Heat lamp exploded overnight

[mobius]

You are doing just great, keep doing what you are doing...I grew up in Florida, so I get your stuff about the weather! I think the babies will be just fine! Yes that dang auto-shut-off...does the heating pad have a stay-on feature?

That being said, if you turn it on for a couple hours and it goes off, if you have a little wire fencing curve to put the heat pad on top of, and cover that with a towel, and then plenty of bedding on top, they will go under and probably be just fine and stay warm all night by cuddling and residual heat....given that you are in Florida! And I think you are right, after a little they won't need the heat itself, it will just be psychological, like a safe place to go under Mama Hen, a safe place to sleep, etc...lol. They are four weeks? They should be fine....no worries...

 

[azygous]

When I was moving my chicks into the coop after being brooded under a heating pad in the run, I moved the heating pad into the coop with them, but didn't even bother to turn it on. They appreciated the security of having something familiar in their strange new home. After two nights, I took away the heating pad, and taught them to roost. They did splendidly.

Anything you can provide chicks that's familiar to them from their brooder, whether functional or not, will ease the transition for them.

 

[junebuggena]

At 4 weeks old, in Florida, they don't need any heat at night. They will be just fine without it.

 

[Tooshay89]

That sounds like a good idea. I'll see if I can build a makeshift hut of sorts with the heating pad underneath. It looks like the heating pad has no way to override the auto shut off, but it won't be as cool tonight (low of 54) and I have a bunch of hardware cloth so I'm sure I can come up with something that will work a little better.

My husband thinks I'm nuts. He had chickens as a young kid in Kentucky and it was much colder. I'm just overprotective, I guess. I can't let my babies freeze, lol! We just had our coop delivered on Saturday and while I like it, I think it's going to be too small for 8 large birds so I already have a deposit on a larger coop (different style, more enclosed, shed-like) that is being built for them. But for now they're happy.