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

[Fire Ant Farm]

I know they were hating me, I was looking in there and pulling them out so often to count them.. Maybe they committed suicide to get away from me.

(snip)

That part all worked fine. The space below the block was my problem. I have fixed it so (knock on wood) nothing will happen again. Also I should let you know the chicks were just a day old. I removed them a day early from the hatcher because of a cripple I was trying to save. (splayed leg). I did not want them pecking at her. ALso if I had a larger breed it may not have happened. my Cream Legbars are pretty small at a day.

Yeah, I had to keep checking the edges and under the "feet" of it. They wedge themselves in the darnedest places.

 

[eagrbeavr]

Certainly will be keeping you in thought. Hope to see you back soon.

 

[eagrbeavr]

Sorry Ant Farm. Big bummer.

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

Sorry Ant Farm. Big bummer.

Oh, none of mine got caught or anything. I was just saying that they do like to wedge themselves in funny places, so I was compulsively checking. All my chicks are ok. Just set up the MHP Mark 2 for the next set of chicks, due to hatch tomorrow or Friday...

- Ant Farm

 

[Blooie]

Thanks, Ralphie!

 

[Couchmo]

You would have the same issues for power outages you would have with a heat lamp. 

IF Its not in your comfort zone dont do it... no one is forcing you to.  

I am going to and I am a Mechanical Engineer....  nothing fancy but I see systems and possible failure broad cast into the future.    I see solutions too.  Like in a colder environment using a better insulative container...  My environment is incredibly windy I have see chcks blown off their feet and rolled off into the yard with momma hen fiercly trying to keep track of them.   40 degrees 50 miles an our in the winter....  90 degrees and 50 in the summer.

The point of this exercise  the single point of this exercise is rasiing chicks with a true night and day and free access to a place that is warm enough to keep them healthy for the night.    And the ability to raise them in the coop with all the natural good bacteria that exists there.  Making them healtier and more roebust in the long ron..... All the other stuff is gravy.  Oh and also they neeeed to be able to get away from the heat no matter what style of brooding to do...  Little forays out to do chick stuff only to have a place to warm up even for a few seconds beofore going out again.

Sorry if any miss spellings or odd words I am suffering from Bells palsy right now and have been pretty much bed ridden since thurseday

deb

w

Hi Deb;
Sorry to hear about your Bell's

. I often wish my spelling/typing were as good and I have NO excuse lol. To better days ahead!

 

[perchie.girl]

Quote: thanks Its coming around I can shut my eye now and drink out of a glass without it running down my chin. I consider it a warning because when I went to the ER thiking I was having a stroke... they found oother issues that needed to be attended to,.

The Bells If I follow instructions will resolve itself. The other issuse will do me in if I dont "fix it" and am determined to live long enough to live my life out on my property. I am only 60 years old I have a good twenty thirty years left in me....

deb

 

[lazy gardener]

You would have the same issues for power outages you would have with a heat lamp.

IF Its not in your comfort zone dont do it... no one is forcing you to.

I am going to and I am a Mechanical Engineer.... nothing fancy but I see systems and possible failure broad cast into the future. I see solutions too. Like in a colder environment using a better insulative container... My environment is incredibly windy I have see chcks blown off their feet and rolled off into the yard with momma hen fiercly trying to keep track of them. 40 degrees 50 miles an our in the winter.... 90 degrees and 50 in the summer.

The point of this exercise the single point of this exercise is rasiing chicks with a true night and day and free access to a place that is warm enough to keep them healthy for the night. And the ability to raise them in the coop with all the natural good bacteria that exists there. Making them healtier and more roebust in the long ron..... All the other stuff is gravy. Oh and also they neeeed to be able to get away from the heat no matter what style of brooding to do... Little forays out to do chick stuff only to have a place to warm up even for a few seconds beofore going out again.

