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

[Juniper148]

I'm wondering if my heating pad is warm enough. Or maybe my wire frame is too large? I have 15 chicks and love the idea of the heating pad cave vs. a harsh heat lamp. It seemed like they were all crammed into the corner trying to keep warm, with others trying to climb on top to get physically closer to the heating pad. I have it set as 6, as high as it will go with a press and seal towel over it. The temp reads just below 80 with a thermometer.


Here's a pic of my set up immediately after bringing them home.


This is the heating pad I have

 

[perchie.girl]

I'm wondering if my heating pad is warm enough. Or maybe my wire frame is too large? I have 15 chicks and love the idea of the heating pad cave vs. a harsh heat lamp. It seemed like they were all crammed into the corner trying to keep warm, with others trying to climb on top to get physically closer to the heating pad. I have it set as 6, as high as it will go with a press and seal towel over it. The temp reads just below 80 with a thermometer.


Here's a pic of my set up immediately after bringing them home.


This is the heating pad I have

oh thats very smart using a doggie pee pee pad for their first floor....

deb

 

[Blooie]

I think you're right - you might want to lower the cave a bit. I don't know what you made your frame from but if it's a wire frame you should be able to just moosh it down to flatten it out a bit. There's nothing wrong with them huddling together in the corner of the cave or getting up on top of the pad - mine spent most of their time up on top wrestling, practicing flights and landings, and taking little naps on the warm spot. They do the same thing with a broody hen.

You definitely have the right pad....it's now just a matter of getting it down to just where the chicks can get their little backs to touch or almost touch. The closer the better in the beginning. Very nice setup, by the way! Lucky little chicks!

 

[Juniper148]

I think you're right - you might want to lower the cave a bit. I don't know what you made your frame from but if it's a wire frame you should be able to just moosh it down to flatten it out a bit. There's nothing wrong with them huddling together in the corner of the cave or getting up on top of the pad - mine spent most of their time up on top wrestling, practicing flights and landings, and taking little naps on the warm spot. They do the same thing with a broody hen.

You definitely have the right pad....it's now just a matter of getting it down to just where the chicks can get their little backs to touch or almost touch. The closer the better in the beginning. Very nice setup, by the way! Lucky little chicks!

By climbing on top, I meant climbing on top of each other, I realize now, especially with that particular picture, it sounded like I meant on top of the cave. I made the frame from two grids from wire storage cubes. I will try flattening and reshaping it some, I wasn't aware that their little backs should be touching so it's definitely too high for that.

 

[Blooie]

I may not have made that real clear, either. If you look at the early photos in the thread, when I first got mine set up, you can see what I mean:

In this shot, although it looks like the front is too high, it's my "Cool Zone" and the frame slopes down to be lower at the back. The heating pad didn't cover that very front, but the towel draped to form an awning gave them a cooler spot while in the cave but still held heat inside.

They had to "duck" a little bit to get under.


The heating pad is right above their heads.

Using the wire grids is a good idea. If you can't lower them by bending, I'll bet you could add some height from underneath, inside the cave. If you used maybe several layers of paper towels or something and covered them with your puppy pads (love that idea) just at the area under the heating pad, they'd be up a little higher when they are inside and closer to the heating pad. Even at a day or so old they are perfectly capable of navigating a slight slope up into the cave as long as it's not slippery!

 

[COChix]

So night two we turned off the main light but left a light in the other room on, half the chicks high tailed it into the cave and the other half was huddled on top. I put those guys inside and then they stayed all night. House was 60 this am and they were out and about at first light. Here is a shot of them...

Worked on the small coop and will be moving them outside tomorrow, suppose to be 70 and we can't have them in the house any longer. They have quickly outgrown their brooder at 1 1/2 weeks (with the addition of the heat pad brooder). I have noticed since switching over to this their feathers have really come on now. I can only imagine what will happen when they get out to the coop. I will brood them inside mostly for another week with a few outings to the enclosed run. The main flock will be able to see them then. We will block off part of the run after that and then let them out into their side each day for another week or so then cut a hole or prop the door just big enough only they can fit through and then work towards integration.

That being said, I gave our Cornish 8 eggs this am after she has been consistently serious about her broodiness for a week. What changed it was she has been sleeping in the nest boxes, sitting on nothing or golf balls. So we will see what happens.

 

[segeine]

OK, I went on a archaeological expedition tonight and climbed into the top of the barn to find the tomato cages. (Whoever came up with that idea, THANKS!!) I happened upon some chicken wire too. (I'm serious about the archaeology...) So my MHP is all set up now, waiting for my chicks to arrive. They were supposed to ship today! What do you folks think?



The Press & Seal is Christmas themed - it was on sale at Biglots.

--Segeine

 

[Blooie]

Looks great to me! How many chicks did you say you were getting, or did you even mention the number? I'm old, and easily confused.

A dog crate like that is what I used for Scout and then for the Littles when they first arrived and Ken was sick. Did the Press 'n Seal actually stick to the chicken wire around the crate? If it did, I'm impressed! I have hardware cloth around the bottom of mine to keep the little stinkers in where they belonged, and the Press 'n Seal stuck really well to that.

Can't wait to see pictures of your Littles in their domain. They won't fit it for long, so enjoy it while you can. Seems like mine grew up and "left home" way sooner than I was ready. The Tinys are still in their brooder pen out in the run. Haven't integrated them yet. The problem isn't the Bigs, it's the Littles. They don't seem to want the competition yet. But they'll come around.

 

[segeine]

I'm expecting 8girls and a boy. Marans, exchequer leghorns, an Easter egger, a gold laced wyandotte and a couple of random rare breeds. The boy is a black copper maran.

The press and seal sort of stuckto the wire. I endedup wrappig a tiny bit aroud the wire and sticking it to itself where it seemed to be having trouble.

 

[Blooie]

Can't wait to see them! Are you planning to keep them inside for long, or get them out as soon as you know that they are all doing well? They'll outgrow the dog crate before you can say, "Oooh, ain't they cute?"