Coop as brooder with heat pad cave and chilly outside temps

[mintyradish]

@Doc7 & @DobieLover - I just put the chicks in the coop late this afternoon with the mama heat pad. They all cuddled up in there and promptly fell asleep! Only one has come out since arriving - I suppose they get tired and chilly on the way from the hatchery. Thanks again for your advice!

 

[DobieLover]

@Doc7 & @DobieLover - I just put the chicks in the coop late this afternoon with the mama heat pad. They all cuddled up in there and promptly fell asleep! Only one has come out since arriving - I suppose they get tired and chilly on the way from the hatchery. Thanks again for your advice!

Pictures??!!

 

[mintyradish]

Here they're thinking about coming out:

And then they all came out for a snack:

To build the MHP, I used two 2x4s the length of the heating pad and spaced them the width of the heating pad with a couple thin strips of wood. I cut the back end of the 2x4s at about 50 degrees. That way the chicks can snuggle right up against the pad all the way at the back, or be cooler toward the front. As they grow, I suppose I'll need to raise it up a bit higher, but this should be fine for a while.

 

[Doc7]

@Doc7 & @DobieLover - I just put the chicks in the coop late this afternoon with the mama heat pad. They all cuddled up in there and promptly fell asleep! Only one has come out since arriving - I suppose they get tired and chilly on the way from the hatchery. Thanks again for your advice!

awesome!

I had one set of chicks arrive on a Thursday (actually, the ones that came this year .... they usually come on Weds for me) and one chick stay under the heat pad for almost two days much more than the others (I almost never saw her come out eat and drink). Now a week later they are all 4 very active all day long. So don’t get too worried as long as it isn’t listless, obviously stressed, etc.

I took my own advice I often give stressed out folks in this website: “Set them up with food water and heat and literally go ignore them for 24 hours. watch a movie go shopping cook dinner do whatever.” So many people , including myself from time to time, need to let the chickens do what they do best, which is eat, drink, and grow, and not stress ourselves to death over them!

 

[Doc7]

Here they're thinking about coming out:
View attachment 2127947

And then they all came out for a snack:

View attachment 2127949

To build the MHP, I used two 2x4s the length of the heating pad and spaced them the width of the heating pad with a couple thin strips of wood. I cut the back end of the 2x4s at about 50 degrees. That way the chicks can snuggle right up against the pad all the way at the back, or be cooler toward the front. As they grow, I suppose I'll need to raise it up a bit higher, but this should be fine for a while.

You built an EXCELLENT heat pad! Mine is so janky - I just screw on extra chunks of wood to lift it higher if they are still using it as they get much bigger. I have 2 2x4 in front and 1 in back for the same slope you mentioned.


Wow your chicks are cute. I forget they looked like that only a week ago here.

Are these your first chicks?

brooding in coop and doing a Mama heat pad is what I did, also because I read about it so much on here. You doing it now - you will never want to do it a different way in the future!!

 

[Rainwing]

make sure you test the heat pad too. my new heat pad got toasty at first, and then progressively with each use it got less and less warm. it was ok for feeding chicks on but otherwise i wouldn't depend on it for keeping them warm like a heat lamp. other heat pads might not have that issue.

this was a late post. but other ppl might find it helpful