Can’t decide if babies should be in or out. Temps on the cusp!

[Fluster Cluck Acres]

And these responses are the reason that after my first batch almost 8 years ago I never raised another chick indoors under a heat lamp again. Ever. Mine go outside to a wire brooder pen in the run, among the adults and separated by just the wire, from the start. I use Mama Heating Pad as their surrogate mommy hen - just a heating pad draped over a wire frame, covered with a threadbare towel wrapped in Press ‘n’ Seal. I bend the arch of the frame up slightly to form a sort of shallow cave under it, and they love it. They duck under for a quick warm-up, or as the sun goes down for the night, or if they get spooked. The rest of the time they’re exploring and learning to be chickens.

By 2 weeks the frame is raised a bit and the temperature of the pad turned down. By 3 weeks they spend hardly any time using it at all and it’s only on the lowest temperature setting on some nights. By 4 weeks it’s turned off and the brooder pen is removed completely. Every batch every year, every time. It never ceases to amaze me just how little heat chicks actually require!

I should add that we don’t live in a balmy climate. We’re in Northwestern Wyoming where our springtime “chick season” temperatures are still in the 20s, dipping into the teens, with sideways blowing snow. We can see snowfall into June, and have many times.

If it was me, I’d go with Option A, without the heat, except I’d have done it weeks ago. But I fully realize that my personal comfort zone and yours are not the same, and that’s okay. When I first started doing it the “natural” way and posting about it, people here thought I was crazy.…a crackpot….a mad scientist bent on killing innocent lititle chicks in some sick, bizarre experiment. Your chicks are 8-10 weeks old. That means they are halfway to the point of laying eggs. I think they are capable of handling living outside.

BTW, prepare yourself for a few first class royal chickie temper tantrums. They don’t like change, and after weeks and weeks of a specific environment, they are going to be totally p..pis…..mad about this change. It’s a whopper! New sights, sounds, scary shadows, and <gasp> night! Evil, scary darkness! Lions and tigers and bears, oh my! Oops, sorry….wrong scenario. Anyway, they’re preprogrammed to go to sleep when the sun sets and wake up when it rises. We mess that up. We mean well, but we mess it up. When faced with it for the first few times, they’re gonna hate you! But they’ll get over it, I promise. Your job is to make sure they are locked in their coop (safely away from those lions and tigers and bears) and adjusting. So pour yourself a cup or glass of whatever will calm your nerves (and maybe harden your heart a bit), pull the covers over your head, and persevere. This is why, when people ask for first aid kit recommendations, my first suggestion is Margarita mix. Sooner or later in this chicken raising journey, we’re gonna need it!

Put them out. You've got this….I have total faith in you!

I love this idea! (And that of the margaritas!!).

I’d love to try something like this next year. Every year it’s a challenge to get the Bigs and littles used to one another because of the temp change from heating lamp to outdoors.

I have 2 questions for you about your set up-
1. What heating pad do you use?
2. Do you keep the brooder in the run? Or is it in the coop?

 

[Fluster Cluck Acres]

Thanks everyone for your replies! I’m going to go option A, and remove the heat… tomorrow. I appreciate you all taking the time to read my post and share your experiences. You are the reason I love this forum!

 

[rosemarythyme]

1. What heating pad do you use?
2. Do you keep the brooder in the run? Or is it in the coop?

I'm not Blooie, but...

1. Any heating pad WITHOUT an auto shut off will do. The most popular brand seems to be Sunbeam, but I've always used whatever random no-name ones I come across, as long as they specify there's no auto shut off.

2. Coop would be the easier and safer option, but my brooder is in the run. A little better for integration IMO since the hens spend most of their waking hours in the run, but a little more challenging as far as drafts, possible predator/pest issues, and of course rain, which was the toughest thing for me to compensate for.

 

[Blooie]

I love this idea! (And that of the margaritas!!).

I’d love to try something like this next year. Every year it’s a challenge to get the Bigs and littles used to one another because of the temp change from heating lamp to outdoors.

I have 2 questions for you about your set up-
1. What heating pad do you use?
2. Do you keep the brooder in the run? Or is it in the coop?

It all just makes so much sense when you think about it, doesn’t it? Duplicate a broody hen as closely as possible - chicks know better what to do with a ”real” mommy out in the real world than in a box with a hot light 24/7. To answer your questions:

1. First off let me tell you what not to use. This is absolutely critical - I never, ever recommend people using older heating pads that have been rolled or folded up and stuffed in the back of a closet. Ever. The tiny little wires in there can become brittle over time and when it’s unfolded, hairline cracks can occur in them. We can feel that the pad isn’t functioning correctly when it’s on our bodies, but when it’s just over a frame, there’s no way to judge a minor malfunction. Minor malfunctions can quickly become major tragedies. Better to start with a brand new pad, and vow never to store it rolled or folded.

Now that that disclaimer is out of the way, most Mama Hearing Pad users and I use the Sunbeam X-Press Heat heating pad. I prefer it for several reasons. The temperature settings run from the lowest setting at “1” to the highest at ”6”. That gives me the ability to fine tune the heat the chicks are getting rather than just relying on low, medium and high. Now, that’s not essential - many folks are using the three setting pads with great success. There is also a setting right on the controller for “Stay On”, giving me the security of knowing the pad will not shut off automatically after 2-3 hours. IMPORTANT NOTE: If power goes out or if you have to unplug or turn off the pad for any reason, you MUST remember to hit that button again. Otherwise you haven’t bypassed the automatic shutoff feature and your pad will shut itself off. And sometimes after an outage or interruption in power, the display will read “F”. Dont panic - just unplug the unit from the outlet and plug it back in after a few seconds. I have never figured out why that happens sometimes and not other times, but I have found the remedy.

