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

[TheEggCollecter]

Big day at Oleo Acres. The Littles finally went outside. Ken's still pretty worn out from being sick, so we decided that for the time being the chicks were doing fine in the house and we'd take our time and work as he felt up to it.

He felt pretty good today, so out we went. And out they went.


I knew I'd need something over top of the heating pad to keep it clean, but didn't feel like going the towel route again. So I covered some of that bumpy shelf lining. The Press 'n Seal didn't stick as well to that as it did to the towel, but it'll work.


Inside the run. The box area standing behind the brooder is actually the brooder we used last year for the chicks. We stood it up on it's end and were using it to keep the can of chicken feed, but found a better use for it as a barrier for behind Mama Heating Pad. The pen is an old x-pen we had for our dogs for many years.


Made a nest of straw and put up the new frame. I wasn't happy because I was sure the wall might get too cold at the back despite the straw back there. I put the covered heating pad on and then covered it with a towel, with the excess folded into a wad behind it. (Yep, ended up using a towel anyway, and this one will get tossed when the chicks leave the "nest"). Then I packed the straw back between the towel and the wall.


Mama Heating Pad warmed up and waiting for the Littles.


First customer! She looks pretty happy.


And the first one to figure out that it's warm on top too.


Just like in the inside brooder, they were in and out.


A whole passel of Littles.


Gladys meets the Littles. She was fixated and barely moved!


The Bigs adjusting to the new outdoor brooder in their run. I am so pleased. I'll check on them after it gets dark and make sure they are all under Mama Heating Pad.

It looks so comfy in there! I want to shrink down and take a nap in all that straw!

 

[lynnehd]

Edited to add: My friend Perchie Girl mentioned that the wire frame should be higher in the front than in the back. I did that, I just forgot to point it out when I was giving the description. I think, though, that you can see the taper in the photos. The smaller, chillier chicks can use the back and the larger chicks stay more toward the front. Thanks, Deb, for pointing out that omission so I could correct it!

Blooie, what is the approx height of your wire frame at the front (and back, since it is a bit lower). At least when the chicks are newly hatched?
Thanks!

 

[Blooie]

Blooie, what is the approx height of your wire frame at the front (and back, since it is a bit lower). At least when the chicks are newly hatched?
Thanks!

The frame for the Littles is about 6 inches high at the front and tapers to about four at the back. That's quite a slant, but it works the longest without any adjustments. The tiny chicks will use the back and as they begin to grow and feather they'll move toward the front. As they get bigger, you can either make a taller frame or just put something under the sides where it meets the floor to prop it higher. The heating pad is narrower than the frame, so there's a few inches of it in the front that has no heat. They spend time in that cool zone too.

I don't try to overthink it. I just bend the wire into a frame that looks about right. So those measurements aren't exact.


You can see how the frame is longer than the width of the heating pad for a "cool zone" that's still covered with the towel. They'll sit under this section just to watch the world go by.

 

[Blooie]

Sun is just peeking up over the Big Horns. I'm sitting here with my cup of coffee, waiting to go out and check to see how the Littles did last night, their first night out. I checked on them just after sunset last night, and they were all sound asleep under the heating pad. It was supposed to get down to 35 last night but my thermometer says is 29 right now. I'm sure they're fine...Scout didn't have any companions to cuddle with and it got down to -4 one night when he was out there. Whodda thunk that the sun could take so long creeping up?

 

[RichnSteph]

Thanks to Blooie and this thread we've ordered our heating pad and are patiently awaiting its arrival. Our chick are a few weeks old already so they won't need the heat for long but I just picked up some ducklings and will keel them in the brooder with Mama Heating Pad for a while yet. Once our coop has been enlarged (again) to accommodate all the new arrivals we'll be building a permanent brooder outside with the MHP in it. We've had the chicks in the house for the past few weeks with the heat lamp over them and I'm tired of the red light all night and the constant fear of a fire. I also think the chicks will adapt better to the outside world if they've actually gotten used to a day and night cycle instead of a world of constant red light.


Thanks again Blooie!!

 

[Blooie]

Amazon must be wondering why the sudden spike in heating pad sales!

I hope this method works as well for all of the folks trying it. Nothing is set in stone with this, so improvise, change what won't work, and if you try something that makes it work better then by all means, share!!

Edited to add: Once again, I can't take credit for this. The true innovators were Patrice Lopatin and her video, and Beekissed for her advice. I just happened to be the one to break it down into the steps and share photos of my set up.

 

[okiemamachick]

I ordered the heating pad on the 6th and it said (on amazon) that it arrived yesterday and it didn't now it says i might get it by next Monday I was hoping to get it by the 13th as I have some eggs due to hatch but its my first incubation so who knows how many (if any) I will have.

 

[Blooie]

I ordered the heating pad on the 6th and it said (on amazon) that it arrived yesterday and it didn't now it says i might get it by next Monday I was hoping to get it by the 13th as I have some eggs due to hatch but its my first incubation so who knows how many (if any) I will have.

If you're in a time crunch Walmart carries the smaller one - the one I used for the inside brooder. Same model - has the digital control and the switch for bypassing the auto shut off. Never hurts to have a spare...who knows when chicken math might strike and we need a second one!

 

[okiemamachick]

I'm definitely a victim of chicken math ready! Lol thanks I'll grab one I didn't realize they had the small on at walmart or I'd have just gotten that one

 

[azygous]

Blooie, could you give us the product name and model # ? (Also the info on the large pad) It would save some of us with poor eye sight and zero patience standing in the aisle trying to read the small print on all the boxes trying to find the right one, if the info is even on the outside, to find the one with the auto-off by-pass.

I bought my current heating pad a few years ago at a high-price drug store because Wal-Mart didn't carry anything but the "auto-off" pads, and dammit! I want to be in charge of when I turn the thing off! And I use it for making keifer and yogurt, too! Those tale 24 hours and seven hours respectively. "Auto-off" is a worthless gimmick, but that's just a cranky old lady talking.