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

[curious chickee]

I just lost 2 silkies, the waterer spilt and soaked 5 chicks, found 2 dead silkies under MHP all wet and 3 more wet chicks floppy, put 3 under heat lamp, looking better now but we will see. With sudden cold storm, dropped 10 degrees while at work. Whole left side of brooder wet. Brought all chicks inside with heat lamp so I can dry out MHP brooder

 

[Blooie]

I'm new to forums, and really new at raising chickens. Hope I am doing this right.

I acquired my two pullets two days ago (Buff Orp and Ameracauna) and they are in their temp home...a large cardboard box. I realize that they need some warmth but I have only solar panels for my power source, so I don't want a 250 watt heating lamp that uses more electricity than my electric blanket. My little electric heating pad consumes a mere 25 watts, so I positioned a smaller box in the large box into which I placed the heating pad with a towel covering it. The smaller box is supported over a couple of 2x4s so that the chicks can rove around and roost under it. When I feel under the box there is warmth that is just a little above my own body temp so I surmise that this should be acceptable. There is no way the chicks can manage to come into direct contact with the heating pad.

Have any of you had experience of this sort, and if my idea isn't a good one or is unsafe will you please inform me and educate me as to a preferable way to keep the chicks warm. Will be adding an Australorp when the feed store has them available.

Thanks

Sorry it took me so long to get back to you. After my granddaughter went home for the day hubby and I made a shopping trip up to Cody, which is about 50 miles one way so it takes us a bit to go and get back. I wouldn't even hazard a guess about the solar aspect of using MHP, but we have a few visitors here who know more about that kind of stuff than I do - @bruceha2000 ,
@aart would be the ones to ask there. Actually for the first few days you DO want the chicks to come into very close contact with the heating pad - right about back level in fact, almost if not touching them is ideal. That's the reason most of us slant the frame downward in the back with it being a little higher in the front.

Pictures of your setup would help! And in fact, chick pics are required as membership dues in the Broody Brigade!

 

[Blooie]

I just lost 2 silkies, the waterer spilt and soaked 5 chicks, found 2 dead silkies under MHP all wet and 3 more wet chicks floppy, put 3 under heat lamp, looking better now but we will see. With sudden cold storm, dropped 10 degrees while at work. Whole left side of brooder wet. Brought all chicks inside with heat lamp so I can dry out MHP brooder

Oh NO!!! I'm so sorry that happened to you! Getting them under the heat lamp was the smartest thing you could do - quick thinking!! If you have any Nutri-Drench I'd sure give them a dose or two of that - if not in a pinch sugar water will do! Keep us posted....sure praying for your little ones!

 

[curious chickee]

Gave save a chick in water, one, my runt of course, is doing much better back with the rest of the chicks, other two standing now but still weak saw one eating so good sign. They are in small cage under another heat lamp. Still bummed about my silkies, maybe they just aren't as tough as my barn yard mutts, they were about week old compared to my day olds. Will wait until the storm before putting them back outside. Supposed to be colder tonight.

 

[Blooie]

Is there any way you could set up something indoors until the weather clears a bit?

 

[aart]

Quote: I don't know anything about solar...agree they want contact with pad and is why I made my https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/pseudo-brooder-heater-plate flat instead of arced.
Not clear how you have yours set up, can you post a pic?

Here's my notes on chick heat, hope something in there might help:
They need to be pretty warm(~85-90F on the brooder floor right under the lamp and 10-20 degrees cooler at the other end of brooder) for the first day or two, especially if they have been shipped, until they get to eating, drinking and moving around well. But after that it's best to keep them as cool as possible for optimal feather growth and quicker integration to outside temps. A lot of chick illnesses are attributed to too warm of a brooder. I do think it's a good idea to use a thermometer on the floor of the brooder to check the temps, especially when new at brooding, later i still use it but more out of curiosity than need.

The best indicator of heat levels is to watch their behavior:
If they are huddled/piled up right under the lamp and cheeping very loudly, they are too cold.
If they are spread out on the absolute edges of the brooder as far from the lamp as possible, panting and/or cheeping very loudly, they are too hot.
If they sleep around the edge of the lamp calmly just next to each other and spend time running all around the brooder they are juuuust right!

