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

[perchie.girl]

This foam is weird stuff. I made holes for the dowels less than 1/8" diameter and the dowels are 3/8" so they fit extremely snug in the holes and will not slide easily, unless a human moves them. The foam, like I mentioned above, will close back up into any small hole. Unlike many kinds of foam, this foam is elastic, almost rubbery. I made a slit in the rear for the heating pad plug to fit through, and when I take it out, you can barely see the cut where it went through since the foam closes back up on itself.

The deer netting is rigid and will not stretch or sag. It will support the weight of baby chicks easily and those clips are very tight fitting. I tested it by pushing down on it with more weight than a bunch of chicks, even at four or five weeks, and it didn't even come close to slipping.

I've dismantled it and it's stored in the garage behind some other flat stuff, awaiting the "blessed event" come May 12. I like that feature a lot since I have enough chicken "stuff" taking up square footage of storage space in the garage and shed.

I know the foam you are talking about... closed cell Blue its good for high impactshipping and stuff. I would cover it still with the celephane or shelf paper.... Little uns are very unpredictable ...

deb

 

[Blooie]

All I did was put some Press 'n Seal over a one side of a folded towel. Then I draped the heating pad, fluffy side up, directly over the frame, covered it with the towel, tucked the ends under the "legs" of the frame, and I was done.

I liked the idea of the fleece fringe thingys, but since the chicks didn't seem to need it or miss it I'm gonna skip it. The towel comes down over the opening a bit so they have to duck under it a little to get in, and that seemed to give them that secure feeling.

 

[Wol1]

Check that it isn't automatic shut-off. I was standing back admiring my handy work in setting this up for my chicks

when my teenager walks in, looks at it for a few seconds and says, "doesn't that automatically turn off?"

 

[Blooie]

Check that it isn't automatic shut-off. I was standing back admiring my handy work in setting this up for my chicks

when my teenager walks in, looks at it for a few seconds and says, "doesn't that automatically turn off?"

Um, yup!

 

[Cluckies]

This foam is weird stuff. I made holes for the dowels less than 1/8" diameter and the dowels are 3/8" so they fit extremely snug in the holes and will not slide easily, unless a human moves them. The foam, like I mentioned above, will close back up into any small hole. Unlike many kinds of foam, this foam is elastic, almost rubbery. I made a slit in the rear for the heating pad plug to fit through, and when I take it out, you can barely see the cut where it went through since the foam closes back up on itself.

The deer netting is rigid and will not stretch or sag. It will support the weight of baby chicks easily and those clips are very tight fitting. I tested it by pushing down on it with more weight than a bunch of chicks, even at four or five weeks, and it didn't even come close to slipping.

I've dismantled it and it's stored in the garage behind some other flat stuff, awaiting the "blessed event" come May 12. I like that feature a lot since I have enough chicken "stuff" taking up square footage of storage space in the garage and shed.

We'll be anxiously waiting for the update on how it works!

 

[Dandelioness]

Check that it isn't automatic shut-off. I was standing back admiring my handy work in setting this up for my chicks

when my teenager walks in, looks at it for a few seconds and says, "doesn't that automatically turn off?"

My teenage son is constantly pointing out things like that. He's very nice about it, like he's speaking to someone who's not all there.

This is a great thread. I've been reading all the posts over the past several days. I am trying to get away from the brooder lights, and someone on another thread told me to come check out what you're doing here. Very cool!

 

[Blooie]

I had planned to do a video a week until the chicks were out of the brooder, but I think this will be the last one. They are so close now to not using the heating pad at all, and it's still pretty cold at night - got a couple of nights in the 20s coming up again, like we did when we first put them out at 1 week and added the day olds. And they are integrating very well with the flock. Right now the bigger Littles are 4 weeks old and the little Littles are 3 weeks old. I am so proud of them and so confident in this system.

I should add that Scout, the roo in this video, was raised outside under Mama Heating Pad when it was 4 below zero and he had just recovered from an injury. He is the chick who had gotten frostbitten feet while under his broody mama Agatha, and had to be brought into the house for treatment. He was the first chick I had tried the heating pad system on, and he did great. And as you can plainly see, he's growing up to be a pretty handsome bird. He just turned 5 months old on Saturday.

 

[GreenLove]

I'm confused...Isn't this a fire hazard? When I was growing up, we were always warned not to go to sleep with the electric blanket on. Love the idea, just worried about the possibility of a fire.

 

[Beekissed]

Any electrical powered item can be a possible fire hazard. These heating pads are approved for human use and have an override on the automatic shutoff, so they are built for staying on for long periods of time without burning out the heating element.

Then one has to weigh the possibilities of a fire hazard between a well insulated heating pad that is safe enough to use on humans vs. a heat lamp that can catch any stray piece of bedding on fire due to the extreme heat from the bulbs. Not to mention the toxic fumes that burns off of some of the heat lamp bulbs that, when used in an enclosed space, can kill all your birds.

I've kept one of these on for 2-3 mo. straight usage without any problems.

 

[Blooie]

Hi, Green Love. You ask a very valid question. It's a lot less of a fire hazard than a heat lamp heating every surface within several feet, including nearby walls and the bedding in the brooder. I distrust terribly the intensity of the heat from a heat lamp, and hated the risk of anything that came into contact with it bursting into flames. Heating pads are designed to be used ON the human body. You can put one in a chair and lean back against it. Would you want to try that with a heat lamp? Why have a something hanging over a wooden. plastic, or cardboard box that you won't even touch when it's on? The fire risk is something that is so greatly reduced this way that I can't imagine ever wanting to use a heat lamp again.

My heating pad has been on continuously now for a full month. When we had Scout out in the coop as a chick it was on for almost 2 months. No problems whatsoever, and those pads are covered with straw. The straw gets comfortably warm enough for the chicks, but nowhere near close to warm enough to start a fire. Are there flukes? I suppose there are with anything - even iPad chargers can suddenly burst into flame if left plugged into the wall when it's not charging your device. Believe me, if I thought for one minute that my coop, my run, or my house was going to burn down, I'd be raising goldfish instead of little critters who need warmth to survive.

And I see that my friend Bee beat me to the punch with her usual good sense, but I'm going to post mine anyway. Thanks, Miss Bee!