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

[Minky]

Ok thx, put down to 3 see what that does.

 

[kklowell]

My wife and a went to a chick raising seminar last evening and when the guy said, "the chicks need the light 24 hours a day" all I could think of was this thread and I wanted to correct him and say, "it's not the light they need, it's the heat" but I restrained myself. I did ask the store owner if she'd ever been on BYC and she said she had and loved it, so I asked if she'd read this thread, and she had read some of it and thought she might like the idea of MHP.
My wife said she thought the seminar was a bit of a waste of time because you can "get better info from reading on the internet". I'm about to tell her about this site.

 

[Birdinhand]

My wife and a went to a chick raising seminar last evening and when the guy said, "the chicks need the light 24 hours a day" all I could think of was this thread and I wanted to correct him and say, "it's not the light they need, it's the heat" but I restrained myself. I did ask the store owner if she'd ever been on BYC and she said she had and loved it, so I asked if she'd read this thread, and she had read some of it and thought she might like the idea of MHP.
My wife said she thought the seminar was a bit of a waste of time because you can "get better info from reading on the internet". I'm about to tell her about this site.

"the revolution will not be televised"... but make no mistake, this is a revolution :~)

 

[aart]

when the guy said, "the chicks need the light 24 hours a day" all I could think of was this thread and I wanted to correct him and say, "it's not the light they need, it's the heat" but I restrained myself.

Oh, I would have asked, what about the heating plates(don't even need to mention MHP's) teehee

 

[Minky]

I always think sharing information is the best way to go~its all in the delivery. MHP is great and safe but of course there are other ways that work! (If someones ego is hurt than that's for them to figure out why.) My friend uses a heat lamp that gives off no light- found in a pet store- like for reptiles. Seems to work perfectly for her, and doesn't have the day/night light issue, so chicks sleep well, just like with MHP.

Level 4 seems to be a good level for 9 day old "Lovey". She still doesnt use it much- I almost feel like I could turn it off during the day to save the $$ but I will leave it on for another week. Maybe by week 3 I will use it only from 7pm to 7 am. (she is in the living room). Her 3 friends arrive tomorrow.

She gains about 5 grams a day- and has gotten much taller in just the few days we've had her. Its amazing. My first baby chick experience, so loving all of it.

 

[Blooie]

I always think sharing information is the best way to go~its all in the delivery. MHP is great and safe but of course there are other ways that work! (If someones ego is hurt than that's for them to figure out why.) My friend uses a heat lamp that gives off no light- found in a pet store- like for reptiles. Seems to work perfectly for her, and doesn't have the day/night light issue, so chicks sleep well, just like with MHP.

Level 4 seems to be a good level for 9 day old "Lovey". She still doesnt use it much- I almost feel like I could turn it off during the day to save the $$ but I will leave it on for another week. Maybe by week 3 I will use it only from 7pm to 7 am. (she is in the living room). Her 3 friends arrive tomorrow.

She gains about 5 grams a day- and has gotten much taller in just the few days we've had her. Its amazing. My first baby chick experience, so loving all of it.

Happy that Lovey is doing well. At this age chicks spend a lot of time out of the cave, but you will probably have some adjusting to do when the new ones get here. You’ll have some size differences and heat requirement differences to balance out, but I think you’ve got this and will figure out quickly what’s going to work best for you and the chicks!

Okay, the elephant in the room....by “someone’s” I can only assume you are referring to me, since I started this thread. Yep, I suggest this method. I encourage it, I promote it, I try to answer questions and alleviate fears about it, and at times I’ve even had to defend it. But I also acknowledge that this is not the only way to raise chicks and have said so many times. I have pointed out that at times it’s just not practical, such as with very large batches of chicks. I have never even taken credit for the initial idea. And while I’m justifiably proud of the way MHP is becoming more accepted, my ego doesn’t suffer when folks go their own way. Regardless of the method used, the ultimate goal for all of us is to raise healthy chicks safely, and to do so within our own personal “comfort zones”. So no worries - my ego isn’t hurt one bit.

 

[bruceha2000]

My wife and a went to a chick raising seminar last evening and when the guy said, "the chicks need the light 24 hours a day" all I could think of was this thread and I wanted to correct him and say, "it's not the light they need, it's the heat" but I restrained myself. I did ask the store owner if she'd ever been on BYC and she said she had and loved it, so I asked if she'd read this thread, and she had read some of it and thought she might like the idea of MHP.
My wife said she thought the seminar was a bit of a waste of time because you can "get better info from reading on the internet". I'm about to tell her about this site.

I think I would have asked "how does a hen raising chicks give them 24 hour light?".
Yeah I can be a smart a$$ sometimes.

Chicks with 24 hour light drop asleep wherever and whenever they get worn out, all day and night long. Reminds me of the time DW was lying on the floor and DD2 crawled over her ... half way and fell asleep. Yes there IS such a thing as "too tired".

Sadly, so much is done because "they say" and "that is the way it has always been done". Except it ISN'T the way it has always been done. Years back people raised chicks by having broody hens hatch eggs. And people raising a lot of chicks had hover brooders suspended from the ceiling. They were in LARGE spaces and the chicks came into the heated area and went as they liked, same as with a heat plate or MHP or a hen. Not a hot lamp over a space so small the chicks can't get away from the light or the heat. Just because they don't die in those circumstances doesn't mean they are as comfortable as they can be.

Hopefully there was more useful information in the seminar than the "24 hour light" lie, and I ASSUME the "must have" 95°F 24x7 for a week dropping by 5°F weekly lie.

 

[Birdinhand]

I think I would have asked "how does a hen raising chicks give them 24 hour light?".
Yeah I can be a smart a$$ sometimes.

Chicks with 24 hour light drop asleep wherever and whenever they get worn out, all day and night long. Reminds me of the time DW was lying on the floor and DD2 crawled over her ... half way and fell asleep. Yes there IS such a thing as "too tired".

Sadly, so much is done because "they say" and "that is the way it has always been done". Except it ISN'T the way it has always been done. Years back people raised chicks by having broody hens hatch eggs. And people raising a lot of chicks had hover brooders suspended from the ceiling. They were in LARGE spaces and the chicks came into the heated area and went as they liked, same as with a heat plate or MHP or a hen. Not a hot lamp over a space so small the chicks can't get away from the light or the heat. Just because they don't die in those circumstances doesn't mean they are as comfortable as they can be.

Hopefully there was more useful information in the seminar than the "24 hour light" lie, and I ASSUME the "must have" 95°F 24x7 for a week dropping by 5°F weekly lie.

and just an add on, there actually are studies showing that while chicks do sleep under heat lamps, they are all on different schedules and they constantly wake each other up as they get water and food and, at least for meat birds, this seems to have a critically negative effect on their joint development. I now offer feed 24/7 to my meat birds but because they sleep all night, they don't over eat and I don't see leg problems and they grow out to 6-7 lbs dressed in 8-9 weeks.

 

[kklowell]

"and I ASSUME the "must have" 95°F 24x7 for a week dropping by 5°F weekly lie."

Yep, there was even a slide showing to drop the heat 5 degrees per week.

 

[kklowell]

If I'm going to never had more than 6 chicks at a time, can I use a 12x15 heating pad? And do I use regular 1/2" square hardware cloth>