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

[Aunna]

I received my order of 20 chicks (21 or 22 arrived) on Friday, and we lost 5 right away . But we put them outside in the brooder the day I got them from the PO and I watched carefully to make sure no one was cold.
We’re in West Tennessee so it’s 85+° during the day, and 65+° at night lately. I don’t have a heating pad, but I did make a cave out of chicken wire and a bath mat. At dusk I put two hand warmers on the chicken wire with the bath mat on top. The chicks are doing well!

I don’t know that I’d use the the hand warmer method with a smaller clutch or at a colder time of year, but it seems to be doing well so far. They go into the cave at night and are out when I open the coop in the morning. When I’ve stuck my hand in there it feels toasty but not unbearable, and the chicks aren’t even in huge pile, they’re evenly spread out with a good heat distribution.

 

[jrjoplin]

I’ve got 25 bantam chicks arriving next week. Trying out the flat version with these chicks. I’ve questioned myself more about giving up my cave setup than when I originally switched to the MHP method.

 

[DellaMyDarling]

I've discovered some negatives to the MHP approach.
Thinking of writing up my own findings in length on here.
In short, I could not succeed in keeping all 16 alive from my original order and I do blame infuriating weather swings ultimately, however...
Upon setting up another MHP for a slightly younger batch of chicks, I watched them go downhill fast. It's becoming apparent that the particular heating pads I have will not keep chicks hot enough. If they're even slightly too cold, they end up starving to death.
I'll make note of the exact heating pad I have, but I've concluded that chicks will not thrive with my MHP until ten days of age or so. My older batch (minus the fallen few) is doing wonderful now that they're a tad older.

 

[jrjoplin]

@DellaMyDarling I’d say 95% (if not more) of us use this Sunbeam model.

It’s the only one I can find that you can turn off the “auto off”. I connect mine to a UPS backup due to frequent power flickers in the spring and summer.

 

[Blooie]

I was so dismayed to read your post. Photos of your setup would be so helpful. This is so highly unusual but we take criticism or issues seriously and try to brainstorm solutions.

And there are just some setups or situations where MHP just isn’t the right choice. I raise all my chicks, including Silkies and other Bantams, right outside in a brooder pen in the run, even with out temps in the teens and twenties, with no other heat source. I’ve never lost a single chick. I’m so sorry that you did.

 

[aart]

Photos of your setup would be so helpful.

Definitely, please.
Along with details of surface temp of pad and ambient temps.

 

[bruceha2000]

I'm really sorry for your losses.

I agree with the requests for pictures of the MHP setup, the brooder area and what pad you are using. Perhaps there is something we can spot that would make it less than ideal.

I know a lot of people use the XpressHeat pad (as do I) but some have used other pads, easy to tell because the XH pad has 6 settings and the others referenced had 3 or 4. But in all cases they have to NOT turn off after a set time or have the ability to override that. I recall that some of the non XH pads will come back on to their set point when power comes back on, the XH does not. You need to turn it back on.

 

[bruceha2000]

Chicks from Meyer arrived today, MHP wasn't set up because the USPS tracking said they weren't coming until tomorrow. Threw it together quickly (normally I wouldn't use tape!!!) hopefully tomorrow night at zero dark thirty they will go under broody hens.



The gray ones are Columbian Wyandottes, the yellow are White Rocks, the yellow with dark spots are Austra Whites, the dark chipmunk center front is the Barnevelder, the other chipmunks are EEs.

 

[Blooie]

So cute, Bruce! And we gotta have our Easter Eggers, right? I know you said this is temporary due to early delivery, but I can’t remember if in previous years your cave has been that domed....refresh my memory, please.....

 

[bruceha2000]

It isn't as domed as it looks from the top, it is the same frame I used last year. About 2" high in the back (not in the picture) and 4" in the front. It is positioned about 2" from the back of the cardboard box so they have both a front and rear "door". Last year I had sewn a canvas cover over the pad and frame. I was set to redo that tonight but had to resort to Gorilla tape.

Sure do love hearing the happy little chirps and pips of birds in their MHP instead of the frantic peeping of unhappy birds. Which is what they were until they were moved out of their shipping box to the brooder box.