Sorry if any miss spellings or odd words I am suffering from Bells palsy right now and have been pretty much bed ridden since thurseday

deb

Deb, true that about power outages. The advantage that MHP has over a heat lamp in light of a power outage is this: When the power goes out with a lamp, the environment immediately cools off to what ever the surrounding temp is. But with MHP, there is a bit of insulation, and it does take a little while for the pad to cool down. One more bit of gravy: and I guess this holds true for using a heat lamp also is that chicks CAN be brooded outside. I never was comfortable with that because of the power outage thing. But, after brooding chicks outside under MHP, I'll NEVER go back to a heat lamp again, unless I find myself brooding more than 40 chicks at a time. I could handle that many with my 2 pads. So sorry about your Bells Palsy. Scary. I do hope you have a quick uneventful recovery from that, and what ever issue you are dealing with, I'll lift you up in prayer if that's ok with you.

I had a bad experience today.

I made the last Mama Cave using the blocks like Aart showed us. It worked great I had used the screws to adjust it about 2 1/2 inches high. I used 2x2 ( which we all know are actually 1 1/2 x 1 1/2 inches. So the screw was out about 3/4-1 inch. I had 2 chicks work their way under the block and get stuck there and die. They got their head stuck and were not smart enough to back up and get free.

I am not blaming anyone, Whenever I think I have something perfect for animals they always manage to show me I was wrong.

Just be very careful with your cave. I have had chicks bunch up and smoother under heat lamps too. It happens. I just want to warn you guys to watch for it. I rebuilt it out of wire again. I hope it is ok now.


This does not mean I am done with Aart design, I like it and am going to use it again. I am going to 1/4 inch furring strips with holes drilled in it for the screws to go through, thus eliminating the space under the block.

And because Murphy's law likes to smack me around, it had to be 2 little Cream Legbar girls instead of boys.

Ralph, so sorry you lost 2 little girls. Yeah, chicks are adept at creative suicide. I'm also concerned about the possibility of chicks getting stuck, whether it's a matter of them pig piling, or getting stuck behind their more robust flock mates, and not being able to exit when they need to. I keep my pad completely enclosed in a pillow case, and then use painters tape to secure the case to the pad all the way around so it can't flop down and create any folds. An other reader mentioned using string or a bungee cord to secure it, but I could see an ingenious chick using one of those items to commit suicide as well.

Okay, Broody Brigade, listen up. You listening? Not yet? Well, I'll wait. Humm hmm hm, dee da dee dooo Oh, looks like you're ready. Now, I'm not ready to go into much detail at this point, but I'm gonna be asking you folks with lots of experience here with Mama Heating Pad to kinda take over for awhile and answer questions and such. I just got some medical news this week that I'm still trying to wrap my head around, and probably won't be on much for a bit. I'll be popping in from time to time, but until I figure out what's going on and what it's going to mean around here, I have those irons I need to tend to. I'm not dying or anything as dramatic as that, but I am looking at some real issues that need to come first.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled broadcast.....

Blooie, you know I've got you lifted up to the throne room. You take care of YOUR needs, girl.

 

[Hholly]

Okay, Broody Brigade, listen up. You listening? Not yet? Well, I'll wait. Humm hmm hm, dee da dee dooo Oh, looks like you're ready. Now, I'm not ready to go into much detail at this point, but I'm gonna be asking you folks with lots of experience here with Mama Heating Pad to kinda take over for awhile and answer questions and such. I just got some medical news this week that I'm still trying to wrap my head around, and probably won't be on much for a bit. I'll be popping in from time to time, but until I figure out what's going on and what it's going to mean around here, I have those irons I need to tend to. I'm not dying or anything as dramatic as that, but I am looking at some real issues that need to come first.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled broadcast.....

Wishing you the best. Hope you are alright.

 

[Hholly]

thanks Its coming around I can shut my eye now and drink out of a glass without it running down my chin. I consider it a warning because when I went to the ER thiking I was having a stroke... they found oother issues that needed to be attended to,.

The Bells If I follow instructions will resolve itself. The other issuse will do me in if I dont "fix it" and am determined to live long enough to live my life out on my property. I am only 60 years old I have a good twenty thirty years left in me....

deb

Hope you're okay.

@duluthralphie sorry about your chicks. I had to wrap my MHP in a pillowcase and clamp it shut because the chicks kept crawling inside and getting stuck.