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

[aart]

Okay! Here is my set up so far, I still need to put something on top to protect the pad from poops. This is 2 king sized sunbeam pads sandwiched between metal paneling called high five. Found at our local feed store. I can raise and lower the pad as needed with the chain. Suggestions are welcome! Chicks come Sunday. About 20, half 1week old and the other half 1-2 days old.

Nice, love the 'sandwich'. Looks like horse panel with the 4" mesh, heavy but won't buckle under chicks weight on top for sure
Might want to put a block of wood under both ends to give more access, especially after they start to grow.
You can play that by eye, but a couple 2x4's or bricks should do the trick and can stack in a couple more as they grow.

 

[lalaland]

Are they Dixie Rainbows/Pioneers? If so, you might want to hold back a couple of pullets. I held one back, and she was my earliest and best laying pullet of that year. She makes nice big roos. And her daughters are good layers also. The only negative I see in them is that their feather quality isn't as good as that of my other birds. Their feather shafts don't hold up as well to the rooster's affections.

they are called red rangers by the hatchery. I was thinking about holding back a couple of pullets, and trading out some of the cockerals that the broodies hatched. They are gaining weight, getting some heft to them after just a week.

I kept the heating pad off last night as it was only getting down to 68, but this morning there was a pile huddled together and not too happy. I turned the MHP back on, and a couple scuttled under after it warmed up.

 

[OrganicFarmWife]

 
Are they Dixie Rainbows/Pioneers?  If so, you might want to hold back a couple of pullets.  I held one back, and she was my earliest and best laying pullet of that year.  She makes nice big roos.  And her daughters are good layers also.  The only negative I see in them is that their feather quality isn't as good as that of my other birds.  Their feather shafts don't hold up as well to the rooster's affections.

they are called red rangers by the hatchery.  I was thinking about holding back a couple of pullets, and trading out some of the cockerals that the broodies hatched.  They are gaining weight, getting some heft to them after just a week.

I kept the heating pad off last night as it was only getting down to 68, but this morning there was a pile huddled together and not too happy.  I turned the MHP back on, and a couple scuttled under after it warmed up.

Red rangers grow a little bigger then the Dixie Rainbow but they seem comparable. My Red Ranger Cockerels are already doing the wobble walk at 12 weeks so are not keepable (not that I planned on it). The females are smaller, but keep an eye on their food.

 

[lalaland]

Trapped chick!!!!!

yesterday I heard distress chirping - and I couldn't figure out which chick was in distress - with 25 zipping around..I kept looking but couldn't see any problem. I even lifted up the mhp to check to see if someone was trapped underneath somehow - mine is a 4' long grate that is 12" wide.

The distress call was intermittent, but clearly distressed. I tried counting chicks but was unsuccessful.

The call stopped, and I started chick chores - replenishing feeders, putting down fresh hay.

When I pulled up the towels that are laid on top of the MHP, out rolled a chick! She rolled right on to a pile of chicks who were pretty indignant at her dropping on them, and who were already alarmed and screeching at the towel. Apparently fine, as she mixed right in with the group and I couldn't pick her out.

At the end of the MHP, where the heating pad cord comes out, and the bolts that are the "legs" stick out, this chick had worked herself under the towel and somehow gotten trapped in the folds. I've been careful to try not to create a trap for them with the towels, but at the end it was folded up a bit because it was longer than needed.

Lucky the MHP was on low, and lucky I was replacing the dirty towel!

I am not sure how to prevent this problem. The entire mhp, bolts and all, is wrapped in a lightweight fleece with clothespins. I think next time, I will skip the towels and use hay. Maybe paper towels the first few days...

 

[lalaland]

Red rangers grow a little bigger then the Dixie Rainbow but they seem comparable. My Red Ranger Cockerels are already doing the wobble walk at 12 weeks so are not keepable (not that I planned on it). The females are smaller, but keep an eye on their food.

you mean they are somewhat like the cornish that overeat?

I thought they were eating a lot. Can you tell me more about keeping an eye on their food? I am not sure what to watch for, or what to do. First time raising for meat!

