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

[Blooie]

Nope, not a rookie mistake at all. I raised one injured chick using Mama Heating Pad last fall, then started these from day one on Mama Heating Pad, and a couple of weeks ago I did the same thing.

 

[thegreatwhite]

I am very grateful to have found this website, the information and support here is amazing! you guys and gals rock!

 

[Blooie]

Well, the Littles have officially been evicted - er, emanicipated - from the cave! They can eat out of the big feeder, drink out of the big waterer and spend most of their time out of their pen, wandering in and out of the coop/run/great outdoors. Still an occasional nip on the head from the Bigs if the Littles get too obnoxious but integration has gone flawlessly for the most part.

Windy, cold and rainy tonight - the rain could turn to a brief snow later on in the wee hours, but it won't last much past dawn. The pen is almost ready for the new occupants arriving tomorrow. All I had to do was pull out some of the bedding and replace it with fresh, put a fresh towel on the heating pad, and turn it back up to 6. The Littles don't really use it anymore - I had turned it down to 1 a few days ago and I find most of them on the roost or piled into a corner of the run at night anyway so they barely noticed the drop.

I had to get some Buff Brahmas, since the ones I thought I had turned out to be 3 RIRs...two of them roos. <sigh> I didn't think those three could be Buff Brahmas, but I've never had them before, although I've wanted them for forever! When the clerk pulled these three out of the bin clearly marked Buff Brahmas I questioned the lack of feathers on the legs, but a gentleman who had been waiting all day with us for the chicks to arrive and be unpacked assured me that I was fine - Buffs seem to take a little time to develop those leg feathers. Like an idiot I believed him instead of the little voice in my head telling me not to be so gullible. Live and learn. So the new for-really Buffs will be here tomorrow...and they'd better have more fuzz on their legs than I do! They are currently in Casper, the mail truck leaves there at 3 am and should be in our area by 7. Then I just wait for Jan (postmistress here in Cowely) to call me and Ken will go pick them up. I'll keep them in the house under the small heating pad for a few hours just to make sure they've all had a good drink, a shot of electrolyte, and are eating before I put them outside under Mama Heating Pad.

Remember when I told you this method was too easy and the Littles were outgrowing their need for me way too soon - that the main drawback to this method was that it was so simple that raising chicks became a total joy instead of a royal pain? Um, yeah.

 

[aart]

LOL!
Buff Brahama's are gorgeous......I love my light brahmas too.

 

[Blooie]

The Lights I got are going to be just gorgeous! (And they have feathers on their legs). But boy, did I get duped and duped good on the Buffs. Oh, well, the real ones will be here soon and I'm looking forward to it!

 

[aart]

The Lights I got are going to be just gorgeous! (And they have feathers on their legs). But boy, did I get duped and duped good on the Buffs. Oh, well, the real ones will be here soon and I'm looking forward to it!

I love the black and white, but find I am not really liking the feathered legs/feet.<shrugs>

 

[DreamStone]

Just stopping in to say my momma heating pad is fabulous! They are 1.5weeks old now and decided they love sleeping on top of it (I did the press'nseal around a towel so I wipe it off a couple times a day) but they are so quiet once I turn off the lights. I am not anxious about a burning hot heating lamp catching fire with this setup. It really is the easy/lazy/brilliant way to brood.

The chicks adore using it for flying practice between the cave and their roosting bar.

 

[LindaB220]

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.

Speaking of which, I had the little Sebrights in the storeroom before my surgery. I had them in a plastic bottom of a dog crate with a metal grate on it. This worked fine until I decided to move the lamp just a shade over to the side. Next morning. Lamp was on, grate was fine, BUT the plastic side had melted 5" or so like a candle. Won't make that mistake again.

 

[Blooie]

Just stopping in to say my momma heating pad is fabulous! They are 1.5weeks old now and decided they love sleeping on top of it (I did the press'nseal around a towel so I wipe it off a couple times a day) but they are so quiet once I turn off the lights. I am not anxious about a burning hot heating lamp catching fire with this setup. It really is the easy/lazy/brilliant way to brood.

The chicks adore using it for flying practice between the cave and their roosting bar.

That's fantastic! So glad you let us know how it's going! Pictures? (hint hint!)

 

[Blooie]

Speaking of which, I had the little Sebrights in the storeroom before my surgery. I had them in a plastic bottom of a dog crate with a metal grate on it. This worked fine until I decided to move the lamp just a shade over to the side. Next morning. Lamp was on, grate was fine, BUT the plastic side had melted 5" or so like a candle. Won't make that mistake again.

Ooh, Linda...that's scary!! How's the recovery from your surgery going?