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

[Blooie]

So should we be taking the food out at night? Even if we are not using this method?

I don’t see why not. They’ll scratch in the litter for entertainment and pick up spilled food, but won’t be gorging on a feeder full.

 

[Tremogg]

I don’t see why not. They’ll scratch in the litter for entertainment and pick up spilled food, but won’t be gorging on a feeder full.

We don't have liter down in the brooder we have puppy pads. They have a separate area we put them in during the day that has liter for them to "forage" through.

 

[Blooie]

Oh, I’ve never used puppy pads. So I’m no help.

 

[janiedoe]

Oh, I’ve never used puppy pads. So I’m no help.

I have...the chicks tore them to shreds.

 

[junior67]

I have...the chicks tore them to shreds.

I put them under my pine pellets when they were in the brooder but mainly to make it easier to clean out, when I used a dog crate as a brooder and also in the bin. I am NOT using them in my coop brooder.

 

[Iluveggers]

I used puppy pads for a week. Surprisingly they did not tear them up. It was easy to observe poos to monitor them. I kept one layer under the shavings when I added them after a week, and every few days would roll up the whole thing, dump the shavings in the compost, and put down a new layer. Kept everything nice & dry!

 

[bruceha2000]

Paper towels over newspaper is cheaper than puppy pads Once mine go out to the brooder area in the coop at about 3 days they are on the same pine shavings as the rest of the chickens either with a hen or their MHP if the former is not available.

 

[Iluveggers]

Paper towels over newspaper is cheaper than puppy pads Once mine go out to the brooder area in the coop at about 3 days they are on the same pine shavings as the rest of the chickens either with a hen or their MHP if the former is not available.

Found my puppy pads at the dollar store. Pretty cheap!

 

[jreardon1918]

Paper towels over newspaper is cheaper than puppy pads Once mine go out to the brooder area in the coop at about 3 days they are on the same pine shavings as the rest of the chickens either with a hen or their MHP if the former is not available.

We have been using an old towel for the first two days. The water has spilled and it is quite wet. At lunch today they go to the in run brooder, with the MHP. We are expecting mild temperatures this week. They just moved outside. It is quite warm. They are about a week old.

 

[bruceha2000]

I guess I've been lucky, or the chicks aren't in the cardboard box in the house long enough to be able to tip over the water. I made a raised board with big holes to hold the bases of the food and water containers for the brooder area in the barn. They don't get tipped over and not much in the way of shavings get in the water.