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

[Blooie]

I am cheering you on, CO Chix - Wishing the very best with your hatch !!!

My 16 chicks are doing well on day #8. Woo hoo. !! I love this MHP method !!

Jan

Me too! Um, and me too again!!

 

[ShanandGem]

So why do the hatcheries recommend such insanely high temperatures for their birds? The hatchery I was going to use before going a different route says even the cold corners of your brooder shouldn't dip below 85 for the first week. I am pretty confident I would have killed my chicks or at least had a lot more pasty butt (the little bit that I had disappeared the minute I substantially lowered their temperature) had I gone that route.
The lady I bought my chicks from told me anything higher than room temperature is really enough. When I picked the chicks up they were in an unheated room with just a heat lamp and no cover to keep the heat in.

 

[Blooie]

One of the great mysteries of chicken life, @ShanandGem

 

[dragonthehunter]

Would this one work? https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B0...457463912&ref_=sr_1_cc_4&s=aps&sr=1-4-catcorr

 

[bruceha2000]

So why do the hatcheries recommend such insanely high temperatures for their birds? The hatchery I was going to use before going a different route says even the cold corners of your brooder shouldn't dip below 85 for the first week. I am pretty confident I would have killed my chicks or at least had a lot more pasty butt (the little bit that I had disappeared the minute I substantially lowered their temperature) had I gone that route.
The lady I bought my chicks from told me anything higher than room temperature is really enough. When I picked the chicks up they were in an unheated room with just a heat lamp and no cover to keep the heat in.

Because Blooie hasn't started her educational tour of all the big hatcheries yet.

Or it might be similar to the question a new husband asked of his wife:
H: "Why do you cut the end off the roast before putting it in the pan?"
W: "Because that is what my mother did"
H: "Why did she do that?"
W: "I don't know, I'll ask"
W: "Mom why do you cut the end off the roast before putting it in the pan?"
M: "Because that is what my mother did"
W: "Why did she do that?"
M: "I don't know, I'll ask"
M: "Mom why do you cut the end off the roast before putting it in the pan?"
GM: "Because the roasting pan was too small for the whole roast to fit"

i.e. "Um, we don't remember why but that is the way to do it "

I can see someone having to brood a truckload of chicks using heat lamps but it doesn't make sense for the "backyard" chicken keeper with a small number of chicks. Even if you look at the "hover brooders" (*) which will work for a large number of chicks, you can see that the intent is to localize the heat source in a much larger area. The "outside world" is available to the chicks so they can come and go under the "hen" as they like. Not the case with the "not less than 85F anywhere in the brooder area" your referenced hatchery said was mandatory.

One downside of the hover brooders is the 24 hour light. Sure the chicks can be away from the light during the day when they want but if they need the heat a sleeping time, they also get the light so no natural day/night cycles. That is one way the MHP is vastly superior to "normal" brooding practice.


* (this was posted somewhere) https://web.extension.illinois.edu/hkmw/downloads/46524.pdf

 

[ShanandGem]

I agree completely on the day and night cycles. We are 'lights out' here at night, with just some very dim ambient light (OK fine, it's a chld's night light) since my chicks have trouble settling when it's absolutely pitch black. I find they settle to sleep twice as fast with a little light as opposed to total darkness.

 

[dragonthehunter]

Does the pad have to be numbers or can it be low med high?

 

[mobius]

My smaller pad (used until I get the large one Blooie uses) is on medium inside the house and varies about 80-86 degrees F. Probably only higher due to a chick sitting on the remote. Hope that helps.

As far as the great story about the roast and the pan, "argumentum ad antiquitatem", or appeal to antiquity, or appeal to common practice/tradition is a common fallacious argument! Well-called, my friend ("because we have always done it that way"), or similar to "50 million (or is it 60 now?) Frenchmen can't be wrong" (another fallacious argument having to do with "everyone else does it that way" aka argumentum ad populem)...yes, thinking outside the coop, or else where would we be (France? lol) thanks again Blooie!

 

[dragonthehunter]

If I buy a 5 lbs bag of chick starter food how many weeks will it last me? I am going to have 2 chicks?

 

[perchie.girl]

If I buy a 5 lbs bag of chick starter food how many weeks will it last me? I am going to have 2 chicks?

more than enough.