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

[Couchmo]

EEK! I went out to feed & check on all the chickens a little earlier. I found one of the littles (4 weeks old tomorrow) seemingly weak/sick all of a sudden

. I'm really worried about this little sweetie. I made sure she got some "Quick Chick" water. She doesn't seem to want to eat. I even soft-scrambled an egg and added some mushed Meaty-Bird crumbles to it but she's not interested. She doesn't seem like she can hold her balance as if either her legs/feet are weak or sore. I put her under the HP but she just laid there and the other chicks kinda trampled her. I have her inside resting against my body inside my open jacket. She's quiet and seems comfortable. Any suggestions of anything else I can do? I don't think I should take her to church but am asking for prayers

as well as advice. I am so new at this, I don't even know where her crop is to check it! BTW, no pasty butt . TIA
Love 'n' hugs;
Margo

 

[Beekissed]

Sounds like a vitamin deficiency. Some people supplement with liquid vitamins and it seems to help. I don't know the long term outlook for a chick that has absorption issues early on, so not sure if it's worth supplementing her only to have her have the same issues later on when she starts to lay or molt and the body is under stress.

 

[lazy gardener]

so how many chicks can fit under one of these? I have 100 cornish x coming next week, then in a month 50 egg layers...how can i make this setup work with that many?

There is a hover style brooder that you may be interested in building. There's a pic of it on p 54 of "The Small-Scale Poultry Flock by Harvey Ussery. It's made out of plywood scraps, cut about 8" high. Make a 4 sided box with a hinged lid. Mount light bulb sockets to the vertical walls. You then hang it so the chicks can get under it (like a creeper feeder) and the lid holds the heat in. You'd have to play around with the amount of wattage required to hold the right temp. But, that might work better than a plain heat lamp. This is an issue, trying to do the heating pad for larger numbers of chicks. I did 19 and 22 last season.

 

[perchie.girl]

Quote:
I was looking at those last night. Which brand heat mat are you using.

 

[lazy gardener]

Here you go. It's called an Ohio Brooder. Most folks should have all needed materials laying around... or easily found. I've never used one, but if I were brooding a lot of chicks in an open style coop, I think I'd take the time to bang one of these together.

https://web.extension.illinois.edu/hkmw/downloads/46524.pdf

 

[Beekissed]

Those have been used successfully for many a long year, but those lamps would be too close to my deep litter I use in my brooder. I'd devise one with a thin metal top and focus a hanging heat lamp onto that metal~and regulate the heat under the brooder by raising or lowering that lamp position, as per usual~ and position that metal top low enough that the chicks could put their backs up against it much like they do the heating pads. That way they have a dark, warm place to sleep much like the HP "cave" and the rest of the brooder would be cool zones, particularly if it were styled big enough. Having that hot top to it may also keep them off the top and making a mess there.

 

[perchie.girl]

Here you go. It's called an Ohio Brooder. Most folks should have all needed materials laying around... or easily found. I've never used one, but if I were brooding a lot of chicks in an open style coop, I think I'd take the time to bang one of these together.

https://web.extension.illinois.edu/hkmw/downloads/46524.pdf

I have seen older versions of this.... the only difference was there were little flaps of canvas on the sides to help keep warm air in.

With the design I cant see why a heating pad couldn't be used. When they are little all would fit under the heating pad as they get bigger they need less heat.

I saw one of those seed mats that was 20 x 20 on amazon

if you made the brooder say 24 x 24

deb

 

[COChix]

I was looking at those last night.  Which brand heat mat are you using.   

Hydro farm seed mats is what we use....they come in all sizes from small to rather larger. largest one I saw on Amazon was 60 x 21

 

[COChix]

I have seen older versions of this.... the only difference was there were little flaps of canvas on the sides to help keep warm air in. With the design I cant see why a heating pad couldn't be used. When they are little all would fit under the heating pad as they get bigger they need less heat. I saw one of those seed mats that was 20 x 20 on amazon if you made the brooder say 24 x 24 deb

I have been wondering the same thing....however I like the softness of the heat pad. If you were doing a large number of chicks a 60 x 21 maybe lined with something soft on the underside should work.

 

[lazy gardener]

I have seen older versions of this.... the only difference was there were little flaps of canvas on the sides to help keep warm air in.

With the design I cant see why a heating pad couldn't be used. When they are little all would fit under the heating pad as they get bigger they need less heat.

I saw one of those seed mats that was 20 x 20 on amazon

if you made the brooder say 24 x 24

deb

Hydro farm seed mats is what we use....they come in all sizes from small to rather larger. largest one I saw on Amazon was 60 x 21

I wonder what the surface temp of those seedling mats is? I like the heavy duty plastic surface. Poop proof.