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

[mobius]

Nothing serious, they are spoiled rotten already and I guess wanted to know where mama was...

Comng Up Next: Excel Spreadsheet comparing heat lamp temps, distance from floor to models of heating pad temps? (Joking this time!

). Remote temp sensor as an app on cell phone?

 

[dragonthehunter]

How many inches deep does my brooder box have to be cause im trying to decide a play pen or remodle a toy box

 

[micheleomal]

so here's my set up. Getting a little nervous about hanging chicks. Lightbulb is for size reference. Heating pad arrives tomorrow, chicks due to hatch in a week. What do you think. Waiting for heating pad to put down all the straw in run. Wood on left is door to portal into big girls area. I set a cinder block on end and that is the size of the chick opening.

 

[duluthralphie]

I need a creative dirt cheap idea to heat my brooder.if I dont get a good idea in the next week I dont get my welsummer chicks

Why do you need to heat your brooder? Just make one of the MHP and the chicks will be fine. Unless your in Barrow Alaska and they might be fine there too..

 

[duluthralphie]

I think you'll be glad you did. Just make sure that the heating pad you buy can stay on continuously and doesn't automatically turn off after 2 hours or so.

What she said, and my post above was written without reading the 30 posts since I last checked in here,,,,so sorry..

 

[duluthralphie]

For stiffening I used a piece of hardware cloth 10 inches by 60 inches. I folded it over 3 times (20 inches total now). and tied the wire together and attached the heating pad with cable ties (4 inch ones). It works fine seems to be easy to change height on it and the birds weight does not squish it.

However I did but a 3 inch high block under the entrance when I added the last 15 birds to my cage. I know have about 25-30 babies between 1-2 weeks old. They love it it works great..

I an thinking of surprising my DW on our Anniversary ( early May) by telling her we are going to get to have chicks in our dining room year round!

I love the sound of the happy little birds chirping and playing...

There is a possibility this could be our last anniversary when she find this out. It is all Blooies fault. Raising them with the MHP is easy, cheap fun for me!

 

[jrjoplin]

I've been told that there are to be no chicks in the house and I'm lucky to be able to keep them in the garage and not out in my shop. It's not really an issue since the brooder I built won't fit through the door but who am I to argue with compromise. I was hoping to be able to move the brooder out on the back porch but I'm a little concerned with storm season and it being a little too wet and windy.

I played with reinforcing the existing MHP frame but when I made the support block small it seemed to not be sturdy and when I put a larger one in it seemed to take up a lot of space. It is good to know that the the XL size will handle the 25 chicks I have arriving in 2 weeks. I was debating using two MHPs but my large sized pad was commandeered for a sore back and they really are nice heating pads so I may not let it return to the chicken supplies box.

 

[TexasLisa]

For stiffening I used a piece of hardware cloth 10 inches by 60 inches. I folded it over 3 times (20 inches total now). and tied the wire together and attached the heating pad with cable ties (4 inch ones). It works fine seems to be easy to change height on it and the birds weight does not squish it.

However I did but a 3 inch high block under the entrance when I added the last 15 birds to my cage. I know have about 25-30 babies between 1-2 weeks old. They love it it works great..

I an thinking of surprising my DW on our Anniversary ( early May) by telling her we are going to get to have chicks in our dining room year round!

I love the sound of the happy little birds chirping and playing...

There is a possibility this could be our last anniversary when she find this out. It is all Blooies fault. Raising them with the MHP is easy, cheap fun for me!

Hello, my name is duluthralphie and I am addicted to chicks......

Welcome to the club!!

 

[bruceha2000]

dragontheheart, you can always look on craigslist or post a wanted ad there...people might be happy to sell their brooder chicken equipment...I would add that it is important to have a reliable thermometer to measure the heat source...or check ebay for used chick equipment. I would be fussy about checking the heat source tho, you don't want anything shorting out...and disinfect everything you get VERY carefully...before adding chickens.

Except that if you are using a MHP brooder, air temp is not an accurate indicator of "proper temp".

Nothing serious, they are spoiled rotten already and I guess wanted to know where mama was...

Comng Up Next: Excel Spreadsheet comparing heat lamp temps, distance from floor to models of heating pad temps? (Joking this time!

). Remote temp sensor as an app on cell phone?

I used a remote reading reptile thermostat with my 2012 bathtub and red heat lamp chicks. Way easier than having to raise and lower the lamp to adjust the heat.

How many inches deep does my brooder box have to be cause im trying to decide a play pen or remodle a toy box

They can fly up a foot at about a week and 2 feet at 2 weeks. Does that help?

 

[Coop de Grass]

@bruceha2000 Sorry for the confusion! I had eggs under a broody and eggs in a small incubator. The broody hatched 4, I managed to slip 4 foster chicks under her. They don't always make it into the coop with her, and she tries really hard. Tonight is the first night that all of them went in on their own.

The other 4 chicks were attacked by the broody, so I brought them back into the house. I have a small coop with a run attached, and I put the 4 chicks in there yesterday afternoon. When it became dark they were not happy!

Same thing tonight, but they were out most of the day, and they went up and down the ramp into the coop. I ended up closing the pop door and then put them through the "regular" door. I think that they are scared off the dark. They are used to hearing house sounds, the tv, us talking, and the light doesn't just stop. I am toughing it out tonight. They have their Brinsea ecoglow in there, and I will be down early in the morning!

Meantime, I am NOT going back down there!