INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[Faraday40]

I'm experimenting with a fake broody hen (heating pad) or "chick cave" in my brooder instead of a light. My chicks are 2 1/2 weeks old & last night it dipped to 26'F. They're outside in the garage, blocked from wind, but boy was I nervous. I got responses from people who use this type of brooder in below zero temps, so 26'F may seem balmy to them.

Last night when I checked, all were snuggled inside their cave & this morning they were out playing & eating. I hung their water bottles back up & all is well again. Thankfully temps are going back to normal. I have always used heat lamps & NEVER had chicks in the garage below 60'F. I am very surprised & excited about how well it works.

 

[Leahs Mom]

I'm experimenting with a fake broody hen (heating pad) or "chick cave" in my brooder

You should post some photos of how you have it all set up!

I decided I am NEVER going to use a heat lamp again for brooding if I can help it. It is not healthy to have light on 24 hours a day. Besides that, being able to get under a warm dark place provides a sense of security and well-being.

While our efforts can't compare to God's creation.... we can sure do our best to emulate it as much as possible for animals that are in our care!

I got a Premier plate last year that I use with small batches, and have a 24x12 heat pad brooder I'm making to use this year for meat birds. Using it because it is LARGE enough to brood more at a time for a very reasonable price.

Once I have it all set up and tested I'll post photos and how mine works too. It is set up more like a "heat plate" than a cave.

 

[ellymayRans]

@Faraday40 and @leahsmom definitely post pics! I would love to see

 

[amwchickin]

Well, I got my auto door installed this week and so far I love it. I need to adjust the closing time because it will stay open until 8:30. The chickens gave it some pretty funny looks and were apprehensive in going through for the first day. I haven't had to go out in boots and pj's first thing in the morning for a few day now and that's been nice...at least an extra half hour being lazy with my furchild!

And I know what you're thinking - nice hack job on the original door! The guys that built my coop were imbibing while building, and some things didn't turn out the straightest! At some point I will saw the rest of the area open because I happened to have some guinea chicks follow me home this week too!

 

[Leahs Mom]

imbibing while building

Seriously, though, I LOVE my auto-doors. Have 2 of them on the hen shed and trying to figure out a way to add one to the pole barn in such a way that I can replace everything in-tact if we decide not to keep the chickens in that present location.

 

[chickiebaby1]

I am considering getting a cabinet incubator! I just want to know if they are really worth the money! I have several styrofoam batons but my hatches have been less than stellar! Only about 46% or less. It's depressing! Do eggs hatch better in the cabinet? I don't want to waste all that money to not get an improvement! Advice please!!

 

[iamfivewire]

we started with a styro incubator - holds 41~42 eggs. purchased a cabinet last fall - holds over 200.
so, unless you need to hatch more than 40 & often, i'd say a cabinet is an expensive investment. i'm sure they are better quality & accurate - havent compared the electricity cost of either of them.
. . . . . & obviously, size of the styro is much handier to put in storage
i'm certain there are others that have more hatching knowledge/experience than i, that can give you their opinions on this too.

 

[weezerfish]

So I got the coop half built and decided it would be okay to buy our chicks. We're now the proud owners of 2 Americaunas, 2 RIR, and 2 Black sex link chicks...at least for the moment. Got them home and within an hour one of the BSLs seemed to be spending a lot more time on her belly than the others. Then she started laying its head down on the bedding. THe BSLs seem to be a little bit older than the others, so maybe its a behavioral difference based on age. Temp on one end of the brooder is 95 and the other is 83. Now the other BSL seems to be acting similarly. I've seen them all eat since we got them home. Wife is thinking that just may be the way they sleep. Do chicks normally sprawl out when they sleep or do you think something is wrong with this chick? Whatever help you can provide will be greatly appreciated!

 

[Leahs Mom]

@weezerfish
Yes, chicks do sprawl out to sleep sometimes. It can be rather alarming to see them! But this is what they do when they are SLEEPING. If they are wide awake and in that position, there may be reason for concern.

Just keep an eye out and see if they're active and on their feet from time to time.

 

[weezerfish]

@weezerfish
Yes, chicks do sprawl out to sleep sometimes. It can be rather alarming to see them! But this is what they do when they are SLEEPING. If they are wide awake and in that position, there may be reason for concern.

Just keep an eye out and see if they're active and on their feet from time to time.

Thanks! I was watching her a bit ago and she got up and ate, drank, and laid back down. Then one of the other chicks pecked at something and she darted over to check it out, so I think she's good. Totally new to this, so I'm super paranoid about something going wrong. Nice to have quick access to lots of chicken wisdom!

On a side note, I am completely amazed that something so small can peep so loud!!!