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

[henless]

so how many chicks can fit under one of these? I have 100 cornish x coming next week, then in a month 50 egg layers...how can i make this setup work with that many?

The small one I used is the same size as my Premier heat plate. I fit 21 under there with no problems. The small one is 12x15 and the large ones I just bought are 12x24. If you go with a smaller pad, I would say at least 4 for your broilers, maybe 5. For your layers, at least 2, maybe 3.

Honestly, that seems like a lot of pads to have to buy. I don't know if I wouldn't use a lamp for the broilers and a pad for the layers.

 

[perchie.girl]

@TexasLisa

They use that wire technique at the Zoo for keeping hawks and eagles in...

deb

 

[duluthralphie]

@TexasLisa

They use that wire technique at the Zoo for keeping hawks and eagles in...

deb

I would like to string a mile of very high tensile small diameter piano wire all over my property. Not to keep the hawks or eagles in, but to act as a guillotine and cut their heads off when they hit it during a dive towards my birds.....


Whew, That felt good to get off my chest..... BTW Fish and wildlife people I would never really do that!!

 

[Jensownzoo]

Had a red-tail introduce themselves today while building the coop. I wish all the predators would be so neighborly...then I'd know exactly how to prevent them from getting my chickens!

 

[duluthralphie]

Had a red-tail introduce themselves today while building the coop. I wish all the predators would be so neighborly...then I'd know exactly how to prevent them from getting my chickens!

I wish they all had bad eyesight and hit the ground more than the chickens...

 

[Diannastarr]

so sorry to hear about you sick chick, i read that uncooked corn meal or oat meal can help sick chicks, i used it & it worked well, so you might want to try that..? i had a Colombian wyandott chick that was not doing well & a week later she was half the size of the rest of the chicks , but i used a ground up oatmeal for her, i put it in my blender & she is alive & well today and grew to be just fine in short order & became the same size as all her hatch mates , here below is a pic of her size difference she is the tiny one at the end , but at least she became well enough to play with the other chicks in a few days time & here they are with their new toy a cereal box...lol.. .

GOOD LUCK

& take care

 

[Blooie]

I was off all day yesterday. Oh, I peeked in from time to to time, but since we were down in Riverton at meetings, all I had was my phone and I hate posting with my phone! So I'll just sit back and pick up where you all left off so I don't "forget" something important.

We'll be building @azygous portals into the brooder pen today. Got eggs being shipped on the 14th, they'll go into the incubator a couple of days later, and I'm hoping my first hatching attempt is at least halfway successful. I'd love 100% hatch rate, but from what I've been reading that would be unusual. I'll be ahead of the game if the outdoor brooder is set up and Mama Heating Pad is ready to welcome her latest family.

 

[Paganrose]

So my not quite 3 week old chicks spent their first night out in the coop. Temps got down to 29, which is about 10 degrees colder than the unheated mud room was. Even though I always in the past put baby chicks out in the coop around 3 week old, the first night always makes me nervous! But as expected all the babies made it thru and are thriving this morning! They seem to be using The MHP quite a bit more than when in the mud room, but given the temp difference I am not surprized.

 

[COChix]

OR...I don't know how hot these get, but buying a couple of these might be an option....they supposedly heat up to 20 degrees warmer than room temps.  They are already easy to clean and you could afford to buy two of them at this price.  They don't seem to have varied temp controls like the heating pads but maybe someone has tried them and can give a review?  http://www.amazon.com/Viagrow-Seed-Propgating-Seedling-Heat/dp/B004PAGPVO/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1457229798&sr=8-5&keywords=heated+pad+for+seedlings

Bee these have a controller but they are separate....this one controls temps from 60-100+. I have never used them on chicks only on seeds., don't know why they wouldn't work.

http://www.amazon.com/MTPRTC-ETL-Ce...C_UL160_SR89,160_&refRID=1YP3TFTJV6NRKMCP8GZ8

 

[COChix]

I was off all day yesterday.  Oh, I peeked in from time to to time, but since we were down in Riverton at meetings, all I had was my phone and I hate posting with my phone!  So I'll just sit back and pick up where you all left off so I don't "forget" something important.  

We'll be building @azygous
 portals into the brooder pen today.  Got eggs being shipped on the 14th, they'll go into the incubator a couple of days later, and I'm hoping my first hatching attempt is at least halfway successful.  I'd love 100% hatch rate, but from what I've been reading that would be unusual.  I'll be ahead of the game if the outdoor brooder is set up and Mama Heating Pad is ready to welcome her latest family.  

Good luck with the hatch Blooie, you will love it. Although it is the longest 3 weeks of your life, waiting for those fluff balls to come out. You will never be the same, what are you hatching?

I am hoping to load 41 eggs this week, combo of blue/black/splash Amerecauna, EE and OE. Should be fun, I have 6 different shelves for my MHP, just gotta pick the perfect one. My plan is to have them outside after they dry.