Keeping chicks warm without light

[Janice123456]

I need to know how to keep my chicks warm without using the warming light. I read a thread on a mama cave with a heating pad that could stay on all the time does anybody have a name of the heating pad that would stay on all the time in a low setting

 

[Isaac 0]

Check this thread out! Lots of good info regarding heating pads.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...d-in-the-brooder-picture-heavy-update.956958/

 

[Matilda Belle]

Heat plates work great. I use these:

https://www.premier1supplies.com/p/...MIwuy6w5Ht5wIVBdbACh0Xdg0YEAAYASAAEgIq3_D_BwE

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

I need to know how to keep my chicks warm without using the warming light. I read a thread on a mama cave with a heating pad that could stay on all the time does anybody have a name of the heating pad that would stay on all the time in a low setting

I use the Mama Heating Pad (MHP) method almost exclusively now, even though I do have a heat lamp and a Brinsea Ecoglow heat plate. The chicks (and ducklings) just love the MHP!

One thing I learned is that you don't want a digital heating pad - if the power goes out, the heating pad will not return to its prior setting when it comes back on, and that could result in chilled chicks. And, depending on the model, you may have to remember to turn off the auto shutoff function or it will turn off in 2 hours.

I use this model. It's manual, so doesn't have the issues I warned about. The high/medium/low settings also seem to be fine for the chicks' changing warmth needs as they grow (though I do brood in a heated room, too). If I have just a few littles in the brooder, I like to also stuff wool socks around the outer edges of the MHP (under the wire frame) so they can snuggle in, and it helps close off any gaps where a chick might get stuck and cold.

Best of luck!

 

[Florida Bullfrog]

I use the Producer’s Pride heating plate both for my chickens and for overwintering yearling tortoises outside and I couldn’t be more pleased with it.

In heater mode it can keep my tortoises toasty in their outside pens when the temps are in the upper 20Fs by merely covering their pens with a thin tarp. When I uncover them in the mornings I can feel the hot air rush onto me.

I have much more peace of mind with the heater plates than a hot bulb.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Most human heating pads should work but the important thing is that it does not have an auto shut off after 1 or 2 hours. The Sunbeam one that FoodFreedomNow posted is probably the most commonly used, but I have some no name one that works the same.

Or a heat plate is another option, if you want something specifically meant for chickens.

 

[aart]

Pad I used is in here, down near bottom.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/pseudo-brooder-heater-plate.67729/

 

[Blooie]

I use the Sunbeam XPress Heat heating pad exclusively. We had one issue with losing power on a frigid, snowy, windy night. We went to bed about 11, and the sound of the power coming back on around 2 is what woke us. We don’t know how long the power was out, but the house was already cold. Hubby sat straight up in bed and yelled, “The CHICKS!!” They were just a week old! We flew into our clothes, grabbed a flashlight, and ran out there to check them. They were just fine. The straw we had packed under, around, and on top of the cave, plus their own body heat, kept them warm enough. it wasn’t toasty, but it was enough. They were more angry about the flashlight in their faces in the pre-dawn hours. I turned on the heating pad and that was it. The next morning they were all out and about, eating, drinking, and exploring.

 

[rosemarythyme]

We had one issue with losing power on a frigid, snowy, windy night. We went to bed about 11, and the sound of the power coming back on around 2 is what woke us. We don’t know how long the power was out, but the house was already cold. Hubby sat straight up in bed and yelled, “The CHICKS!!” They were just a week old! We flew into our clothes, grabbed a flashlight, and ran out there to check them. They were just fine.

Yikes, glad they were all ok! My issue was the outlet I was using kept shutting itself off. I had tested my heating pad extensively but it didn't occur to me that not all the outside outlets were equally reliable. Sure enough the heat pad turned off the first night we had the chicks, a mere 2 days old at the time. Thankfully they all survived and after that, the heat pad was hooked up to a different outlet that had no issues.

After that I've learned to test *everything* ahead of time, not just the obvious components.

 

[Blooie]

That’s where I luck out! Being married for 52 years to a professional electrician has its perks! He hardwired my coop and run and tests all the outlets and lights regularly, not just for my setup but for the outside outlets for his lawn and power tools!