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

[Blooie]

I had several sleeping on their little roost totally on the opposite side of the brooder at 2 weeks. The rest joined them gradually during the next week. At 4 weeks they were integrated with the rest of the flock and doing what the big girls did. By then our temperatures were up to the upper 30s and 40s, and they had been living out in the run in their brooder pen from day one.

 

[henless]

I have noticed the same thing, and have been wondering why this would be. I wonder if it is the extra LIGHT that is making a difference, not extra heat? I started thinking about this especially because I live in AZ, where even at night my garage probably doesn't get below 80 right now. Why could they possibly be too cold??? If anything I am worried about frying them under the heat lamp during the day!!

Well, possibly, they aren't cold. While the garage does have a window, the bottom line is it's pretty dim in there even with the normal lights on, compared to being outdoors. I am going to try getting a non-heat lamp and see what difference that makes. It will be a chicken grow light, haha

I raised my first batch of chicks in my husbands shop for about 2-3 weeks before I moved them out to the coop. There was only one small window in the door, so I used a floor lamp for light. I would turn it on in the mornings, leave it on all day. Then, when It was getting dark, I would turn it off for them to go to sleep.

Hi guys. My chicks are about three weeks old and loving the heat pad cave I fashioned for them. I'm just wondering, it gets down to the mid-sixties at night and I'm not sure they're sleeping under the pad. Should I trust them or go out after dark and shove them under the pad?

If they're cold, they will get under the pad or on top to knock off the chill.

 

[SunshineAnShade]

Your chicks look just great!  You can probably turn off the pad.  I'm trying to understand what you meant by "going in" after you shined the flashlight for them.  Did you mean going into the cave, or into their pen?  If they don't want to go into their cave that's fine. They shouldn't be needing it at this point. You could even dispense with the cave altogether and just leave them some extra bedding where the cave used to be.   But if you meant going into their pen, then I'd herd them in at sundown and give them a little time to figure out where they're going to huddle up for the night.  At 5.5 weeks my chicks last year were sleeping in an unheated, unheated coop with nighttime temperatures below 20 degrees and the coop wasn't even finished around them yet.  And it snowed.  It kept snowing until our last snowfall on June 6th.  So yours will be perfectly fine at this age in 50 and 60 degrees.  Congratulations, Broody Brigade Mama!  You DID it!


Edited to add:  I hit "submit" before I finished because the stoopid phone rang.  Who calls this late, anyway?  Someone looking for Brian.  Keep looking, buddy.  Anyway, that is so cool that MHP is now on Pintrest!  This is taking on a life of its own and that's fantastic!  First Meyer Hatchery was interested, and now Pintrest mentioned it.  Deb, if that was you, BLESS YOU! So how do you suppose we can get one of the major chicken magazines to cover brooding chicks outdoors?  Nah, never happen.  I was thumbing through one today at the feed store and it was discussing how to brood chicks.  Wait to get chicks until late spring or early summer. Brood indoors.  With heat lamps.  Maintaining 95 degrees for the first week, 90 the second, yadda yadda.

Blooie, i read the part about Brian as Brain! Either way your too funny! Thanks for the advice. I did mean their coop when i was talking about shining the light. I am way past the point of worrying about where they decide to sleep inside the coop at night. I think i will remove the cave today, they havent seemed to need it for a little while. I'm just getting frustrated that they wont go inside the coop once it gets dark. Its been this way sin e they got locked out that one night.... I suppose it doesnt matter much since i go out to close the pop door every night anyway. Im hoping once i remove the cave they will stop sleeping in the corner and start roosting instead.
Thanks for the advice and support through this new fun adventure!

 

[bruceha2000]

I have never had issues with any birds that pecked at styrofoam and actually had an "old timer" tell me that he throws in a bit of styrofoam during molt, says it helps them grow feathers back and get back to laying faster. I have seen his chickens personally and they were nice, shiny and healthy.