 

[Victoria-nola]

When do you reckon it's time to remove the brooder from the coop? How do you make the transition? The chicks have been going outside to the protected yard now 3 days. Each day I have had to round them up and get them to go back inside the coop at the end of the day, except last evening some of the chicks went in on their own when the Bigs went in, so I know that will continue to get easier. Once back in the coop, most of them tend to mill around (everyone squawking), until I place them back in the brooder and they huddle up and settle in. I took out the MHP yesterday, it had not had any heat for a week (daytime temps here have been in the 90s, nights upper 70s) and they haven't gone under MHP for longer-- they seemed appreciative of having more sleeping space last night. Some of the chicks act like they want to sleep on one of the lower roosts in the main coop, some of them aren't ready, so the chicks all stand around cheeping loudly until I get in there and help them get together.

Should I just keep doing this and they'll let me know when the brooder isn't needed anymore?


P.S. posted some pictures few days ago but I guess they're not very good. Bigs are not being mean to littles at all. Rooster has been drilling them with alarm calls and they are responding, and also staying tucked in to the shade when the sun is out, just like the Bigs do. No casualties.

 

[bruceha2000]

How old are they now Victoria? Usually they will roost at about 4 weeks. You could try putting them on the lower roost as it gets dark and see if they stay. They will make it to the roosts eventually, I don't guess it matters if you leave the brooder in the coop (I assume they can come and go as they please through portals) until they no longer go in.

 

[Victoria-nola]

How old are they now Victoria? Usually they will roost at about 4 weeks. You could try putting them on the lower roost as it gets dark and see if they stay. They will make it to the roosts eventually, I don't guess it matters if you leave the brooder in the coop (I assume they can come and go as they please through portals) until they no longer go in.

Ack forgot to include their age. 3 weeks, 5 days old. Yes, they can come and go through portals. It's confusing to me because if some of them seem to want to be on the roost but some want to be in the brooder huddled together, do I encourage them to all do the same thing or just let them choose and figure the ones on the roost could change their mind and go down and huddle if they want to? There is no light in the coop at night. I feel like I'm interfering, is my point, and not sure if what I'm doing is appropriate.

 

[OrganicFarmWife]

Red rangers grow a little bigger then the Dixie Rainbow but they seem comparable. My Red Ranger Cockerels are already doing the wobble walk at 12 weeks so are not keepable (not that I planned on it). The females are smaller, but keep an eye on their food.

you mean they are somewhat like the cornish that overeat?

I thought they were eating a lot.  Can you tell me more about keeping an eye on their food?  I am not sure what to watch for, or what to do. First time raising for meat!

They are not as bad as the Cornish Cross but they will overeat. Do you plan to free range or keep them in a run? After about 3weeks I start limiting their food a bit, before that I let them eat as they want.begin putting mine out in a run (depending on weather) at 3weeks and let them root for food there. Then by 4 weeks I keep them in the run and only feed mine twice a day as much as they can eat in about 15 min. My run moves so I make sure they get new area to root. By 6weeks i let them free range and may only feed them in the morning as much as they can eat in 15 min.
You do not have to be quite as strict as you do with the Cornish Cross and they will be more active willingly. But the more you can allow them to move the healthier they will be.

 

[bruceha2000]

Ack forgot to include their age. 3 weeks, 5 days old. Yes, they can come and go through portals. It's confusing to me because if some of them seem to want to be on the roost but some want to be in the brooder huddled together, do I encourage them to all do the same thing or just let them choose and figure the ones on the roost could change their mind and go down and huddle if they want to? There is no light in the coop at night. I feel like I'm interfering, is my point, and not sure if what I'm doing is appropriate.

I would let them do what they want. My broody raised chicks last year started going up from the nest box to the roost at 4 weeks. SHE had moved them to the nest (24" off the ground, 18" high access perch) from the brooder area at 2 weeks. First night 1 or 2, next night 1 or 2. It was getting crowded with a big hen and seven 4 week old chicks in a ~14x16 nest box

When there were only 2 left, Zorra went up with them. Those still wanted to sleep under her wings.