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

[MesMama]

Solved the dark corner in the brooder I chose the light vs. cutting a bigger hole in the lid because last year when we built a pen for our broodies the top was just a frame with hardware cloth (basically what the brooder lid would be if we cut a bigger hole in it) and they perched on that thing all the time ICK! Poop all over it! So the little light seemed to be the best option, just avoid the lid issue all together. It gives the perfect amount of light, just enough
BEFORE-

AFTER-

 

[GardenNut]

@MesMama Glad it all worked out!

 

[MesMama]

@MesMama Glad it all worked out!

Thank you!

 

[emorems0]

A wading pool! You must be changing their water quite often. Some reason you didn't just get a 1 pint chick waterer to start with?

Have one, can't find it. This dish has actually been working quite well, they usually just walk up to it and drink from the side. The other bowls I tried were smaller circumference and deeper and the silly chicks would jump in instead of drinking from the side. I figured a lower water level would keep them dryer until I find another bucket for my poultry nipples. I've been out there many times each day to check on them anyway, so I just replace the water with each visit (I have a jug next to the brooder).

As much as I like having them outside from day 1, I feel like it would have been better to do the first few days to a week inside so I could monitor them more easily. I lost 3 of the 40 today (I picked them up from the post office yesterday afternoon). Two of the little broilers were trampled last night (my fault maybe for having too many under one MHP, I've split them up and put a bunch of the broilers in a different brooder) and one red laced Cornish succumbed to travel stress (I assume - I cleaned up her pasty butt this morning and she seemed fine, when I checked on them this afternoon she was laying under the front edge of the MHP pretty lifeless. I tried to revive her with warmth and some Sav-A-Chick, but she died in my hand.

 

[Beekissed]

I saw some waterers like this at a recent poultry show...first time I'd seen these particular drinkers, so thought I'd share it here. These seem like they'd be ideal in a cage type brooder system if folks didn't want to use a nipple drinker. Works with a small pop bottle and the spring keeps it on the side of the cage. I really liked this as it doesn't depend upon the bird hitting a lever or rod of any kind in order to get a drink, just a gravity drinker. It would be easy to keep the water clean and out of the bedding if one were to place it high and put in a step for the chicks for accessing it. I often use a brick for such things.

http://www.gundogsupply.com/-4449-2-.html

 

[Blooie]

Hey, that would work inside my outside brooder! Thanks, Miss Bee!!! I could fill a few bottles, then have maybe two of them in there and instead of constantly bringing them in to fill I could just switch out the bottles when I go out there! Love this!

 

[mobius]

That drinker would work great for keeping water clean! I love it.

I did get horizontal nipples and chicks took to it but they should be (IMHO) a week old for that....

Other wise I was constantly cleaning out their water mostly from shavings for the first week....4-5ntimes a day...

and this type of drinker would last for a good long time (more than a week) before introducing a more permanent (if needed) waterer...

Thanks! BK

ps my little five week old flock is climbing all over me and shoulder perching and peeping sweet nothings into my ear before bed....I know, they are my pets, and such sweet birds...my sister says she is proud I haven't lost any...and I say omg it is way way beyond that!!!

 

[COChix]

Day 20 on hatch all is quite. Took me all of yesterday to get the humidity up....anyway, spent ittle bit getting the dog kennel ready. We have been have snow all day, light snow, but still. Theses guys are scheduled to be outside!

put some press n seal around the top and sides where the heat pad brooder will go, had these mesh wire garden fencing things, so attached them to the upper portion and the front part of the kennel (not wrapped in press n seal). Should keep those little buggers in. Used zip ties to attach. Still have to wrap the outside bottom of kennel but couldn't do that in th house and move it outside, as it won't fit through the door unless folded up. Straw is my bedding of choice, will put down some pads for the first few days. Then the kennel will go into the run. Haven't had a chance to work on that more given the snow and currently the spot where the brooder is scheduled to go is a muddy mess. Will figure it out.

Will be using the same metal shelf that I used last year after my crew outcrew the tomato cage brooder. Given that I have 13 in lockdown, won't need anything bigger. So that made it easy!

 

[COChix]

12:35 am doing a bator check and herd first internal peep, no external pips yet.

 

[perchie.girl]

12:35 am doing a bator check and herd first internal peep, no external pips yet.