disc to put in microwave- heard of this? other non-electric option?

[patienceprudencecharity]

Hi,
My 3 smallish hybrid hens are in a converted rabbit hutch. It's deeply bedded and covered with a quilt and a tarp, with hay bales on 3 sides.

Tonight it will be -10, and since the ladies are pets I am soooooo worried!

I think I remember reading a long time ago about a person who had found a microwaveable disc of some kind which worked well. The hutch is too small for a heat lamp.

HELP! Any ideas would be so greatly appreciated.

Nancy

 

[deenamr]

It's called a Suggle Safe. Most pet stores and online pet supplies sell them, also on ebay. They stay warm for upto 12 hours. I have commonly used them for small dogs during travel in their car seats or for outdoor cat beds. I have also used them for heat when raising orphaned pups, kittiens or wildlife. I have found that in colder temps I have to rewarm every 6 to 8 hours.

 

[conny63malies]

my neighbor used red bricks heated up in the oven to keep a sick cat warm.

 

[patienceprudencecharity]

Thanks a lot for your replies.

 

[VT Chick-lit]

This past week we got down to -21 during the night for several nights. My girls are in a semi insulated coop that is 4 x 5 x 5 (aprox) with no heat or electricity. I placed a sealed large 3 gallon jug (from cat litter) filled with very hot water into the coop (under the roost) for a little additional warmth. The jug was still liquid after 8 hours. My 4 girls were quite comfortable in the coop. The one loner hen didnot even huddle with the other three for warmth on the roost.

Since the jug was sealed, there was no additional humidity added to the air in the coop. The humidity indicator remained below 17%. The bottle of hot water acted like a hot water bottle for the coop, raising the temp a few degrees without causing any problems. This won't work for coops with large areas, but for my smallish coop it was the best solution I could come up with to keep my hens from freezing.

 

[Wyo Chick]

I use the Snuggle safe for my rabbit. It works well. I also fill the hutch with straw. She seems to do well. I also use a heated water bottle to keep the water from freezing.

 

[morelcabin]

If you can safely rig yourself up a 100 watt lightbulb with a clay garden pot (put pot upside down on clay saucer and feed wiring through hole) You will, in effect, have a cost efficient ceramic heater. You might want to glue the pot to the lid to make sure it stays in place. You won't be able to change the buble that way but it'll work great in a pinch. Place it on a couple of bricks inside the coop