The lamp is best at one end of the brooder with food/water at the other cooler end of the brooder, so they can get away from the heat or be under it as needed. Wattage of 'heat' bulb depends on size of brooder and ambient temperature of room brooder is in. Regular incandescent bulbs can be used, you might not need a 'heat bulb'. You can get red colored incandescent bulbs at a reptile supply source. A dimmer extension cord is an excellent way to adjust the output of the bulb to change the heat without changing the height of the lamp.

 

[curious chickee]

Yes, I have them all inside now. Will make a spot in garage until weather warms up again, I think the 20 degree drop between yesterday 75 and today 55 with rain did not help me. I should have just moved them into the garage once I knew the storm was coming. During summer I had a small brooder all set up for them with the heat lamp. That brooder is being used by my daughter's brahma bantams so I used the wooden box I got from my friend with MHP. I think the set up made it difficult for chicks to get back under cave since the food was at level with the top of MHP shall reconfigure the set up before I put them back. I think too much shavings on side will put a small layer down just to cover puppy pads and that should put the food and water at same height also attach top of water to box so they can't knock it over. For now they are comfortable. Tommorrow I am not working so I can reset everything for better efficiency.

 

[lazy gardener]

AV, the one question I have is: What are you using for a heating pad? Is it the Sunbeam XPress? You'll need to play around with it to be sure it's warm enough for them, but not too warm. I set a digital thermometer under my pad when the chicks were in the house, and found that it was about 85*. That seemed about right for them. If it's comfortable for you to leave it on your skin for a good long time, it should be just about right, and as Blooie says, they should be able to touch it with their backs. Where you have just a few chicks, that will be super easy, because, even in you have it too high in one spot, and maybe a little lower at the back, they should be able to find their happy spot! Have you looked back in this thread to see pics of various folks builds?

 

[ShrekDawg]

Okay now I know this is likely an issue with the duct tape and/the pillow case used and not the method and I will remove the duct tape (but press and seal wouldn't work because it's a weird angle) but since I've had the wire frame two have gone inside pillow case (one this morning i found out duct tape opened overnight creating a hole). I found out about the hole because a little had a small piece of duct tape on her wing (easy enough to get off) and one was missing. Put two & two together and checked (and another chick followed me in and went in) and sure enough, cheeper was inside. BUT. The poor thing was stuck, duct tape had wrapped around her wing. I foolishly started pulling but only a very tiny section before I soon realized I was pulling fluff and this was painful and had my mom go get olive oil quickly from downstairs as i was already holding the chick. Sure enough, somw swiping of olive oil all on the tape and wing and it came right off. She has two tiny tiny raw patches from where my immediate thought was getting her unstuck (it really was only like half a second) but I put some olive oil on those too and she truly seems completely fine and no worse for the wear. I did spill some olive oil on the pillow case though but that's just as well because I need to replace it. Have decided this opening in the center kind of case is bad news and will use the other kind and Press & Seal. And I know people will say this is my fault or it's another crisis but I will say that it's A. not a crisis, I acted immediately and she is unstuck and that B. I do take full responsibility for using the wrong pillow case and for using duct tape (but what I don't understand is why the heck it didn't stick better. This stuff is supposed to be great. Almost boughr extra strength but didn't think I'd need it. Apparently I was wrong) and all of that and I'm not saying it's anyone's fault but my own and I will immediately rectify the situation but all I'm saying is that I had ZERO issues with the box and now they've gotten stuck or injured. Now, again, I know it's the pillow case and duct tape and actually, I just realized that had I used this case and duct tape on the box I'm sure I would have had the same exact issues, but still. Added the frame last night and so far it's caused more issues than thenother did all week. But that said I am going to try replacing the pillow case and not using duct tape and see what happens. Surely it is a coincidence. Good news though is they do seem to like the wire frame much better and they all go under.

 

[ShrekDawg]

That said, they, again, seem happy with it. I'm going to fix the issues with MHP immediately or temporarily put the box back in so they're safe while we're gone because we're going to get hardware cloth and possibly more shavings so we can put them in the garage today