So, think the chick panic-doors are a little bit too big? Queen Peach squished and sqeezed herself into the brooder (chicks were out and busy) so she could help herself to some chickie food. Good grief! Never a dull moment. 
Mama Heating Pad in the Brooder (Picture Heavy) - UPDATE
- Thread starter Blooie
- Start date
Raising my chicks for the first time with the momma heating pad. I lost 2 due to the others smashing them, but the rest are doing great! They came in when the forum was down, I was so eggcited to share these and get feedback, but alas it was not to be...currently chicks are about 4 weeks old now. I'll need to get new pix. Last one of them getting bigger was from last week.
Attachments
Year 2 of the heating pad brooder and the chicks are all thriving again. My cream legbars are over a week younger than the others, but they are little spitfires. They'll be at the top of the pecking order of this flock for sure.
- Thread starter
- #9,814
Wow, I was just beginning to wonder if I got shut down because of my complaining about links on here not working, and PRESTO - the Broody Brigade arises!! Just kidding about the shut down - the admin has been fantastic about taking my question seriously.
Seems like a good time to add that if you try to link back to @Beekissed post about the newer setup for MHP for reference, the links to it sprinkled throughout the body of the thread don't work...the pagination is off. But I was able to do a one time edit on the first page of the thread during the conversion, and I put a link on the bottom of it to the pad-on-the-inside photos and instructions which DOES go back to the correct page now. I'm going to be throwing that information out every so often, and I know others have linked folks back to her posts as well, so one more time (actually I'll do it as many times as it takes) here is the link that will take them to the right spot in the thread. If you are one of the members who had the page bookmarked, as I did, and then gave it to folks to steer them to it, you might want to delete the old one and add this one. Thanks.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...e-brooder-picture-heavy-update.956958/page-46
Now, for the two new posts, well done and well done!! @WRanch, losses stink, no matter how they happen to the chicks. But it looks like you did exactly the right thing - rolled up your sleeves and got on with taking care of those you had left. It makes me kinda sad when people focus so much on the ones they lost that they spend days beating themselves up and second-guessing themselves about the deaths. Chicks die. They are very inventive about how they do it, too. Just when you think you have every protection, every "right" thing in place, they find another way. And just as I typed that, I remembered back a couple of months ago when I had shipped Silkies dropping like flies. I almost made the mistake of losing focus. Your chicks look like they are doing fantastic, and what a good looking bunch! I've stamped your dues card as "paid!"
@Noreaster Egger that brooder box is huge...although brooders never seem to stay huge for long, do they? Two years as a Brigade member and I'm embarrassed to say that your screen name doesn't ring a bell......but this way of raising chicks is vaguely familiar to me...something about ditching a heat lamp and using MHP? So happy that it's been as successful for you as it has for so many others. Your dues are well paid!
Seems like a good time to add that if you try to link back to @Beekissed post about the newer setup for MHP for reference, the links to it sprinkled throughout the body of the thread don't work...the pagination is off. But I was able to do a one time edit on the first page of the thread during the conversion, and I put a link on the bottom of it to the pad-on-the-inside photos and instructions which DOES go back to the correct page now. I'm going to be throwing that information out every so often, and I know others have linked folks back to her posts as well, so one more time (actually I'll do it as many times as it takes) here is the link that will take them to the right spot in the thread. If you are one of the members who had the page bookmarked, as I did, and then gave it to folks to steer them to it, you might want to delete the old one and add this one. Thanks.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...e-brooder-picture-heavy-update.956958/page-46
Now, for the two new posts, well done and well done!! @WRanch, losses stink, no matter how they happen to the chicks. But it looks like you did exactly the right thing - rolled up your sleeves and got on with taking care of those you had left. It makes me kinda sad when people focus so much on the ones they lost that they spend days beating themselves up and second-guessing themselves about the deaths. Chicks die. They are very inventive about how they do it, too. Just when you think you have every protection, every "right" thing in place, they find another way. And just as I typed that, I remembered back a couple of months ago when I had shipped Silkies dropping like flies. I almost made the mistake of losing focus. Your chicks look like they are doing fantastic, and what a good looking bunch! I've stamped your dues card as "paid!"
@Noreaster Egger that brooder box is huge...although brooders never seem to stay huge for long, do they? Two years as a Brigade member and I'm embarrassed to say that your screen name doesn't ring a bell......but this way of raising chicks is vaguely familiar to me...something about ditching a heat lamp and using MHP?
