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

[Fire Ant Farm]

Yes, sorry! It's laying on top of a trimmed, squished, tomato cage.

Oh, that's right. I hadn't realized that was you.

I may reinforce mine with some welded wire fencing or something... I bought a second heating pad, so I have some time to experiment while the littles are under MHP Mark 1.

- Ant Farm

 

[gotro17]

Good job!

Oh, that's right. I hadn't realized that was you.

I may reinforce mine with some welded wire fencing or something... I bought a second heating pad, so I have some time to experiment while the littles are under MHP Mark 1. 

- Ant Farm 

 

[aart]

Quote: Ditto Dat!!

@duluthralphie what is the darker crumbly looking stuff on the floor?

 

[duluthralphie]

Ditto Dat!!

@duluthralphie what is the darker crumbly looking stuff on the floor?

I give my chicks grit right off the start. I know not everyone does. I use to buy the expensive chick grit. Now I buy a back of driveway granite chips, way cheaper.

That is the granite chips. The eat the smaller ones. The ones they do not eat keep the feed in one place so it does not track everywhere.

I have it a little thicker around the water ( more in the old brooder as it had groves to allow the water to flow away) it helped keep their feet dry if they got messy.

I watched my broody hens and chicks and they all picked at the ground for grit, so I now give mine grit.

I also think it cuts down on pasty butt. BUT I seldom say anything about the grit because so many here think I am nuts for doing it.



It is cheap 4 bucks for #50. When I clean the cage I dump the grit in the yard for the layers they eat the spilled chick feed and clean up the grit.




Arrt, did you use single hardware cloth? I folded mine (triple fold) like a letter and it seems real strong, maybe too strong hard to reshape.

 

[aart]

Quote: Ahhh...thought it might be grit.

I didn't use HC at all, used an oven rack...but may add some HC to bottom of rack this year to deter stuck heads.
My design is different than most here, more a plate than a cave.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/pseudo-brooder-heater-plate

 

[duluthralphie]

Ahhh...thought it might be grit.

I didn't use HC at all, used an oven rack...but may add some HC to bottom of rack this year to deter stuck heads.
My design is different than most here, more a plate than a cave.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/pseudo-brooder-heater-plate

I like that idea. I did some experimenting with different methods before I resigned myself to the hardware cloth. Do not tell me wife, but I have another heating pad coming today from Amazon...( I think she banned me from Amazon, but at my age I forget things like that easily).

Which reminds me I need to rearrange in here and make more room for another brooder in the dining room before she gets home....

 

[Couchmo]

;-) Finally payin' my dues:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/conte
nt/type/61/id/7253481/width/200/height/400
https://www.backyardchickens.com/conte
nt/type/61/id/7253483/width/200/height/400
https://www.backyardchickens.com/conte
nt/type/61/id/7253484/width/200/height/400

I think I'm pretty well set-up. Now if the doggone usps would just get the wee ones into the local post office already! I impatiently waited ALL day yesterday only to find out they were sitting in Kansas City, MO from 7:28 am till 8:33 pm last night! )-;
Just checked tracking again. Chicks are at my PO, finally. I'm GONE ;-D

 

[aart]

;-) Finally payin' my dues:




I think I'm pretty well set-up. Now if the doggone usps would just get the wee ones into the local post office already! I impatiently waited ALL day yesterday only to find out they were sitting in Kansas City, MO from 7:28 am till 8:33 pm last night! )-;
Just checked tracking again. Chicks are at my PO, finally. I'm GONE ;-D

WooHoo!!!

You're gonna want to fix or remove those leaky waterers asap.

 

[Beekissed]

I give my chicks grit right off the start. I know not everyone does. I use to buy the expensive chick grit. Now I buy a back of driveway granite chips, way cheaper.

That is the granite chips. The eat the smaller ones. The ones they do not eat keep the feed in one place so it does not track everywhere.

I have it a little thicker around the water ( more in the old brooder as it had groves to allow the water to flow away) it helped keep their feet dry if they got messy.

I watched my broody hens and chicks and they all picked at the ground for grit, so I now give mine grit.

I also think it cuts down on pasty butt. BUT I seldom say anything about the grit because so many here think I am nuts for doing it.



It is cheap 4 bucks for #50. When I clean the cage I dump the grit in the yard for the layers they eat the spilled chick feed and clean up the grit.




Arrt, did you use single hardware cloth? I folded mine (triple fold) like a letter and it seems real strong, maybe too strong hard to reshape.

Here's a handy tip that will give them natural grit and also give them a jump start on forming immunity to the coccidia and other microbial life in your soils...give them a shovelful of your local earth, grass and all. They will climb on it, pick at it and eat from it. More helpful even if the soil comes from near where your other chickens live. Chicks brooded by an actual mama will gain these from their mother, but brooder raised chicks don't have that opportunity when their immune system is the most active~first two weeks~ in forming antibodies. Then folks put them out on those soils at the age of 2 mo. and they wonder why they get coccidiosis and die.

 

[Beekissed]

;-) Finally payin' my dues:

I think I'm pretty well set-up. Now if the doggone usps would just get the wee ones into the local post office already! I impatiently waited ALL day yesterday only to find out they were sitting in Kansas City, MO from 7:28 am till 8:33 pm last night! )-;
Just checked tracking again. Chicks are at my PO, finally. I'm GONE ;-D

You could free up some space in that brooder by removing all but one waterer and one feeder, preferably the long feeder. Trust me, you'll just be cleaning up a lot of chick feed and wet bedding all the time anyway with that setup, so you might as well just do it with one container each rather than all of those. I don't know how many chicks you are expecting...looks like a lot...but you'll likely need much more space than that if you are getting that many(unless there is more space next to this that I can't see in the pic? The other pics didn't show up). You'll be busier than a one armed paper hanger trying to keep that all clean if you are putting a lot of chicks in that small of a space.