Thanks! Glad you found us. I don't think there is a limit to how many chicks can use this system. I had 15 under the x-tra large pad, but could have put a few more in. A good friend of mine had an incubator full of eggs, and she was planning to butt two pads together over a frame to accommodate them after hatch. For just a few chicks, the small heating pad available at Walmart or other retailers will work great. The whole idea of this is to mimic a broody hen, and some of them hatch out large clutches of babies. While she can cover a large brood pretty well when they are tiny, as they get bigger they "outgrow" her. So it is with the heating pad...as the chicks get bigger they don't need as much heat, so some will be under the cave, some on top, and some snuggle down around it, just as they would with her.
That same friend (LazyGardener) also reminded me of Kaussaundra's feather duster idea. After a little consideration I decided against using it for this particular system. I could see where it would be a cool idea in a traditional brooder as it mimics the feathers of mom's body and gives them a place out of the glaring light of the heat lamp to snuggle. But since I form mine into a "cave" to provided a dark, safe place and the towel is hanging down over the sides, back, and part of the front, they already have that. To me the best part of this system is the total simplicity.....form the wire, drape the pad, cover it, and done. But if someone does want to use the feather duster, by all means, go right ahead! There are only two "rules" with this more natural brooder - the heating pad has to have the "auto shut off bypass" feature and you must be able to modify, adapt or whatever else to fit your situation. That's it. Ooops, I lied - there are three rules! Rule number three is that you have to share pics of your set up and chicks with the rest of us!
Alcatraz would have been a great name for our little escapee...I just don't think I could talk our granddaughter into changing it. She's decided that the first batch of chicks - all 15 of them - should have animal names. So the escapee is Turtles. We have a white chick bigger than the others that she named "Beluga" and one chick who was tinier than all the others called "Bumblebee", etc. Not that Gramma can tell them all apart, you understand....but we just smile and go along with her. As long as she still loves coming over (she lives across the street) and helping with the chickens, even when we are out of town, she can call them whatever she likes!
