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

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MolliesDollies said:
I have 3 new chicks fresh out of the incubator. I think I have everything set up correctly, but I can't find my thermometer I bought for this and the chicks hatched day 18, thought I'd have a few more days! Is it okay to turn the heating pad all the way up for now until I hunt down that pesky thermometer? or somewhere in the middle?
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most of us don't use one.. we watch the chicks.. if they act hot, staying out of it after they know how to use it.. turn it down..
I started on high and turned it down to med a few days later
 
It would be pushing it, but I had 17. They don't all use it at one time except for the first few days and then at night for a week or so anyway, and they're usually rarely using it all by the end of 2 weeks, going into 3 weeks. I have them completely off by the end of 4 weeks and the entire brooder torn down, and that's outside! Understand, too, that MHP requires a pretty big footprint in the brooder. Unlike a lamp, where they have the entire floor, MHP will take up almost a square foot, if not a little over.

So glad to have you aboard!!! You will have dues to pay for the Broody Brigade, you know....photos of those chicks!!
 
Blooie said:
It would be pushing it, but I had 17. They don't all use it at one time except for the first few days and then at night for a week or so anyway, and they're usually rarely using it all by the end of 2 weeks, going into 3 weeks. I have them completely off by the end of 4 weeks and the entire brooder torn down, and that's outside! Understand, too, that MHP requires a pretty big footprint in the brooder. Unlike a lamp, where they have the entire floor, MHP will take up almost a square foot, if not a little over.

So glad to have you aboard!!! You will have dues to pay for the Broody Brigade, you know....photos of those chicks!!
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I have plenty of room to have one or even two MHPs in the coop where they will be brooded.
 
bobbi-j said:
but am scaling back to 25. If I get the bigger heating pad, will that be big enough?
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I would say no. I have 26 just hatched chicks under a 12x24 right now, and it's fine....but won't be in a week or two...luckily they are leaving here in a few days. Had 16 under last year, hatched mid May, and they were not fitting under at 4 weeks, luckily it was warm enough here by that time they didn't need it much. While they could have slept on top, they didn't just slid out from underneath.
 
aart said:
I would say no. I have 26 just hatched chicks under a 12x24 right now, and it's fine....but won't be in a week or two...luckily they are leaving here in a few days. Had 16 under last year, hatched mid May, and they were not fitting under at 4 weeks, luckily it was warm enough here by that time they didn't need it much. While they could have slept on top, they didn't just slid out from underneath.
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So I could just as well order the two heating pads, and get about 30 chicks. I saw one pattern where the MHP has adjustable "legs" and a wood frame, but can't seem to find it now. It was somewhere here on BYC a while back (I don't even know how long ago that was). I think that would be a good design so I could raise them up as the chicks get bigger. Also debating whether I want to brood them in 2 separate coops as I will need to split them up anyway once they're older, or just put them all in the same place for now to keep things simple. It's been a while since I bought chicks. I'm trying to remember how to do this...
 
Blooie said:
Awesome! Welcome to the Broody Brigade! We're always here to offer support, answer questions, and it's still a pretty active thread. There's a bit of a learning curve at first, and often some uncertainty because this is so far from the conventional, but usually the chicks get it before the owners do. After you've done it once, though, you're a pro.....it's that easy! Photo sharing, is, of course, NOT optional, it's essential!
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Having done both MHP and heat lamp I would say there is a learning curve to both but that MHP is actually easier. It is a lot easier to raise the cave a bit than figure out how much to raise the lamp and when. Especially because the lamp MUST be securely attached so it can't possibly fall down on the chicks. I had a reptile tank remote thermostat in the bathtub to maintain a constant temp (not knowing what a farce that is) and had the lamp hung from the parallel shower curtain rods on the tub. It was still a task and a very uncomfortable sauna in the bathroom!

And, as I have noted before, unless you have a really BIG brooder space, you can't heat just a small part of the brooder so the chicks can get away from the heat.

MolliesDollies said:
I have 3 new chicks fresh out of the incubator. I think I have everything set up correctly, but I can't find my thermometer I bought for this and the chicks hatched day 18, thought I'd have a few more days! Is it okay to turn the heating pad all the way up for now until I hunt down that pesky thermometer? or somewhere in the middle?
Click to expand...
Skip the thermometer, it is a waste of time and a source of aggravation worrying about the temperature in the cave. Hens do not provide a set ambient temp for their chicks, the 95°F for a week dropping by 5°F per week is an old wive's tale when it comes to raising relatively few chicks at home. Might make sense for a hatchery raising scores of chicks at a time.

If you've read much of this thread, you will know to just watch the chicks and adjust the temp and height of the cave based on their size and actions.

bobbi-j said:
I have plenty of room to have one or even two MHPs in the coop where they will be brooded.
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@lazy gardener found that if you have 2 separate caves in a brooding space, ALL the chicks will try (and fail) to get under one. They want to stay together. If you need a "double", make it wide, not square, with both the back and front open so the chicks don't have a lot of bodies to get through to get out of the cave.
 

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