Heat Plates can be so depressing.

[Compost King]

I found a new benefit to the heat plate today. The chicks spend less time at the feeder playing with and wasting feed. They eat what they want then go back under the plate.

 

[Blooie]

I found a new benefit to the heat plate today. The chicks spend less time at the feeder playing with and wasting feed. They eat what they want then go back under the plate.

That’s also one of the things I love about Mama Heating Pad - plus at sundown they wander underneath MHP, purr as they settle in, and sleep all night through. They aren’t eating 24/7, and scattering food. I think some of that food scattering is because of light all the time. They aren’t really hungry, but they’re awake and there’s nothing else to do so they may as well nibble and and mess around with the feeder.

Personally I love watching them run under and then pop back out. What I get to watch is closer to natural chick behavior as they explore and practice being big chickens!

 

[muddy75]

We have a Cozy Coop flat panel. You place it against the brooder wall and the chicks nestle up to it. They end up kind of in a line along it if they're cold. It's inexpensive to run and no fire danger. They clean easily because the chicks can't poop on them. Very easy to use and you can see them all the time. A little pricey but not as much as a good brooder. We have two and once when it went below freezing for several nights we used them both at once.

i have used the cozy coop for older chicks during transition and for all my chickens during bitter cold but have been reluctant to use it for brooding! thanks for your post....i may give it a try!

 

[muddy75]

i’m in the process of juggling chicks tonight and tomorrow morning as we are going out of town for a couple days and my 19 yo son is caring for my babies (so im trying to make it as easy as possible). i cleaned my outside brooders today and moved my pheasant chicks, partridge chicks, and 1 adult button to 1 of the brooders. I cleaned and prepared the upper brooder for my 35+ hatchling quail. i went ahead and moved the quail waterer to the brooder and started my heat lamp to move the hatchlings tomorrow am. I had to move my 60w out for the lower brooder tonight. my quail babies are still inside on the heat pad, but as soon as I took their 60w lamp they instantly huddled up and went to sleep!!! they have spread out slightly and a few cried a bit here and there but I couldn’t believe the difference from removing the lamp!!! it’s like they didn’t understand that they still had heat once the light went out!!

 

[trumpeting_angel]

A vote here for Mama Heating Pad. I’m a novice, but this idea appealed to me as soon as I read about it. My chicks love it, and they clearly signal when the heat needed to go down from high to medium, and now to low. They’re in an unheated room now, happy all day and warm all night. They like to roost on it, too, and when it was too warm they slept in a 4-chick pig pile just outside the back door of MHP. I don’t want the risk of a bulb, or the cost of the brooder plate. I love it!

 

[Blooie]

A vote here for Mama Heating Pad. I’m a novice, but this idea appealed to me as soon as I read about it. My chicks love it, and they clearly signal when the heat needed to go down from high to medium, and now to low. They’re in an unheated room now, happy all day and warm all night. They like to roost on it, too, and when it was too warm they slept in a 4-chick pig pile just outside the back door of MHP. I don’t want the risk of a bulb, or the cost of the brooder plate. I love it!

I just love reading posts like this!

 

[Willowspirit]

i have used the cozy coop for older chicks during transition and for all my chickens during bitter cold but have been reluctant to use it for brooding! thanks for your post....i may give it a try!

We are rank beginners but so far we've transitioned 11 of 12 chicks from about one day old to outside. We got our first 6 and it snowed. They were in an unheated apartment. We did lose one. She started weaker than the res t. My husband picked all lively chicks and her Nobody ever sat against the panel directly. They might have if we had not put two together in a corner. We needed the second one for a new set of chicks two weeks later. Most of the time they were in the middle playing except at night when the snuggled in the end under a towel.

My next batch will be cozy coop and ultimately I hope to use a brood hen.

I might've used an ecoglow type brooder or MHP but I would never have used a lamp of any kind. I'm terrified of fire. If you do the CC let me know what you think.

 

[Compost King]

Scenes like this have me realizing that the Brooder plate is not so depressing. The first time I have ever seen chicks in a brooder enjoy sunshine coming in through a window. So pleasant and natural. They all flocked to the corner with the sunshine even though it was likely warmer under their fake mama.

 

[Blooie]

View attachment 1777601
Scenes like this have me realizing that the Brooder plate is not so depressing. The first time I have ever seen chicks in a brooder enjoy sunshine coming in through a window. So pleasant and natural. They all flocked to the corner with the sunshine even though it was likely warmer under their fake mama.

Yep, exactly as they’d do if they had a broody mommy! I always find watching “natural” behaviors so much fun and so educational!

 

[Compost King]

Now I have to figure out the best solution for different size chicks. I have some meat birdish types and slow growing smaller types currently, some hatches I have seramas. I am debating whether or not to put a small booster block under there for short birds or just raise 2 legs slightly higher and everyone can find the end where they fit. Going to be fun finding a solution to that issue. right now I believe my 2 Meat Bird types are just digging away bedding to fit better so I am not touching a thing until an issue manifests.