heat mats instead of lamp

[roosters32]

can i use 2 heat mats for my baby chicks? one is inside thier box on the wall the other one is on the bottom with a towel covering it the degrees is 26.2 - 29 ish C

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Judge by their behavior. Not necessarily temperature. If they are crowding by the heat mats, they are too cold. If they are staying far away from those, they're too hot. If they are scattered around the brooder, they are likely just right. While I'm not a fan of heat lamps for many reasons, heat from above is preferable to from below. Though if ambient temperature is right, it reall doesn't matter a lot.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Chicks don't care where the heat comes from. They need a spot where they can go warm up when they need to. but they also need a cool place to go to if they get too warm. A broody hen can raise her chicks in freezing weather. They eat and drink as needed and then go back under her to warm up.

I use a heat lamp in my 3' x 6' brooder built into the coop. I keep one end toasty in cold weather but the far end is a nice cool spot when the weather warms up and the area under the heat lamp gets too hot. I find that they are excellent at regulating their heat needs when given the option.

Never use that clamp that comes with a heat lamp. I consider it dangerous. But if you hold that lamp in place with wire or chain so it cannot fall you have removed most of the danger.

I'll include a link to how many people use heating pads to form a cave. It is an excellent way to provide that warm spot they need. The main warning with that is to make sure your heating pad does not have an automatic shot-off. Many do. And don't use a pad that is old and cracked. The wires in it might be broken and could short out, starting a fire.

Mama Heating Pad in the Brooder (Picture Heavy) - UPDATE | BackYard Chickens - Learn How to Raise Chickens

 

[roosters32]

i think they’re too cold so i will probably move the heat mat to th

Chicks don't care where the heat comes from. They need a spot where they can go warm up when they need to. but they also need a cool place to go to if they get too warm. A broody hen can raise her chicks in freezing weather. They eat and drink as needed and then go back under het to warm up.

I use a heat lamp in my 3' x 6' brooder built into the coop. I keep one end toasty in cold weather but the far end is a nice cool spot when the weather warms up and the area under the heat lamp gets too hot. I find that they are excellent at regulating their heat needs when given the option.

Never use that clamp that comes with a heat lamp. I consider it dangerous. But if you hold that lamp in place with wire or chain so it cannot fall you have removed most of the danger.

I'll include a link to how many people use heating pads to form a cave. It is an excellent way to provide that warm spot they need. The main warning with that is to make sure your heating pad does not have an automatic shot-off. Many do. And don't use a pad that is old and cracked. The wires in it might be broken and could short out, starting a fire.

Mama Heating Pad in the Brooder (Picture Heavy) - UPDATE | BackYard Chickens - Learn How to Raise Chickens

they seem to be cold so i will try to see if the cave will fix it

 

[ChickenCanoe]

What is your day/night ambient temperature? How old are they?

 

[roosters32]

80 degrees I think they're 2 weeks old but idk

 

[ChickenCanoe]

The mat should be sufficient and may only be needed another week or two. It is probably not 80 at night but at 2 weeks, I think multiple chicks can easily handle 80 without supplemental heat.