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

[Blooie]

Um, my chicks are outside from the start so I’m not with them. We did lose power for several hours during a high wind/snowstorm event. All was fine when we went to bed and it went out while we were sleeping. The sound of it coming back on woke Ken, and he woke me with “The chicks!!” We bundled up, ran out to check them, and they were all sleeping soundly in their cave. We had straw all around it under it, and on top of it, so there was enough residual heat for them to get through the outage. Can’t remember exactly how old they were but they were still new and very tiny. Turned the pad back on and it warmed almost immediately. They were more upset about the cave being lifted up and the flashlight in their eyes than the outage. Next morning they were all running around as if nothing happened.

Someone on here found a Sunbeam pad that will turn itself back on to the last temperature setting. When I get to my computer, I’ll see if I can find it.

 

[aart]

Since the Mama Heating Pad is only used for very young chicks it seems that you would not leave them for long periods of time thus making it easy to monitor conditions, IMO.

Some, maybe a lot, of folks work all day away from home.

 

[bobbi-j]

Since the Mama Heating Pad is only used for very young chicks it seems that you would not leave them for long periods of time thus making it easy to monitor conditions, IMO.

My chicks are out in the coop from the start. I check on them in the morning, go to work, go about my day, peek in on them maybe late afternoon, and once more before I go to bed at night.

 

[bajabirdbrain]

Aart:"Some, maybe a lot, of folks work all day away from home."

Now that you mention it, I seem to remember having a job! Has been awhile and I got over it pretty well, do miss that check coming in. Of course you have a very valid point and it is worth consideration.

 

[aart]

Now that you mention it, I seem to remember having a job! Has been awhile and I got over it pretty well, do miss that check coming in.

I hear ya!
It's bittersweet, eh?

 

[No More Empty Nest]

The past 3 nights my 5 1/2 week old bantam chicks (5 of them) have settled down for the night bunched together in a corner. The corner they picked is right in front of the coop door, I don't have a door that closes so they're right in the draft. I've been moving them back under the MHP and I raised it up in case they were too warm. It's on the lowest setting and they don't move from under it the rest of the night. Problem is, my Cochin still is not fully feathered. She (He? I think he's a cockerel) took forever to get any feathers at all.
Tonight I blocked that corner with their food and water. So they settled for night right in the doorway. I moved them again, it's raining and cold out.
Should I keep moving them to the MHP or should I move them to a different corner even though Diamond isn't feathered? These are my first chicks, probably obviously, lol.

 

[aart]

The past 3 nights my 5 1/2 week old bantam chicks (5 of them) have settled down for the night bunched together in a corner. The corner they picked is right in front of the coop door, I don't have a door that closes so they're right in the draft. I've been moving them back under the MHP and I raised it up in case they were too warm. It's on the lowest setting and they don't move from under it the rest of the night. Problem is, my Cochin still is not fully feathered. She (He? I think he's a cockerel) took forever to get any feathers at all.
Tonight I blocked that corner with their food and water. So they settled for night right in the doorway. I moved them again, it's raining and cold out.
Should I keep moving them to the MHP or should I move them to a different corner even though Diamond isn't feathered? These are my first chicks, probably obviously, lol.

Turn the heat pad off...see if they go under then.
Can you close that open door?

 

[Blooie]

Agreed. I think they’re telling you they don’t want it anymore. If they are snuggling down together, they should keep Diamond warm enough. I’d also move them from the open door area.

 

[bruceha2000]

Yep, at 5.5 weeks they should be thinking about sleeping up on the roosts. They definitely don't need a heat source. Don't know why they want to be in that corner so much that they sleep in front of the door next to it once the corner was filled though.

 

[No More Empty Nest]

I'll turn the heating pad off tomorrow night, it's supposed to be down to the 30's tonight...overly worried newbie, lol. I'm going to be gone this evening so I'm also going to block the door off before I leave. They did nap today up on the roost, they've been doing that for a while. I also trimmed back a pine tree that had the ends of its lower branches rubbing on the window that is right by the roost. Just in case that was spooking them. I also moved the food and water to the other side of the coop. The last thing they do before sleeping is eat. Maybe they're eating till it gets so dark they crash by the food? I know all this 'cause I have a camera in the coop, lol. I love watching them!