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

[azygous]

The adjustable foam chick cave with "Mama Heating Pad". This is the position for the first week. Heating pad is horizontal at 4" high. Hold on! More pics coming!
.This is the position for the second and third week, heating pad 4" at the rear, but is raised to 8" at the front.

 

[azygous]

By the end of the third week or during warm weather, you can adjust the cave opening to wide or narrow it back down if the weather suddenly cools down again.

 

[Beekissed]

Very cute and functional! They will even be able to perch on the sides and such. They might peck the foam...chickens seem to love to do that but maybe little chicks won't think of it.

 

[aart]

By the end of the third week or during warm weather, you can adjust the cave opening to wide or narrow it back down if the weather suddenly cools down again.

Ohhh now I see!!!
Ditto on the foam eating...depending on how dense it is(how easy to get a bite).
Might need more dowels once they get bigger and hop on top of the pad.

 

[Blooie]

Okay, this is very cool! Is there something between the dowels and the heating pad so they won't fall through or cause the pad to sag between the dowels when they tussle up there? I didn't understand what you were saying about the "foam sides" but now that I see the photos it's really clear. (See, told ya I was a visual learner!) We'll just have to watch the progression of your chicks and see if foam eating or pecking becomes an issue. If it doesn't, great! If it does, then again, it's a flexible system so it will be pretty easy to modify. But so far I think it's great!! Good job!! Now hurry up with those chicks, will ya?

 

[azygous]

It's a foam sleeping pad, dense enough to support a 250 pound person sleeping on it. It's not like styrofoam. Chicks will probably peck it, but all that will happen is the tiny hole they will make closes back up on itself. I think I paid $8 for it at Wal-Mart.

I wanted a material that the chicks couldn't get little heads stuck in, like chicken wire or even some field fencing. I wanted something that would help hold in the heat. It needed to be easy to assemble and easy to store (folds flat for storage).

The dowels can support a rectangle of plastic deer netting that can be quickly attached (or removed) with clips over the dowels. Keep the suggestions coming.

 

[Cluckies]

It's a foam sleeping pad, dense enough to support a 250 pound person sleeping on it. It's not like styrofoam. Chicks will probably peck it, but all that will happen is the tiny hole they will make closes back up on itself. I think I paid $8 for it at Wal-Mart.

I wanted a material that the chicks couldn't get little heads stuck in, like chicken wire or even some field fencing. I wanted something that would help hold in the heat. It needed to be easy to assemble and easy to store (folds flat for storage).

The dowels can support a rectangle of plastic deer netting that can be quickly attached (or removed) with clips over the dowels. Keep the suggestions coming.

I think it looks great, good mechanics. I'm wondering if wood would not be better though, if they perch on the sides, is it possible the sides can bow outward and then the dowels could slip from the holes? I wouldn't want the whole thing to collapse. It may be really sturdy, it is hard to tell from the photo. I love it though, the way you can raise and lower it is fantastic!

 

[Beekissed]

That's sort of what I was thinking as well. Chicks in a group can be mighty heavy and I can see the spaces between the dowels starting to sag, even with the clips, and the sides getting weighted down as well with the perching.

 

[azygous]

This foam is weird stuff. I made holes for the dowels less than 1/8" diameter and the dowels are 3/8" so they fit extremely snug in the holes and will not slide easily, unless a human moves them. The foam, like I mentioned above, will close back up into any small hole. Unlike many kinds of foam, this foam is elastic, almost rubbery. I made a slit in the rear for the heating pad plug to fit through, and when I take it out, you can barely see the cut where it went through since the foam closes back up on itself.

The deer netting is rigid and will not stretch or sag. It will support the weight of baby chicks easily and those clips are very tight fitting. I tested it by pushing down on it with more weight than a bunch of chicks, even at four or five weeks, and it didn't even come close to slipping.

I've dismantled it and it's stored in the garage behind some other flat stuff, awaiting the "blessed event" come May 12. I like that feature a lot since I have enough chicken "stuff" taking up square footage of storage space in the garage and shed.

 

[lazy gardener]

@lazy gardener I do remember Kaussandra's fleece covered bucket, doggone it! I wonder if I could have done that instead of the towel,with the fringes hanging down all over for them. If you do it, post lots of pictures! I would hate to see the top of that fleece blankie after all of those chicks discover snuggling on top of it, though!

My plan is to build the cave, just like you did, with a towel over the pad. But, then, I'd suspend something over it, with holes, or even with strips of fleece tied and hanging down over the top of the cave. Maybe even a cardboard box. So when they set on top of the cave, they can snuggle between the strips of fleece. Several questions for you: do you put the thick fluffy side of the heating pad facing down into the cave, or do you have the thick fluffy side facing up? My understanding is that the other side kicks out more heat. Also, did you wrap the pad in plastic before putting cloth over it? Cover it with a pillow case first, or other scrap cloth, then the towel?