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

[lynnehd]

I am absolutely thrilled that you are happy with this method. I currently have 15 happy, healthy chicks living outside and I am so relieved not to have to worry about them with a heat lamp. My heating pad is now turned down to 3, but they are only in the cave at night, when temps are still in the 30s. The rest of the time they're eating, exploring, scratching and learning how to be chickens from watching the Bigs all around them.

I meant to post this yesterday, but forgot. Now seems as good a time as any. The one surprise to come from this was the Littles' confidence! Last year's chicks, were brooded the "traditional" way, with a constant heat lamp on them, me fussing over them all of the time, and them not having a secure, dark place to hide if they got spooked. I'm sure those of you who are not new to chicks have seen the frantic running full tilt all over the brooder looking for a place to hide if you suddenly enter the room they're in. By contrast, the Littles look up at me when I go into the run, then most go right back to whatever they were doing. If I enter their pen, a few will hightail it into the cave but they usually watch me from under the awning, then pop right back out when they realize I'm no threat. As I go about filling the feeder and checking water, almost without exception they'll be wandering all around me, and they're so calm!

It will be interesting to keep track batch by batch, and compare notes with those of you doing this, to see if this is a fluke or if this steady confidence comes from the security they feel in the cave.

I would think that may stem from them feeling safe with their "mama" right next to them....

I agree. They seem so comfortable and secure.

Yes, I read all the way thru this thread and the other one before I went shopping! Neither my flock nor, if we're honest, my brooder are big enough for the biggie-sized heating pad. If you just have 3 or 4, this is egg-cellent!

Just checked in on the little cluckers (couple hours later) and they are, as predicted, bopping in and out of there merrily as and when they feel the need.

WHAT a relief! I live in a DW so the idea of going off to work all day with a heat lamp on just wasn't "setting" well with me. This is a tremendous solution. Thanks again all y'all!

What size/brand heating pad did you end up using, Guernica? Does it have the ability to turn off the 'auto shut off', so you can keep the heat on continuously?

 

[aart]

I am absolutely thrilled that you are happy with this method. I currently have 15 happy, healthy chicks living outside and I am so relieved not to have to worry about them with a heat lamp. My heating pad is now turned down to 3, but they are only in the cave at night, when temps are still in the 30s. The rest of the time they're eating, exploring, scratching and learning how to be chickens from watching the Bigs all around them.

I meant to post this yesterday, but forgot. Now seems as good a time as any. The one surprise to come from this was the Littles' confidence! Last year's chicks, were brooded the "traditional" way, with a constant heat lamp on them, me fussing over them all of the time, and them not having a secure, dark place to hide if they got spooked. I'm sure those of you who are not new to chicks have seen the frantic running full tilt all over the brooder looking for a place to hide if you suddenly enter the room they're in. By contrast, the Littles look up at me when I go into the run, then most go right back to whatever they were doing. If I enter their pen, a few will hightail it into the cave but they usually watch me from under the awning, then pop right back out when they realize I'm no threat. As I go about filling the feeder and checking water, almost without exception they'll be wandering all around me, and they're so calm!

It will be interesting to keep track batch by batch, and compare notes with those of you doing this, to see if this is a fluke or if this steady confidence comes from the security they feel in the cave.

It's probably a combination of the warm hiding place.......and......your change in behaviors, less anxiety and a gain in confidence. ;-)

 

[Guernica]

Quote:
Sunbeam Express Heat, size large, 12" x 15". And yes, you can turn "Auto" off.

They survived the night happily snuggled under "Mom"! (Sorry, but as a brand-new chicken owner I'm relieved every time they all make it thru another 12-hour period!)

There is a flaw in *my* design though (not in the original) - one of them got stuck in the "frame" of the egg basket overnight. It was a simple matter to push his (or her) butt back through in the morning, but I think I'll make a different frame out of cage wire tonight when I get home from work...

Sorry to say I haven't noticed an increase in confidence yet, but they've had a lot to deal with in the last 48 hours. Soon come, hopefully!

 

[dpenning]

Does it matter if the heating pad runs over the edge of the frame and is on the floor of the brooder? I'm hoping I can get 3 chicks but may have to get 6. I'm thinking for that many chicks it should be a fairly small cave.

Thanks!

