Mama Heating Pad in the Brooder (Picture Heavy) - UPDATE
- Thread starter Blooie
- Start date
Jensownzoo
Songster
Just remember that they're wearing little down coats and underwear...they can handle the cold much better than we can!
That's true
Also just thought if something, my daughter has been sick this week with a little cold. I wonder if she gave it to them?
Jensownzoo
Songster
That's true
Also just thought if something, my daughter has been sick this week with a little cold. I wonder if she gave it to them?
Nope. Luckily chickens can't get any cold viruses from people.
Well that's good to know I guess! Now it leaves me wondering what's up...this is where a chick cam would come in handy
- Thread starter
- #5,166
Calm down....relax..deep breath....okay now, you've got this. If you are worried about the temps tonight, go ahead and pop your pad back up to 4. If they need it, they'll use it. If not, they'll find other ways to keep themselves comfortable, like snuggling on top of it or at the opening. They have a pretty strong survival instinct. Mine started out at 6 outside, but it was 17 degrees out there and they were in the run in an open pen. Granted the run was covered in plastic, but not all of it and there was plenty of ventilation in there, believe me. And it was just a few days until it went down to 4. Yours are older so 4 should do it.
I don't like to give absolutes as far as settings and temperatures and such because the beauty of this system is its flexibility and the way it can be adapted so easily to any given situation. Most of it is just common sense, and once you ease up on the worrying it becomes much easier to let it take over.
I did some snooping around and the comments the others made about dust sure seems to make perfect sense and jive with what lots of other people have noticed. So they are probably just fine - and sneezing in reaction to dust or something in the environment.
Okay, now go have a nice glass of wine...we've got your back, and you've got this!
I don't like to give absolutes as far as settings and temperatures and such because the beauty of this system is its flexibility and the way it can be adapted so easily to any given situation. Most of it is just common sense, and once you ease up on the worrying it becomes much easier to let it take over.
I did some snooping around and the comments the others made about dust sure seems to make perfect sense and jive with what lots of other people have noticed. So they are probably just fine - and sneezing in reaction to dust or something in the environment.
Okay, now go have a nice glass of wine...we've got your back, and you've got this!
@Beekissed, I can't find a post my sometimes faulty brain attributes to you. I thought you decided which birds to cull in the fall either by how late in the prior spring they started to lay, or maybe when they stopped laying in the previous fall. It was some way you anticipated the length of their next laying season.
Bruce's post several pages back reminded me that I have an aging flock- 6 of my 8 birds are three years old. I did get two birds last spring, and I plan on bringing in 3 or 4 more in a couple weeks.
Just trying to figure out how to judge when they may start eating more than laying. Any advice?
@Blooie- Have spent all day catching up with about 4 months of thread posts. Sounds like you and you family have had quite a winter. That was a wonderful video of your granddaughter! What a lucky thing that you, her family, and your community knew she would benefit from more mobility than the insurance company's wheelchair. I hope you're back to good health and that spring doesn't feel too far away!
Bruce's post several pages back reminded me that I have an aging flock- 6 of my 8 birds are three years old. I did get two birds last spring, and I plan on bringing in 3 or 4 more in a couple weeks.
Just trying to figure out how to judge when they may start eating more than laying. Any advice?
@Blooie- Have spent all day catching up with about 4 months of thread posts. Sounds like you and you family have had quite a winter. That was a wonderful video of your granddaughter! What a lucky thing that you, her family, and your community knew she would benefit from more mobility than the insurance company's wheelchair. I hope you're back to good health and that spring doesn't feel too far away!
Last edited:
eagrbeavr
Chirping
Are you doing it to make them feel better or you. I know its hard to not worry sometimes. Have some wine
Thank you Blooie
Also I added more bedding-pine shavings and straw, the floor is concrete so I just want to make sure there's enough bedding. Under the MHP I have a big towel folded three times with a layer of pine shavings under that, then more shavings on top of the towel and some straw as well.
I always watching them for a bit when I'm down there and they aren't usually under MHP, maybe a couple of them are. Most of them are busy doing chick stuff. They don't seem cold? Ugh. Praying my chicks are okay
Concrete floor pretty much says it all. It's likely they've been trying to scratch through the bedding, as is just instinct for them, and they are kicking up a lot of dust. I'd not worry about a little sneezing....it should resolve itself as soon as the respiratory irritant is out of the picture. In other words, let their bedding get moisture in it so it's not so dusty...you can try wetting down the old bedding before adding new and dry stuff on top. That may help or just letting the bedding get more soiled and retain more moisture before adding new bedding.
This is where a deep litter system comes in real handy.
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