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

[yoopergirl1211]

thats why some rig it so the heating pad is underneath the wire....  Held up with straps...

deb

Is this better? Put it underneath wire. What setting do you think. I have a sunbeam kingsize. Going to test it with little jewel when it warms up.

 

[ShannonO]

Quote:
Hi! The bottom right is an easter egger. The one above her is a partridge rock. I live in Maryland, Zone 6B. The temps are ranging from 35 low to 81 high over the next week. I can easily wall off an area in their henhouse and cover the henhouse ceiling with a tarp or a board. If I do that, they'll be free of wind. But, they'll not have easy access to the outdoors like I was hoping, so what's the point? Debating! They definitely want to stretch their wings. I can't feed and water them without the top of the brooder on anymore. If I turn my back one is hopped up on the brooder and wanting to fly out!

 

[wamtazlady]

I agree. Even when I pull chicks out of the incubator who are cheeping their fool heads off in it, once they get under the heat, they'll zonk out for HOURS. It's beautiful, really.

This is good to know. Was so worried that something was wrong.

 

[bajabirdbrain]

Pad should be at back height. Like this -

With my VAST experience(have had chicks for ONE week) this picture looks like our MHP. But after this first week we have altered our MHP a bit. Instead of having the wire slope at an angle to the ground, creating a very low to zero headroom on the sides, which we now believe is a potential area for trapping small chicks. We re-bent the sides so that they are more vertical which eliminates the very low ceilings on the sides. Still easy to adjust the overall height of the MHP to suit the chicks size. Hope this helps.

 

[Blooie]

LOOK AT ALL THE DUES ROLLING IN!! Yayyyyy!! They are all so doggone cute! As for setting up MHPs, if whatever you are doing is working for you, then keep doing it!

Well, I set mine up today. Yep, I know....I wasn't supposed to be getting more chicks. I dunno what happened. I don't know how I lost control....I'm not even sure I ever HAD control. Actually it wasn't me, it was Ken. He ordered them a few weeks ago, then I talked him into cancelling the order since he was having surgery and I have so much to do while he's recovering. But he reordered. So I have more Silkies coming tomorrow. Pocket lint with legs...but Katie and now even Kendra love them so what the heck.

Also got the outside brooder going. The chicks will stay in the house until I know they are eating, drinking, not suffering from shipping stress, and know where MHP is, then they're going out. I don't like brooding chicks in the house. It's a me thing - me want to get them outside.

 

[ImportTheBest]

The new babies are just too adorable!
2 olive eggers (one more black and one brown - I think the brown with the more defined chipmunk stripe on it's back/head?), 1 Cream Legbar, and 1 surprise meal maker... Maybe White Leghorn or Austra White or? It's as big of not bigger than the rest.
They love their MHP and go in and out easily, and I've had no issues with them at all yet. Nutri drench upon arrival of course.

 

[yoopergirl1211]

Okay so its like 70 in cave but the heat pad is at 90 and they can touch back to it. Am I good to go? Babies have a long trip from Texas to Pennsylvania and should be here in three hours!

 

[Merrymouse]

My chicks are between almost 5 weeks old (light brahma) and 2 weeks old and they still love their MHP. Here they are taking a mid morning nap

 

[junebuggena]

Okay so its like 70 in cave but the heat pad is at 90 and they can touch back to it. Am I good to go? Babies have a long trip from Texas to Pennsylvania and should be here in three hours!

You aren't warming the cave. The chicks get warmed by making contact with the pad.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

lol My version of MHP it seems to be working well. The chicks go under the sides, the dowel rods are actually fairly warm, but they have a little "cove" under there - they can go out both sides. I have a bent wire frame between the towel and heating pad but will flatten it as the chicks grow. Dowel rods can be adjusted for more height as well.

Ignore my insulation corral

I do have a grow out pen ready for them outside, but we were expecting really bad weather so hubby felt they needed to be placed in a building, so I had to change my plans - I put down plastic and grabbed some fanfold insulation that I had tucked away to keep them contained. I'll probably keep them in for a few weeks now, then move them.