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

[perchie.girl]

I did a mock setup using my Mama Cave wire dish drainer...



I put 2 ceramic tiles inside...these will absorb heat when the chicks are out, and will give off radiant heat when they return.



I left the thermometer in for 1.1/2 hrs...it measured 94deg inside.



The tiles were placed upside down so the chicks wouldn't do the splits on the shiny surface

There's no way the chicks would be able to get thru' the slots, as was suggested...the bungee cord holds everything tight , and there's no room to get behind.
The cave will be resting on pine shavings, so the chicks should be 'snug as a bug in a rug'

brilliant about the tiles. I am considering doing a tile nest box for the heat here.... Ceramic on the rough side is pretty water absorbant.... do a mist or water drip every so often and while the tile dries it chills down...

You are in the Mojave Desert... I am in a small portion of the Sonoroan Desert Mine is probably a bit cooler in general... But we both have similar situations... extreme heat....

I was thinking of using a Chiminea for a nest box but they are too expensive...

deb

 

[mojavemike1]

Hot and dry, although the last week was much cooler, low 90's...today it hit 100, with a lot more of that, and hotter, to come

I didn't know what a Chiminea was until I Googled it...I see what you mean about too expensive ! You could buy a cooler for less. I have a cooler running in my coop...keeps the temps down to 85/90.

 

[Blooie]

I guess I'm a purist. Heating pad, frame, towel and/or straw, done and done. No thermometers, no fancy stuff, just happy, healthy chicks and a totally unstressed owner.

Coming to you live from the Ruby Princess, somewhere at the end of the Straits of Juan de Fuca.

 

[perchie.girl]

Hot and dry, although the last week was much cooler, low 90's...today it hit 100, with a lot more of that, and hotter, to come

I didn't know what a Chiminea was until I Googled it...I see what you mean about too expensive ! You could buy a cooler for less. I have a cooler running in my coop...keeps the temps down to 85/90.

I thought of using a swamp cooler may still. I had a chat a while back with a fellow who has poultry in Death Valley.... Water fowl to be specific Geese and ducks... He put down carpet in the runs and uses water sprinkler to wet it down so the geese dont burn their feet.

Here a bunch of mexican pottery places have them. All terracotta .... air would flow in and be drawn up the chiminy... then you could run misters on the terracotta itself.... chilling down the nest area.

when I am ready I will do a couple of experiments to see if it is feasable.... but I am thinking of using teracotta tiles big ones

deb "who had family that lived in Inyokern"

 

[Jacqdiva]

Thanks for so much input. I am thinking to use a 25w lamp and contain the heat under a wooden box. Apparently you can use less wattage this way, and you raise it on legs so they can walk right underneath. I have seen a model for this that I want to follow, from YouTube.

If you do decide this will work, WHY move them to a heat lamp at 2 weeks of age?? Actually the question/comment applies to any MHP implementation.

They need less heat less often the older they get. The controlled heated MHP "cave" is ideal for that since they can decide if they want to be under direct heat or not. Just raise the shelf holding the heat source up to accommodate their larger size. I imagine my hen adjusted her personal heat setting to whatever the chicks needed when they went under but I can assure you, there was NEVER standing head room in there.

I was REALLY surprised at how little time they spent under her at even 1 week (*) and they were out in the barn where a high of 65F was pretty common. Nowhere near the 90F-95F chicks are supposed to "require" their first week. I know you said ceramic so no light but for anyone else thinking they want to do this with heat lamps: My chicks' "it is light during the day, dark at night" cycle was already set from their first 2 days and 1 night in their MHPB and continues to this day out with the flock, why screw that up?

* At least during the day, I didn't check at night, it is DARK out there :/  

 

[Jacqdiva]

brilliant about the tiles.   I am considering doing a tile nest box for the heat here....  Ceramic on the rough side is pretty water absorbant....  do a mist or water drip every so often and while the tile dries it chills down...

You are in the Mojave Desert...  I am in a small portion of the Sonoroan Desert  Mine is probably a bit cooler in general...  But we both have similar situations... extreme heat....

I was thinking of using a Chiminea for a nest box but they are too expensive...

deb

Great idea on the tiles! I will try that for my older chicks outside.

 

[Jacqdiva]

Those heat mats are designed to be set up with a thermostat to control the heat....    Believe it or not heating pads have a thermostat built in, for human comfort.

Your best bet is to set it up and measure the temperature. 

I have watched several builds using reptile heaters like the one you have for converting a refrigerator to an incubator.
Incubators run a bit higher...

Just be aware they are designed to go under a substrate....  under sand or gravel which will spread the heat out.

Not saying it wont work just saying you will need to test and tweak and adjust and find out how best it will work.

Just thinking out loud here...  You might imbed the heater in a layer of pinto beans for heat dispersal...  or rice... still could be used over top of a wire frame   Rice in bag heater in rice....  pat it even and good to go.  as long as your happy with the temperature.

deb



deb

Thanks for your thoughts this is exactly what I was after on this forum. I am going to post some pics when I get it going.

 

[Jacqdiva]

Here is some of the set up. I got these hardened glass cutting boards cheap, they have tiny discs integrated into the corners, something recommended by the reptile pad company. This gives clearance to put the heating pad under a glass terrarium. My 14w heating pad will go between the glass boards.

Then I will wrap a wool blanket around it to contain the heat as it is quite a low wattage. Hopefully the hardened glass will hold onto the heat, and the will will make it cuddly for them. I use wood shavings so they will have that underfoot, and I will pile it on top of the blanket for the poopers, that will jump on top. Ideas? Tweeks?

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[perchie.girl]

Here is some of the set up. I got these hardened glass cutting boards cheap, they have tiny discs integrated into the corners, something recommended by the reptile pad company. This gives clearance to put the heating pad under a glass terrarium. My 14w heating pad will go between the glass boards.

Then I will wrap a wool blanket around it to contain the heat as it is quite a low wattage. Hopefully the hardened glass will hold onto the heat, and the will will make it cuddly for them. I use wood shavings so they will have that underfoot, and I will pile it on top of the blanket for the poopers, that will jump on top. Ideas? Tweeks?

Glass is an excellent conductor of heat.... and having the space in between will allow convection of air to disperse the heat over a larger area. The wool breathes very well... and both glass and wool are washable...

Let us know what your temps work out to be.

Are you going to use this Under the chicks? or above the chicks. Both ways work as well... Though no matter what you should have an over hang for them to get in for security.

Remember the chicks need cool air as well so they need to be able to get away from the heat source.

deb

 

[Jacqdiva]

Glass is an excellent conductor of heat....  and having the space in between will allow convection of air to disperse the heat over a larger area.  The wool breathes very well...  and both glass and wool are washable...

Let us know what your temps work out to be.

Are you going to use this Under the chicks?  or above the chicks.    Both ways work as well...  Though no matter what you should have an over hang for them to get in for security.

Remember the chicks need cool air as well so they need to be able to get away from the heat source. 

deb

I'm going to use it over them. My brooder has a closed sleeping room (heated) and an open room (unheated) where they eat and drink. Here they are in the open room, I have the lid up here for the photo of course.