The last reason I love this pad is that it’s completely washable. Just unplug the power cord from the pad, toss it in the washer (no fabric softener!), then lay it flat to dry and store.

2. I use a dog x-pen that I used to use in my dog showing days. Yes, I do set mine up in the run, simply because I have more space there. Our run is a hoop run and we cover it with mesh-reinforced clear plastic tarp. Think greenhouse. So the chicks are protected from our wicked Wyoming winds. I can also stand up and work in it comfortably. During the day the chicks get plenty of sunshine, and at night they have Mama Heating Pad. If I could use the coop for setting up the brooder I would, but my coop isn’t set up to accommodate that. Some people tuck a wire enclosure under the poop board if they use one In their coop. Others have configured their nests in such a way that the bottom of the nests become the top and support for the brooder pen underneath. Use your imagination! As long as you have access to power, your run and coop are secure, and you can comfortably clean it and feed and water the chicks, you’re golden. Here’s a shot of my broodervpen with a couple of inquisitive hens on either side checking out the chicks. You can see Mama Heating Pad at the end of the brooder. It was about 25 degrees out there when this was taken, if I remember right. I hope this has been helpful.

Thanks everyone for your replies! I’m going to go option A, and remove the heat… tomorrow. I appreciate you all taking the time to read my post and share your experiences. You are the reason I love this forum!

We’re just glad we can be helpful!

 

[Blooie]

I'm not Blooie, but...

1. Any heating pad WITHOUT an auto shut off will do. The most popular brand seems to be Sunbeam, but I've always used whatever random no-name ones I come across, as long as they specify there's no auto shut off.

2. Coop would be the easier and safer option, but my brooder is in the run. A little better for integration IMO since the hens spend most of their waking hours in the run, but a little more challenging as far as drafts, possible predator/pest issues, and of course rain, which was the toughest thing for me to compensate for.

Hello, my old friend!!! It’s always fun for me to see people who once came to the Mama Heating Pad thread for information sharing what they’ve learned through their experience!!

 

[Fluster Cluck Acres]

they’re happy to be back outside, and temps are a little warmer than predicted, so mom is feeling better about it, too

 

[Pickensandchigs]

Chickens this age survive at 0 degrees F.

 

[rosemarythyme]

they’re happy to be back outside, and temps are a little warmer than predicted, so mom is feeling better about it, too

The 2nd chick with the "toupee" is absolutely adorable! What a cute tuft!

 

[Fluster Cluck Acres]

The 2nd chick with the "toupee" is absolutely adorable! What a cute tuft!

She’s a crested cream Legbar, and I love her little Mohawk! It’s the cutest!

 

[Epadgett77]

And these responses are the reason that after my first batch almost 8 years ago I never raised another chick indoors under a heat lamp again. Ever. Mine go outside to a wire brooder pen in the run, among the adults and separated by just the wire, from the start. I use Mama Heating Pad as their surrogate mommy hen - just a heating pad draped over a wire frame, covered with a threadbare towel wrapped in Press ‘n’ Seal. I bend the arch of the frame up slightly to form a sort of shallow cave under it, and they love it. They duck under for a quick warm-up, or as the sun goes down for the night, or if they get spooked. The rest of the time they’re exploring and learning to be chickens.

By 2 weeks the frame is raised a bit and the temperature of the pad turned down. By 3 weeks they spend hardly any time using it at all and it’s only on the lowest temperature setting on some nights. By 4 weeks it’s turned off and the brooder pen is removed completely. Every batch every year, every time. It never ceases to amaze me just how little heat chicks actually require!

I should add that we don’t live in a balmy climate. We’re in Northwestern Wyoming where our springtime “chick season” temperatures are still in the 20s, dipping into the teens, with sideways blowing snow. We can see snowfall into June, and have many times.

If it was me, I’d go with Option A, without the heat, except I’d have done it weeks ago. But I fully realize that my personal comfort zone and yours are not the same, and that’s okay. When I first started doing it the “natural” way and posting about it, people here thought I was crazy.…a crackpot….a mad scientist bent on killing innocent lititle chicks in some sick, bizarre experiment. Your chicks are 8-10 weeks old. That means they are halfway to the point of laying eggs. I think they are capable of handling living outside.

BTW, prepare yourself for a few first class royal chickie temper tantrums. They don’t like change, and after weeks and weeks of a specific environment, they are going to be totally p..pis…..mad about this change. It’s a whopper! New sights, sounds, scary shadows, and <gasp> night! Evil, scary darkness! Lions and tigers and bears, oh my! Oops, sorry….wrong scenario. Anyway, they’re preprogrammed to go to sleep when the sun sets and wake up when it rises. We mess that up. We mean well, but we mess it up. When faced with it for the first few times, they’re gonna hate you! But they’ll get over it, I promise. Your job is to make sure they are locked in their coop (safely away from those lions and tigers and bears) and adjusting. So pour yourself a cup or glass of whatever will calm your nerves (and maybe harden your heart a bit), pull the covers over your head, and persevere. This is why, when people ask for first aid kit recommendations, my first suggestion is Margarita mix. Sooner or later in this chicken raising journey, we’re gonna need it!

Put them out. You've got this….I have total faith in you!

This was just the pep talk I needed. Thanks.