So happy that it's been as successful for you as it has for so many others. Your dues are well paid!
@Blooie
Heh...I can get one of those plastic resin bulk boxes/gaylords whenever I want from work. They make fantastic brooders. You're right though that even these can't hold them in for long.
I saw your post on the MHP long before signing up here while doing heavy research when first getting into keeping chickens. It's a lot easier to sleep knowing that's in the garage instead of a 250W blazing heat lamp.
Heh...I can get one of those plastic resin bulk boxes/gaylords whenever I want from work. They make fantastic brooders. You're right though that even these can't hold them in for long.
I saw your post on the MHP long before signing up here while doing heavy research when first getting into keeping chickens. It's a lot easier to sleep knowing that's in the garage instead of a 250W blazing heat lamp.
Sadly, heat lamps struck again recently when a local family suffered significant damage to their home and the loss of several pets (two dogs and all their chicks) due to a house fire caused by the lamp. When the news first broke that a house fire resulted in the loss of that list of pets heat lamp was my first thought, got confirmation today that was the case. So glad to have a safe (and healthier) option.
Was at my sister's place this weekend admiring their additions for this year (a little younger than mine if i recall correctly)and she and mom both could not stop talking about how easy MHP made things. They brooded in the coop with the older flock and the integration was a complete non issue. Here's the babies out ranging near the adult flick
Was at my sister's place this weekend admiring their additions for this year (a little younger than mine if i recall correctly)and she and mom both could not stop talking about how easy MHP made things. They brooded in the coop with the older flock and the integration was a complete non issue. Here's the babies out ranging near the adult flick
- Thread starter
- #9,817
Reading the first part of your post was heartbreaking. I just hate heat lamps for so many reasons. If this thread has prevented ONE fire, it has been worth it all.
But then I read the second part of your post and clicked on the picture to see it better. Suddenly I felt a lot better. Thank you, my friend!
But then I read the second part of your post and clicked on the picture to see it better. Suddenly I felt a lot better. Thank you, my friend!
- Thread starter
- #9,818
So, think the chick panic-doors are a little bit too big? Queen Peach squished and sqeezed herself into the brooder (chicks were out and busy) so she could help herself to some chickie food. Good grief! Never a dull moment.
View attachment 1018210
I don't know why I forgot to respond to this, but I'm sure by now you've figured out that yes, they are too big if she can get in. Did you figure out away to remedy it?
11 chickies ranging from 1 to 4 weeks(long story there) went out to to the coop today, with their MHP of course. Usually they are out of the brooder in the house and into the coop by one week, but I had a little case of chick math after incubation and it was easier to integrate the disparate age groups inside.
They did not want to go under the HP all day, it was rather warm out but they also were scared because of a different base under the HP and ya know, a different place.
At dusk they were borderline distress cheeping in a pile and I was not looking forward to wrangling them under there as it's kind of hard to reach in a tight space for a creaky old woman like me.
Found a great solution tho, remembered that a light can lure them under so I used the light of the heating pad controller! Unhooked it from it's safe place(luckily I used a hook instead of a ziptie) and put it down just under the edge of the HP where it would shine underneath a bit, there was just enough slack in the cord for this to work. Went back out after full dark and thank goodness they were all underneath, trilling away telling bedtime stories. I did have to crank the legs to raise it up a bit - love, love, love the adjustable legs!! Hooked the controller back up out of the way and....GoodNightChickies!
They did not want to go under the HP all day, it was rather warm out but they also were scared because of a different base under the HP and ya know, a different place.
At dusk they were borderline distress cheeping in a pile and I was not looking forward to wrangling them under there as it's kind of hard to reach in a tight space for a creaky old woman like me.
Found a great solution tho, remembered that a light can lure them under so I used the light of the heating pad controller! Unhooked it from it's safe place(luckily I used a hook instead of a ziptie) and put it down just under the edge of the HP where it would shine underneath a bit, there was just enough slack in the cord for this to work. Went back out after full dark and thank goodness they were all underneath, trilling away telling bedtime stories. I did have to crank the legs to raise it up a bit - love, love, love the adjustable legs!! Hooked the controller back up out of the way and....GoodNightChickies!
- Thread starter
- #9,820
Love it! Genius!
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