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

[bruceha2000]

LOL! And... Total silence! LOVE the MHP, I am so happy I found this blog! THANK YOU, BLOOIE!!!!

Hey, someone stole all your chicks!

And I see COChix beat me to it! You guys are GOOD!

Oh, hey Blooie, you still come around here?

I should get 10 welsummers, 10 mottled javas (but they may sub 5 of them if needed) and 5 blue orpingtons. I tried to get 5 delawares, but they subbed the orpingtons for those.

I have 18 chickens total right now, a mix of hatchery chickens and their mixed offspring. 16 hens, 2 roosters. I have kept them alive and well so far that I decided it was time that I got something a bit nicer. I hope to focus on the welsummer and javas exclusively. The welsummers I have now have really drawn me in. I free range from end of March to the end of December, and they do so well. We will see how the javas do!

I will make sure to share pics!

Watch out during early fox kit season. I'm pretty sure that is around the end of April here. I lost one hen to a fox at that time in 2014 and another last year. I'm guessing it is before the vole and other small "fox food" critters have loaded the shelves so mama hunts chickens much closer to the human habitat than she would like.

Welcome! After a week on the heat lamp, you may have to gently push them under and hold your hand in front of the opening until they figure out that it's warm in there. They'll pop out a few times but you just put them back if you have to. I haven't had to do that, but once yours know where warm is they'll go find it. DON'T expect them to stay under there all the time - they won't. They wouldn't under a broody hen either.The thing they'll have the hardest time with is when it gets dark and there's no light on them. They may let you know in no uncertain terms that that is NOT what they are used to. Don't cave on the light...you want them used to what they'll be experiencing when they start living outside full time. Now, that doesn't mean you can't a take a dim flashlight (when I need one of those I just rubber band a washcloth around the lens to dim it) and make sure they have all found their way under. Again, if you have to, tuck 'em in and hold your hand there with no light shining on them. They'll make this soft little "churring" sound and go to sleep and won't come out again until the room lightens. Good luck!

I think if they are in a room that has natural dawn and dusk they will search out the cave (assuming it isn't too hot) as it starts to get dark. It is the natural thing to do and chickens seem really good and figuring out such things.

Ok so they are now going into momma by themselves, but at night should they all be under or can they sleep on top? Right now I have 3 under and 3 on top. I need to make sure they have enough space, I was so worried about getting it hot enough it might be a little too small for all of them. Also when do you lower the temp? At 5 days or should be on 6(high) right?
Sorry so many questions!

They can sleep inside, they can sleep on top, doesn't matter as long as they know where to go if they get cold. Watch the chicks. If they never go in, it is probably too hot. Remember that with a brooding hen, they do NOT seek or need constant 95F. Check back on page 314 post 3131 for my picture of my hatchery girls at 4 days old with the broody. Max temp during the day was 75F. You will notice that none of the chicks are under the hen nor even next to another chick. Momma is just sitting there waiting for customers, same as your cave.

 

[dyorto]

I just found out my local feed store will have first chick pickup April 6th!!!

 

[ashleymroles]

The last few days I noticed that the chicks were screaming when I turned out the light in their room. So I turned on the light in an adjacent room and guided them to their MHP with the flashlight on my phone. I moved it slowly from one side of the brooder to the other making sure the chicks followed.

 

[bruceha2000]

Yeah instant sundown just isn't natural. Plus, they were RIGHT in the middle of their game of tag and all of a sudden couldn't see to finish it

 

[10AcreChick]

Bedtime for my new babies went great, I only had to push a couple under mama heating pad. I just turned the light off in their room and then shut their lid after it was pretty much dark and they were quiet. Not a peep!

But now I'm freaking out about work tomorrow, I'm off early, but that's still a lot of time away... What if the HP breaks? Anybody got any ideas about how to keep this mama hen from being such a mama hen?

 

[Beekissed]

Bedtime for my new babies went great, I only had to push a couple under mama heating pad. I just turned the light off in their room and then shut their lid after it was pretty much dark and they were quiet. Not a peep!

But now I'm freaking out about work tomorrow, I'm off early, but that's still a lot of time away... What if the HP breaks? Anybody got any ideas about how to keep this mama hen from being such a mama hen?

Yep. Just gotta realize that you can't control all things. Once you get that idea under your belt you can start to let go and live an easier, less stressful life.

Someone once told me that real living begins when you realize there is a God.... and you are not Him.

 

[10AcreChick]

Thank you, Beekissed. I'm a little bit of a control freak (a little bit, Grace? DH would say), so sometimes I forget that. Thanks for the reminder, makes me feel better.

 

[Coop de Grass]

Has anyone used a Brinsea ecoglow 20 this way? I have one in my brooder and since it creates a similar type of cave, would draping a towel over it in a similar way work?

No problem using a heating pad. but I have this already.

also what level do you start the heating pad at?

 

[bruceha2000]

Has anyone used a Brinsea ecoglow 20 this way? I have one in my brooder and since it creates a similar type of cave, would draping a towel over it in a similar way work?

No problem using a heating pad. but I have this already.

also what level do you start the heating pad at?

I have not but the concept is the same, the MHP is a lot cheaper and has the benefit of being useful all the many months when you aren't brooding chicks.

As far as "how high the heat" watch the chicks, they will tell you. Animals don't converse but they tell you a lot by their actions. If they don't ever come out it is probably too cool inside. If they won't go in, probably too hot. If they sleep in it at night and come and go during the day, just right.

 

[Blooie]

Actually for me Mama Heating pad started out as a poor woman's ecoglow. After raising my first batch of chicks with a heat lamp, I knew there had to be a better way. I started looking around and found the Ecoglows, but good grief! That sure wasn't in my budget. Then I found Patrice Lopatin's video on raising chicks outdoors with a heating pad cave, and started following @Beekissed with her natural incubation thread. And that's how Mama Heating Pad and the cave came to Oleo Acres.

I don't know if putting a towel on top of your Ecoglow is a good idea or not. Some have said that the top tends to get hotter than a heating pad, so it's not something I would do personally. I'm sure someone will chime in and correct me if I'm wrong. I have no trouble saying those little words, "I don't know." because there are lots of things I simply don't know.

But there's no reason why you can't just continue to use your Ecoglow just as you bought it to use. They are still getting the benefit of true day/night cycles, and you are avoiding the pitfalls of a heat lamp.

If you do opt to go with the heating pad, it sort of depends on the temperatures around them a bit. If it's late spring and nice and warm, a 4 heating pad will do nicely. But the chicks are really good at telling you what they need. If they avoid the pad and huddle in a corner cheeping their distressed call, they are chilly but it's too warm for them under the pad. They should be dashing in an and out, napping under or on top of it, and going to bed around sundown making those sweet little "churring" noises. Good luck!