I was trying to treat his frostbitten feet, Sally. He was hatched under a broody and doing great - temps here had been in the 60s and 70s most of October. Then our temps unexpected plummeted to -17 degrees in about 26 hours and he got his feet wet at the waterer. They froze. So his hot tub had warm epsom salt water in it. He got that treatment a couple of times a day at first, and learned to DEMAND it if I was late. He also had a warm "spa towel" in the form of a washcloth run through the dryer a few minutes - hard to tell which part of the treatment was his favorite....
This is Scout as an adult. Totally deformed feet, but he didn't notice or care. Here is was doing a "meet and greet" with the chicks in the pen in the run during integration.
You can read his story by clicking on the link to Frostbitten Feet, the Adventures of Scout in my signature. (Yeah, like you've got time for that!
they are so dang broody I constantly switch them from coop to coop, only way to unbrood them is a different house with a different roo, he bugs them so much they stop brooding!! lol CRUEL aint I?
Ok I was wondering if its not just mine who isn't going broody... I think my silkied hen is starting a clutch, I will let her keep the eggs and see, Thanks so much Sally!
Yea i try to rinse the towels out with the hose to reuse but sometimes its a lost cause , and i hadnt been to a thrift store lately to stock up so when these guys started hatching last night i was light a deer in headlights lol
Nah, foolish would be more like it! But I had to try and he did thrive. Scout was the very first chick I used Mama Heating Pad on and it exceeded my wildest dreams. When we put him back out in the coop, we moved his entire brooder pen (a wire dog crate) out there, built his cave in it, and wired the door so he could fit in and out but the Bigs couldn't follow him. Even when it dropped to -4 he was snug in his cave. That was my Eureka moment and I've never looked back.
When and if you do buy compare all of them. Pick one or two that have the closest to the same readings on temp and humidity. You'll still have to calibrate but they should be closer to being correct that way. Worked for me anyway. All will be different. In the same store.
In a glass bowel you put a double daily portion of feed, you cover it +10 cm ( 4 inches) of water. You add one open capsule of probiotic pill or a full tbs of probiotic yogurt. You cover it fir 4-5 days. You should see bubbles( ) and fermentation in it. After this time you open and smell if the smell is nice acidic smell you give halve of it to the chickens add new feed to it ( the same as you used) an change the water. If it has an alcoholic smell in it trow it! And begin a new batch! You need lactic fermentation not a ethanol fermentation! Good luck!
2 things:
1. You can speed it up if you put in it a open pill of probiotic. Or a tbspoon of probiotic yogurt
2. You should always smell it it should have a nice acidic smell(= lactic fermentation) if it have an alcoholic smell (= ethanol fermentation) throw it and begin a new batch.!
) and fermentation in it. After this time you open and smell if the smell is nice acidic smell you give halve of it to the chickens add new feed to it ( the same as you used) an change the water. If it has an alcoholic smell in it trow it! And begin a new batch! You need lactic fermentation not a ethanol fermentation! Good luck! 