That is interesting. My chickens will peck the heck out of styrofoam, even foil covered styrofoam.

Somehow I can't imagine eating a product that is heavy on benzene and styrene would get them through moult faster nor that it is particularly healthy.

Edges have been taped over I was already concerned about it but had to go buy the tape. I am also laying a heating pad that doesn't get super hot under some savings next to the cave.

Not sure why you would need or want a heating pad outside the cave. Brooding hens don't have heated "patios".

Also, at what age do they start roosting instead of huddling in the corner to sleep?

Mine that were raised this sumer by a broody hen went with her to the nest box 18" off the ground at 2 weeks. A week later a couple of them went up to the 4' high roost (there is a 2' high roost in front for easy access) to say goodnight (or so it seemed) to their "auntie". By 3.5 weeks only a couple were in the nest with Zorra. Not surprising since the nest box is only ~14" x 12", not much room for a BIG hen and 7 "not so little any more" chicks. By 4 weeks everyone was up on the 4' high roosts even though some of them were still sleeping under Zorra up there.

I'm sure it helped that there were 8 hens up on the roosts from the get go, gives the littles the idea that the roosts are for sleeping on. The now 3 year olds were raised indoors with the non MHP red heat lamp to 3 weeks, then they wouldn't stay in the bathtub but couldn't get back in once out so they went to the "just finished" coop (note to others, chicks grow fast, have the coop ready!). They figured out the roost thing on their own by 4 weeks though I don't recall if they started out sleeping on the 2' high one or went straight to the 4'.

.................

Haven't been checking in to BYC regularly, about 2 weeks since I read all the threads that I follow. Which thread had the most posts? THIS ONE (and now I see it is BBB!), the second was the Easter Egger sexing thread which has always been VERY popular. It had little more than half the number of new posts.

 

[Beekissed]

Quote:
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[Zinniah]

I wanted to try this when I got my 6 chicks almost 5 months ago. I was worried it was not hot enough though. I bought the Sunbeam Xpress Heat, heating pad, 12x15, and had it set to stay on. I tested it before the chickens arrived, and it only felt slightly warm on the highest settings, I felt like it wouldn't stay warm enough for them, and used lamp instead. So many people are using it though, with great results. I'm going to go ahead and try it next year.

 

[Cluckies]

Mine which were raised under a heat lamp before I heard of MHP slept piled in a corner and didn't go to the roost until about 8 weeks. I didn't have other hens there to show them what to do though.

 

[trudyg]

I have 2 chicken tractors, one for the big girls and one for the chicks. They babies can see the big girls and they all visit thru the wire. The babies will crowd around to visit when the big girls are there. They can see the big girls go up the ramp to roost, so now several of the babies are also roosting. I have poles 12", 24" and 36" off the ground in a ladder-type configuration. Copying the big girls is what they do. I have yet to make it a full night with the mhp over the heat lamp. Due to the configuration, when they huddle under where the lamp is I can't reach them to tuckthem into the cave. They play on the cave all day, as I turn off the heat lamp first thing in the morning. they are 13 days old today and quickly getting feathers. Once these evening ball games slow down, I'll get pictures and post. Sorry, grandson takes priority. My chicken whisperer granddaughter takes the pictures--she can handle any animal she encounters. Calm and confident. I'm trying to wait later and later to turn on the heat--they pile up right under it (habit). I have 2 pouffy headed chicks (Polish?) who always act like they are cold. They are the only ones who sleep on the cave during the day.

 

[trudyg]

Well, I'm going to find out today how they do in the cool. When I left for work it was 65 heading to 80, but something changed and now it's 66 and raining at the house. If they don't use the mhp today, then I'll think they don't need it at all.

 

[Blooie]

Which, as long as they are dry, will probably be the case. Before 3 weeks mine weren't using the pad, but would still sometimes cuddle up inside the cave when the strong winds blew.