Chicks with a heater plate... how much do they stay under?

[roheryn]

I'm trying a chick plate this year with my two chicks. I have a white Japanese bantam and a black maran, both 6 days old. The maran is growing like crazy, is super independent and very friendly. The bantam is needy and cries a lot... especially if the maran is not right next to her. The maran doesn't seem to like being under the plate that often, and I wonder if she is too hot. She's only 6 days old, and spends half her time out in the kennel. The bantam cries for her desperately and runs out to get underneath, but the maran moves away. I've got the plate tilted so the back is pretty low in case the bantam needs more heat, but thinking the maran is getting too hot. They are in my home office, which is pretty quiet most of the time, except tonight when my daughter was in with me, playing music and group talking with friends. It was driving both me and the chicks crazy. They were both screaming, so I had everyone leave the room and turned off the lights. I added a small stuffy under the plate, and when I came back, the black chick was sleeping under the high side, and the bantam was on top of the stuffy, right up against the plate.

Their sizes are getting more different by the day (I've never tried to raise a bantam and standard together) but the little one seems to cry so often, I wonder if she is getting enough warmth. She hates to be alone, and if the maran is out eating, she sits beneath the plate just calling and calling, getting quite shrill at times. Is there a way to help these two get settled? The black chick seems happy to just be wandering the kennel (ambient temp is 70) but the bantam just hates to be alone.

 

[Fluffyflufffluff]

I'm trying a chick plate this year with my two chicks. I have a white Japanese bantam and a black maran, both 6 days old. The maran is growing like crazy, is super independent and very friendly. The bantam is needy and cries a lot... especially if the maran is not right next to her. The maran doesn't seem to like being under the plate that often, and I wonder if she is too hot. She's only 6 days old, and spends half her time out in the kennel. The bantam cries for her desperately and runs out to get underneath, but the maran moves away. I've got the plate tilted so the back is pretty low in case the bantam needs more heat, but thinking the maran is getting too hot. They are in my home office, which is pretty quiet most of the time, except tonight when my daughter was in with me, playing music and group talking with friends. It was driving both me and the chicks crazy. They were both screaming, so I had everyone leave the room and turned off the lights. I added a small stuffy under the plate, and when I came back, the black chick was sleeping under the high side, and the bantam was on top of the stuffy, right up against the plate.

Their sizes are getting more different by the day (I've never tried to raise a bantam and standard together) but the little one seems to cry so often, I wonder if she is getting enough warmth. She hates to be alone, and if the maran is out eating, she sits beneath the plate just calling and calling, getting quite shrill at times. Is there a way to help these two get settled? The black chick seems happy to just be wandering the kennel (ambient temp is 70) but the bantam just hates to be alone.

Baby chicks require additional heat (a heat lamp, a Brinsea Ecoglow or a mom hen) to keep the brooder box warm for about four to six weeks depending on the outside temperatures.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Sounds like the smaller one is just needy. Do you just have the 2 chicks? Perhaps another bantam would help keep the little one company.

Not at all unusual for chicks to spend time away from their heat source. They'll run in to warm up, then go explore or play until they feel they need heat again.

Baby chicks require additional heat (a heat lamp, a Brinsea Ecoglow or a mom hen)

Thread title: Chicks with a heater plate. Ecoglow is a heat plate.

 

[aart]

More chicks would help....size differential is an issue.
Sounds like you've got that part figured out with tilting the plate to accommodate both chicks.

 

[Blooie]

It constantly amazes me how little time my chicks - even my Silkies- spend under the heat. They are constantly out exploring, even as day old chicks. They love to snuggle on top of or beside Mama Hearing Pad, just ducking under if they need a quick warmup, get spooked, or the sun is going down. I always raise mine outside, and with a heat source that mimics a broody hen so closely, even temps in the twenties and dipping into the teens don’t bother them at all. So your heat plate should be all they need.

I ran into the same issues raising standards and Silkies together but having the heat at different levels took good care of all of them! I agree - I think your little bantam is just needy. How willing you are to cater to that is up to you. .

 

[roheryn]

I did get another chick (standard, my daughter doesn't want too many bantams competing for her attention, she has her favorite show chicken already) and that did make the little one hush. So now we have 3 chicks in my office, and there are happy chirps, not desperate cries. So much better! The new chick is a week younger, so it wants more warmth, and is the size of the bantam (for now). She keeps the bantam company under the plate and everyone seems happy.