 

[Blooie]

One of the nice features of the Mama Heating Pad cave is its flexibility. If your cave is a little too big, that's okay, because the entire cave will hold the same temp. So no matter where they are inside, they are still warm and cozy. That's why the same sized heating pad (the smaller one) that worked well for me with one chick also worked for the original 11. Now with 15, I needed the larger cave, and of course they are larger now too. If it's possible to make the cave wider so the heating pad doesn't have to rest on the floor, I'd think that would be your best bet. They'll still find their sweet spot and then you are ready for their growth spurts, too. I've retired the small pad. I'll use it if I ever have a single again, or if I end up needing a warm spot for a chicken that becomes ill or gets hurt, but I'll start with the larger setup no matter how few chicks I have.

aart, you are quite possibly correct about the Littles reacting to the fact that I'm not all stressed out raising them. They know they have a secure place to hide if they don't want me around, and I'm not grabbing them up all the time, putting them into a box, cleaning the brooder, then putting them all back. They get to sleep when it gets dark instead of being awake all night. It's just an entirely different way to enjoy them.

 

[Blooie]

Good morning, ladies and gentlemen! It's that time again - time again for your weekly video of the Littles! Not much I can say that seeing them for yourself doesn't already tell you. Our night time temps this week have been in the low 30s with a couple of 28s thrown in to keep things interesting. I do apologize for the unsightly appearance of the towel - I put straw over it and they can't wait to scratch it all off as soon as my back is turned. But when they no longer need it it's getting tossed anyway. Right after I took this video I folded the towel poopy side in, so it looked better when I left them - just not so good by now, I'm sure! The chick that keeps close to me is, of course, Turtles.

 

[azygous]

Technical question for you Blooie, regarding the remote thermometer. Have you tested it along side a regular mercury thermometer for accuracy? I've found that mine, I have two, both read five degrees warmer than the mercury indicates. Once in a while the remotes will get within three degrees of the mercury.

I'm wondering if it's a consequence of high altitude, mine being 7500 feet. Or lack of humidity. Or something. I have tried the sensors at various heights and spots and the same with the display units. I still get on average five degrees warmer than actual temp.

I'm curious about your experience with these thermometers.

 

[Blooie]

I should know this but since I don't worry about what the numbers say, I haven't worked with any thermometers in the cave. I did out of curiosity early into this one evening, in response to a question you asked, and got a reading of 82.9 in room that was 69 degrees. Then it came out and my guide became the Littles.

It could very well be the altitude difference you are seeing between the remote and the mercury, though. We are at around 4000 feet here. Which are you more inclined to think is accurate? I think my money would be on the digital, since air pressure can cause the mercury to expand a little. I have nothing scientific to base that on, though. I just know that when I had an air cast on my leg for 8 weeks, I had to take the little doolyflicker that inflated and deflate each of the chambers every trip. Going up the mountains, especially when we hit that 9000 foot plus mark at Granite Pass, it felt like I had a python around my leg, squeezing harder and harder with every 10 miles! I let so much air out of it that Ken and I began laughing hysterically - he'd look over at me and say, "Sssssss! You're getting smaller!" I even vaguely remember some comment that I should be grateful it was a cast and not an inflatable bra! <sigh> Um, maybe you had to be there! Anyway, coming back down I had to reinflate the chambers to maintain the pressure it was supposed to hold. One trip we had Little Diane with us, and at the restaurant up there the cook made her a balloon animal. She cried her heart out when her balloon animal wilted coming down the mountains.

 

[perchie.girl]

I suspect the best thing to do is look and listen to your chicks. If they are peeping alot they need more warmth. Like Blooie said let the chicks be the guide.

I had a very good mentor friend who used to say... "show me a man with a watch and he always knows what time it is... Show me a man with two watches and hes never sure..."

deb

 

[azygous]

Oh, I'm a firm believer in the chicks letting me know if they're warm enough. I can tell! That's not the point of my inquiry.

I just wanted to find out about the digital remote thermometer. I had never had one before Blooie said she put one in the chick cave and how easy it was to see at a glance the cave was putting out heat. I thought what a handy thing to have in the run instead of running out there to see if the flock is too warm and if I need to open up some of the winter panels now that winter is warming to spring.

So now I have a remote sensor in the covered run, and I can see if they temp is getting too warm.The weather here changes so fast, I never know if it's going to go up 20 degrees or down 30. When it reaches 80 in the run, I need to remove some panels.

I didn't consider that it is the mercury thermometer that's registering too cool. I need to do some research. Thanks, Blooie.