might be better to have it with open sides so individuals don't get "trapped" in a corner...?

 

[pennyJo1960]

We have gotten quite fond of amazon and have only had to make like 2 returns

 

[DobieLover]

I bought this one:
https://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/st...ating-pad-in-garnet/1063271362?skuId=63271362
It was recommended on MHP threads, but if the power goes out even for a minute, this kind will not turn back on when the power comes back. So I ended up using the regular old blue kind like in the previous links... less worry and less temperature settings to fiddle with. I like things simple.

Are you just now building your own MHP?
I like building it in the "plate" style, high in the front, low in the back because it's easier to adjust. But with lots of chicks it might be better to have it with open sides so individuals don't get "trapped" in a corner...?
View attachment 1753115 View attachment 1753116

I'm not building a MHP any longer. I needed the heating pad yesterday. I have had 16 chicks (ordered 16, 1 DOA then lost one yesterday and one this morning) and the brooder plate I have was a little cramped. I wanted to make it a bit larger in area. I have a built in brooder in the coop I am working on. I would like to have something lined up for next year in the event I don't have a hen go broody (like this year).

We have gotten quite fond of amazon and have only had to make like 2 returns

I have an Amazon Prime membership I would never dream of stopping. I shop there multiple times a week.

 

[feathermaid]

I'm not building a MHP any longer. I needed the heating pad yesterday. I have had 16 chicks (ordered 16, 1 DOA then lost one yesterday and one this morning) and the brooder plate I have was a little cramped. I wanted to make it a bit larger in area. I have a built in brooder in the coop I am working on. I would like to have something lined up for next year in the event I don't have a hen go broody (like this year).

Oh no... I'm so sorry that happened. Well, that was a crummy couple days. Is the heater plate working out ok for you now? Brooders in the coop are the best idea ever. I saw your coop progress so far... it's looking so awesome! Have you given any chicks to your broody?

 

[DobieLover]

Oh no... I'm so sorry that happened. Well, that was a crummy couple days. Is the heater plate working out ok for you now? Brooders in the coop are the best idea ever. I saw your coop progress so far... it's looking so awesome! Have you given any chicks to your broody?

If I had a broody, I'd be in heaven! No one has gone broody. Maybe next year.
My remaining 13 chicks are strong and thriving. It's snowing out and they are happy little clams darting around the brooder going under the plate and back to the food and water bottle. I have a towel folded up and draped over the plate to make it more like a cave. They like it.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I brood my chicks out in an unheated shed every spring. I like a heat lamp with a 125 watt bulb. I like controlling what temperature my chicks are at. They don't always make the best decisions in those first few weeks. I haven't and will never use a pad so I can't give advice about that, but I too would worry about it being warm enough at your temperatures.

I brood in my wooden box brooder initially, than they go straight on the concrete floor with shaving after 2 weeks in a bigger temporary brooder.