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

[gotro17]

It's squared to the ground and doesn't budge... Maybe I just squished it down too much.

 

[Hholly]

It's squared to the ground and doesn't budge... Maybe I just squished it down too much.

Well it needs to be low so the chicks can feel the heat. But a flatter top would be better. And it does't look like it supports the pad enough because the chicks will be on top of it too. Your frame looks like if the chicks got on top, they would squish the pad down through the wires of the tomato cage. Maybe you could shore it up with some chicken wire or hardware cloth. Mine is made from welded wire fence.

 

[Beekissed]

Because of the oval shape, it has less overall space under it than if it were more squared off, so if you lower the top more, the sides may get too narrowed for chicks to access that area. The back looks too low as well, though most seem to like that high front, low back design of the wire support. I'm not a fan of it but it doesn't make it wrong. It just tends to trap chicks in the back of the thing as they move towards the back to access the warmth of the pad directly on their backs and restricts air flow under the frame. When using it for meat chicks, this can mean smothered chicks.

 

[Blooie]

I just can't tell how big the towel is... Like a large dish towel?

It's a pretty thin bathtowel, folded in half. This year I'll be using Bee's pillowcase setup instead. I like the idea of the entire frame and pad encased in the pillowcase so chicks don't get hung up in the wire. But I do believe I'll stick to putting a towel on top. It's how I started, it's what I'm used to doing, and the towels that I use are so old and almost worthless that I don't have any hangups about tossing them. I also like the deep awning in the front and having the towel extend all the way down the sides and the back of the cave. Just me. The great thing about this system is the built in flexibility for your situation and preferences. There are only a few "musts"...

Heating pad must be able to "stay on" all the time instead of turning itself off every couple of hours
Wire frame must be formed in such a way that the heat is at the chicks' backs, at least for the first week or so.
Brooder must be roomy enough to accommodate the space that the frame takes up, with room for the chicks, water, food, and the cave.

After that it's kinda up to you what you do....towel or no towel; pad and frame totally encased or pad just draped over the top; flexible frame or more rigid and closer in setup to the commercial heat plates....you get the idea.

Is the heating pad directly on the wire frame?

It is. If you look on the first page of the thread, you can see that my heating pad is draped over the frame, with an uncovered area toward the front. That was accidental - my frame was longer than my heating pad was wide, but it worked out well because they had a little "cooler" spot that was still within the cave. They liked to sit right in that spot and watch the world go by because they were still getting a little heat, but it wasn't as warm as it was deeper inside.

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

I have the heating pad, but I've been spending my time rushing to get the second coop built so I can do the necessary "domino" shifting of chickens to be able to move my injured (now recovered) rooster back outside and free up the mudroom for chicks.

But time is catching up with me - 15 Cream Legbar eggs looking good so far and heading into lockdown tomorrow. So after my day of coop building, I'll be back on here figuring out all this frame building/pillowcase/bungee business (you read it differently when you're actually building one!). Warning: I may have stupid questions. I'll try not to be too stupid...

- Ant Farm

 

[mmcallahan]

Hi everyone. First time posting here (and first time owning chickens), but I've been reading this thread for some time.
I've made my MHP cave and brought home 4 one week old chicks today. After giving them a drink they cozied right in under MHP, but they are basically staying in their cave. Does that mean the rest of the brooder is too cool? I'd say the ambient temperature is about 70. It may be they are still stressed from the move and are just feeling safer in there for right now, but I thought I'd ask you good folk. Thanks!

 

[Beekissed]

I'd say you are right on the money. Those little chicks have never known the warmth of a real mama, so that little HP brooder will be feeling very good right now. Let them settle in and rest and you'll start to see more activity soon. Seventy is definitely not too cool...if anything it's a tad too warm. I've had chicks in an outside brooder in 20-30 degree weather under one of these HP brooders, so no worries about the room being too cool.

Welcome to the thread and to BYC!

 

[Blooie]

x2! Bee is absolutely right. And if you've been reading the thread, you know the rules about photos! Pays your Broody Brigade membership fee!

 

[lazy gardener]

The next time I brood, I think I'll use some of the feed bags I've saved to make a poop shedder for the top of the HP. May even bust out the sewing machine, and make a pillow case, with flannel on the bottom, and feed bag on the top, so those chickies will have soft to snuggle up against, and poop shedder on top.

 

[aart]

The next time I brood, I think I'll use some of the feed bags I've saved to make a poop shedder for the top of the HP. May even bust out the sewing machine, and make a pillow case, with flannel on the bottom, and feed bag on the top, so those chickies will have soft to snuggle up against, and poop shedder on top.

That's a great idea...the plastic feed bags I get sew up pretty easy, I sewed a couple 'bale bags' for straw and hay.....
......and would 'shed' poops great, but it might be too slippery?
Maybe you have different feed bags?