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

[bruceha2000]

Only if the other players don't question it

 

[K0k0shka]

One more vote for @aart ’s carriage bolt heating plate design. That’s what I put together and I love it, and the chicks love it, too. I would recommend putting a board of some sort on top, instead of towels or fabric. A board can be scraped clean easily. I have a wide plastic putty knife I use to scrape the poop off. It was awkward attaching the board because the bungee cords were in the way, so I sandwiched them between two boards, with narrow pieces of wood along the edges to fill the gaps between the boards. It ended up looking like this:

They’re not really that crowded under there. It’s just getting harder and harder to photograph them under the heater, because they rush out to say hi as soon as they see me They are in the middle of running out towards me in this shot.

In my original design, I made the main board smaller, with the edges of the heating pad draping down on the sides to form a heating tunnel. I then attached smaller boards on top of the hanging HP edges to protect them from the poop. Here’s what it looked like with the “wings” down:

More chicks hatched than I was planning on, though, so I had to lift the wings to give the chicks more room inside. That’s why there are blocks of wood on the sides. The main area is still supported by the carriage bolts.

Here’s a photo of them snuggling under there shortly after being moved over from the incubator:

For the first few days, I had a towel with shelf liner on top of it for the cave floor, but the liner was getting too poopy and hard to clean, so I replaced the flooring with a piece of cardboard. Much easier to brush/scrape clean! I also put some perches on top of the heating plate to maximize the vertical space. The chicks started perching early, and jumping to the top of the heater, so they really enjoyed the additions:

 

[bobbi-j]

Checking in since it’s been a couple of years since I used my MHP. I have it set on medium, about 2 1/2 - 3” high in front, and about 1 1/2” or so in back. In have it set on medium. Hoping that’s warm enough.(Temps around 40 tonight, freezing or below the rest of the week.) When I checked on them tonight, they were all tucked under, not a peep was heard. I’m taking that to mean they’re all warm and content.

 

[bobbi-j]

Checking in since it’s been a couple of years since I used my MHP. I have it set on medium, about 2 1/2 - 3” high in front, and about 1 1/2” or so in back. In have it set on medium. Hoping that’s warm enough.(Temps around 40 tonight, freezing or below the rest of the week.) When I checked on them tonight, they were all tucked under, not a peep was heard. I’m taking that to mean they’re all warm and content.

They were all alive when I checked on them this morning, but huddled together by the feeder peeping their little heads off. I stuffed them back under the MHP and they settled down. I think I need to raise it a bit in the back for them. Hopefully they figure out that all they have to do is duck under there to warm up.

 

[bobbi-j]

They were all alive when I checked on them this morning, but huddled together by the feeder peeping their little heads off. I stuffed them back under the MHP and they settled down. I think I need to raise it a bit in the back for them. Hopefully they figure out that all they have to do is duck under there to warm up.

In case anyone is wondering, they did figure it out. Went to check on them tonight, and not a chick to be seen. Just some contented little peeps from under the MHP.

 

[NewBoots]

In case anyone is wondering, they did figure it out. Went to check on them tonight, and not a chick to be seen. Just some contented little peeps from under the MHP.

I love those contented peeps, they warm my flinty old heart.

 

[K0k0shka]

I love those contented peeps, they warm my flinty old heart.

I was just thinking the same thing. Mine are going out to the coop on Sunday (with their MHP) and I’ll really miss hearing their content little peeps as I creep past the brooder to my bedroom in the dark...

 

[bobbi-j]

I was just thinking the same thing. Mine are going out to the coop on Sunday (with their MHP) and I’ll really miss hearing their content little peeps as I creep past the brooder to my bedroom in the dark...

Mine went straight out to the coop. I used to keep chicks in the house, but I really don't like all the dust and dander they produce. Plus, with the cat, dog, and 3-year old grandson all in the house, they're really much safer out there!

 

[K0k0shka]

Mine went straight out to the coop. I used to keep chicks in the house, but I really don't like all the dust and dander they produce. Plus, with the cat, dog, and 3-year old grandson all in the house, they're really much safer out there!

I hatched mine mostly for the benefit of the kids (ages 4 and 6), would’ve been too disappointing to start them in the coop. It’s been amazing watching them hatch and grow, and having them in here with us, as part of the family. They’re approaching 3 weeks and we’ve had no problems so far. 11 chicks, sand as brooder litter. They don’t smell and are not dusty (not that I can notice). We have air filters in every room and one next to the brooder, maybe that helps. We have a cat, too, but the brooder has a mesh on top so she can’t get to them. I’ll be very sad to take them out... I LOVE having them in here. But they need more space.

 

[aart]

In case anyone is wondering, they did figure it out. Went to check on them tonight, and not a chick to be seen. Just some contented little peeps from under the MHP.

I knew you, and they, would figure it out.
Glad to see you posting again.