chicken heating pads????

[sniper338]

Whats the best heating pad for chickens? I saw a recent discussion on it but cant find it now...

Im looking at getting a heating pad to put unter the hay in my coop so i can throw some month old chicks in the coop and have a place for them to stay warm... trying to figure out the best way to go about it...


They are about a month old... my bcm roo is going on 5 months old... from what ive seen though he takes hounger birds in and mamas them under his wing... pretty sure he would mind some young females to flirt with...

 

[azygous]

Here it is. https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/956958/mama-heating-pad-in-the-brooder-picture-heavy-update

You want a heating pad that won't automatically shut off. Several years ago, my heating pad, which was very old, conked out. I bought a new one. After two hours, I noticed it had gone cold. I thought it was defective. I took it back to the store. They told me it was supposed to shut off like that. I was outraged. I said gimme my money back. I'll decide when my heating pad goes off, not some nazi manufacturer.

I bought one that stayed on until I decided to turn it off. Shouldn't humans be in control of their devices? I think so.

Anyway, rant over. You don't want a heating pad that has a mind to quit after two hours on the job. The chicks will be as disappointed as I was, if not more.

And it's not enough just to slip the pad under the straw. You need a wire frame to attach it to so the chicks can crawl under it like they would a broody hen. Pile the straw on top. The whole principle behind the heating pad system is that the chicks crawl under it, their backs touch the warm under-surface of the pad and they absorb heat from being in contact with it.

The beauty of the system is that the rest of the environment can be any temperature, even below freezing, and the chicks will be warm and snug in their cave. They will warm up and then run around outside having a grand time until they need to warm up again. They understand how it works, and learn very quickly when you first place them under it.

After a month or so, the chicks feather out much faster than indoor brooded chicks, and then you can claim the heating pad for your own cold feet or aching back. And you have yourself a pad that will gladly stay on until you tell it that you're done with it.

 

[sniper338]

Here it is. https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/956958/mama-heating-pad-in-the-brooder-picture-heavy-update

You want a heating pad that won't automatically shut off. Several years ago, my heating pad, which was very old, conked out. I bought a new one. After two hours, I noticed it had gone cold. I thought it was defective. I took it back to the store. They told me it was supposed to shut off like that. I was outraged. I said gimme my money back. I'll decide when my heating pad goes off, not some nazi manufacturer.

I bought one that stayed on until I decided to turn it off. Shouldn't humans be in control of their devices? I think so.

Anyway, rant over. You don't want a heating pad that has a mind to quit after two hours on the job. The chicks will be as disappointed as I was, if not more.

And it's not enough just to slip the pad under the straw. You need a wire frame to attach it to so the chicks can crawl under it like they would a broody hen. Pile the straw on top. The whole principle behind the heating pad system is that the chicks crawl under it, their backs touch the warm under-surface of the pad and they absorb heat from being in contact with it.

The beauty of the system is that the rest of the environment can be any temperature, even below freezing, and the chicks will be warm and snug in their cave. They will warm up and then run around outside having a grand time until they need to warm up again. They understand how it works, and learn very quickly when you first place them under it.

After a month or so, the chicks feather out much faster than indoor brooded chicks, and then you can claim the heating pad for your own cold feet or aching back. And you have yourself a pad that will gladly stay on until you tell it that you're done with it.

Awesome... mine are going on a month if not a little over a month old... fully feathered... just want them out!

 

[CalgaryFarmer]

I've used a seedling warmer. You can also lay out flat.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/991286/seedling-heat-mat-brooder-warmer

 

[silkwormlady]

I've used a seedling warmer.  You can also lay out flat. 

​https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/991286/seedling-heat-mat-brooder-warmer
​

I LOVE this idea! I won't be needing my 2 seedling mat warmers for seeds by April 4 (when baby chicks come) and can use them as "Mama heating pads". Will they provide as much warmth as the standard heating pad does? This year may brood them outside in the coop using the Mama Heating pad/Grow mat idea BUT with night time temps 30s (maybe 20s some nights) will the grow mat be enough heat set up like "the cave" with towel over it etc etc?

 

[azygous]

You'd have to set up a brooding frame for the seed pad and see what temp you get under it. The heating pad system requires the chicks have the pad elevated so they can crawl under it as they would a broody hen.

The conventional heating pad will produce a temperature of 85F on the floor under the pad a couple inches above it. The chicks, during the first week, will come into direct contact with the pad above and will derive a much higher temp that will be right around 95 to 100F.

So if your seed mat can match that, you're good to go!

 

[CalgaryFarmer]

I LOVE this idea! I won't be needing my 2 seedling mat warmers for seeds by April 4 (when baby chicks come) and can use them as "Mama heating pads". Will they provide as much warmth as the standard heating pad does? This year may brood them outside in the coop using the Mama Heating pad/Grow mat idea BUT with night time temps 30s (maybe 20s some nights) will the grow mat be enough heat set up like "the cave" with towel over it etc etc?

I am not sure of the relative wattages. My guess is that the heating pad is hotter.

It really depends on how you set this up. I used the bottom of the dog crate to hold in the heat. I elevated the front of it so that it let out some of the heat as it was too hot. So, the temperature will really depend on the how you set it up.

If you just lay it flat without anything else then that will not likely be sufficient. If you roll it up, so that they can go inside of the roll, that may or may not work. Likely you will need to enclose it similar to how I enclosed it.

Set it up how you would like before adding the residents and use a thermometer to see what kind of temperatures you are getting.

Ideally, use an outlet that is activated by temperature. The one we had did not work properly so I had to remove it and improvise.

I am going to use a similar setup for an incubator. Laugh, but I bet it will work. I just need the right temperature activated outlet.