Mama Heating Pad in the Brooder (Picture Heavy) - UPDATE

[aart]

What does everyone think of the hoover brooder? Good option?

Hover?...not hoover(vacuum cleaner-haha!)
They work great for a large number of chicks(more than 30?),
and if built correctly are much less of a fire hazard than a heat lamp.

 

[bruceha2000]

What does everyone think of the hoover brooder? Good option? I wonder if I could just leave them overnight in the barn with it... we have straw. I am afraid of fire......
so many options. I think I have to not think about chickens for a few days.

If you are (rightfully) afraid of fire, you can play it safe and make a double size MHP cave with two XL pads. Make it LONG not square and make sure the chicks can get out both the back and front. Since meat birds grow so much faster, you'll have to raise it more often than you will for the layers.

 

[trudyg]

I am due to receive 10 meat birds (red ranger) and 5 buff orpingtons in mid-April. I plan on using a mhp and have a 12 x 24 heating pad w/o auto off. Should I have a separate one for the buff o's? I am concerned about growth rate and having to raise the mhp for the meat birds and the buffs being too small to stay warm. I had planned to raise them all together, but now have doubts--should I separate the buff from the meat? I have a section of the main coop that is 3 1/2' by 12' that I plan to use, raising them in the main coop with the bigs. I can easily separate the area to give the buff chicks a safer space. So, 2 mhp's? Separate space for the buff o's? Thanks

 

[bruceha2000]

Hopefully someone who has raised meat birds will chime in but my understanding is they do grow much faster than layers and it might be best to have 2 MHP brooders.

 

[Minky]

Hover?...not hoover(vacuum cleaner-haha!)
They work great for a large number of chicks(more than 30?),
and if built correctly are much less of a fire hazard than a heat lamp.

BAHHHAHAHAHA!!!! Yes, hoover would be bad!! HOVER Brooder is what I meant. LOL

 

[aart]

I am due to receive 10 meat birds (red ranger) and 5 buff orpingtons in mid-April. I plan on using a mhp and have a 12 x 24 heating pad w/o auto off. Should I have a separate one for the buff o's? I am concerned about growth rate and having to raise the mhp for the meat birds and the buffs being too small to stay warm. I had planned to raise them all together, but now have doubts--should I separate the buff from the meat? I have a section of the main coop that is 3 1/2' by 12' that I plan to use, raising them in the main coop with the bigs. I can easily separate the area to give the buff chicks a safer space. So, 2 mhp's? Separate space for the buff o's? Thanks

They could be fine together until they are off heat, then you might want to separate the meaties...but not sure how fast Red Rangers grow, I doubt as fast as CX's.
There is a guy who used MHP for CX, has a great thread, but I was unable to find it.
He may have had layers with them, but he did say he thought the CX needed less heat due to their large size fast growth.

 

[NotAFarm]

I've raised both CornishX and Freedom Rangers. CX produce a lot of body heat but don't get feathers very quickly. I use an Eco-glow for my meat birds but that is just because I had one before this thread was started.
My Freedom Rangers did not grow as quickly as CX but do mature faster than most laying breeds. I think you will be okay with the Rangers and Orps with the same MHP if your temps are relatively moderate by mid-April (I don't see your location). Make sure you have a slope to the MHP so the varying height will accommodate size differences and allow chicks to "escape" on all sides.

 

[Molpet]

I had 5 cx, 2 BR and 2 BBB turkeys under my first MHP.. the meat birds needed the heat less and moved on top sooner leaving the underneath for the others who needed heat...

I am due to receive 10 meat birds (red ranger) and 5 buff orpingtons in mid-April. I plan on using a mhp and have a 12 x 24 heating pad w/o auto off. Should I have a separate one for the buff o's? I am concerned about growth rate and having to raise the mhp for the meat birds and the buffs being too small to stay warm. I had planned to raise them all together, but now have doubts--should I separate the buff from the meat? I have a section of the main coop that is 3 1/2' by 12' that I plan to use, raising them in the main coop with the bigs. I can easily separate the area to give the buff chicks a safer space. So, 2 mhp's? Separate space for the buff o's? Thanks

 

[Minky]

For those of you who have raised (and eaten) Cornish X and a "ranger" type bird- other than size and speed of growth, how would you compare flavour? Do you have a preference? Has any one raised and tried Coucou Malines?

 

[Birdinhand]

They could be fine together until they are off heat, then you might want to separate the meaties...but not sure how fast Red Rangers grow, I doubt as fast as CX's.
There is a guy who used MHP for CX, has a great thread, but I was unable to find it.
He may have had layers with them, but he did say he thought the CX needed less heat due to their large size fast growth.

hey, thanks for the mention. anyone who wants to read up on the thread can cut and paste from my signature or search "Trials and Tribulations of Suburban Meat Bird Production", for some reason I'm not able to make it an active link in my signature. Freedom Rangers and BO's will do better together than BO's and CX. I tried raising some regular egg layers with one of my CX batches last year and I had to pull them and give them their own space as the CX just became tanks so fast. I do 37 CX as a time and use two XL heating pads. with 10 CX, one heating pad should be fine. I'd give the second heating pad to the BO's in their own space. CX literally have something like 10X the metabolism of a BO, they radiate heat, they'd probably do just fine in an old fashioned wooley hen without any additional heat source. they are in freezer camp by 8-9 weeks, 7 lbs dressed.