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

[MesMama]

Hello again all! I'm expecting!.....chicks that is LOL! I am getting 5 more BO's (females), 2 SLW's (wanted 4, but that's all they had *pout*), 5 Speckled Sussex (females) and then 10 Welsummers (straight run). I am SO excited y'all, I can't even explain BUT I know that you all understand

My mom and I are going to pick them up at the hatchery on the 22nd.


Last summer I had a couple hens go broody and I found this thread, but didn't end up needing the MHP, good mamas! And so now I am wanting to add to my flock and so here I am! I am planning on using the MHP, I got the heating pads (the x-large and the large to accommodate my 22 babies) and we are going to get it built this weekend. I will use a huge tote thing for the first day or so and then their lil fluffy butts will go out into the coop. We will get the permanent brooder built into the coop in the next week, DH has it all planned and the materials bought now, so we're hoping to get it done this weekend...

Otherwise he said he will take off a day or two next week to get it done.

This is my first time raising chicks, as I bought my flock last year from a gal who was re-homing hers, they're two years old. I am NER.VOUS. But I've read through this entire thread and I feel as prepared as I can be. I love the advice I've seen about doing the best you can for them and leaving them in God's hands. I strive to live life that way, but admit I struggle with it regularly

Anyway, I am so thankful for everyone who has posted and shared their experiences etc. it's all VERY helpful!!! I can't wait to pay my membership fee with PICS!!! Two weeks baby!!

 

[Coop de Grass]

@MesMama Congratulations on your new babies!

 

[MesMama]

Thank you @Coop de Grass!!!! I am like a kid awaiting Christmas morning LOL!

 

[bruceha2000]

Hello again all! I'm expecting!.....chicks that is LOL! I am getting 5 more BO's (females), 2 SLW's (wanted 4, but that's all they had *pout*), 5 Speckled Sussex (females) and then 10 Welsummers (straight run). I am SO excited y'all, I can't even explain BUT I know that you all understand

My mom and I are going to pick them up at the hatchery on the 22nd.


Last summer I had a couple hens go broody and I found this thread, but didn't end up needing the MHP, good mamas! And so now I am wanting to add to my flock and so here I am! I am planning on using the MHP, I got the heating pads (the x-large and the large to accommodate my 22 babies) and we are going to get it built this weekend. I will use a huge tote thing for the first day or so and then their lil fluffy butts will go out into the coop. We will get the permanent brooder built into the coop in the next week, DH has it all planned and the materials bought now, so we're hoping to get it done this weekend...

Otherwise he said he will take off a day or two next week to get it done.

This is my first time raising chicks, as I bought my flock last year from a gal who was re-homing hers, they're two years old. I am NER.VOUS. But I've read through this entire thread and I feel as prepared as I can be. I love the advice I've seen about doing the best you can for them and leaving them in God's hands. I strive to live life that way, but admit I struggle with it regularly

Anyway, I am so thankful for everyone who has posted and shared their experiences etc. it's all VERY helpful!!! I can't wait to pay my membership fee with PICS!!! Two weeks baby!!

It won't take long to make a brooder for the coop. I made mine out of scrap wood I had. 6' long, 2' deep and 18" high. Since I built it into the corner, I only had to make 2 sides (1/2" hardware cloth) with a board on the open end (for attaching to the wall and holding up that end of the top) and a removable top (2x4 wire on a wood frame)

Zorra moved the kids out to a nest box at 2 weeks but I made a hole in the side of the brooder so the chicks could get to their food and water from the coop. After a bit they decided to eat from the hens' feeder instead so I removed the brooder (attached to the walls with 4 screws) and dumped the rest of the chick starter into the layer feed bin.

The hole in the wall goes to the external closed community nest box, and you can see the access perch. I stuck a piece of plywood about 2' wide over the brooder top so the girls heading into the nest box wouldn't be pooping in the brooder. I don't recall seeing much poop in the board though. The door on the lower left of the brooder is the original chicken door for the coop. The auto door I got later didn't fit there so it is on the other side of the people door (extreme lower left) and the original door made a convenient door from the run into the brooder. I'm not sure, but I think maybe Zorra moved the chicks to one of the open nest boxes in the coop because she got tired of waiting for me to come let them out in the morning. After all, the other girls got out as soon as the sun came up.

 

[Melschen]

Good morning, y'all! We're expecting our first chicks in less than two weeks and I'm super excited! The coop arrived on Tuesday and we're building the run tomorrow. I plan on brooding the chicks in the coop using the MHP and am anxious to get everything set up. We have 18 chicks arriving and I'm trying to figure out how large of a cave I need to make or if I'm better off to make two smaller caves for the chicks. We live in FL and the temperatures are averaging 80 during the day and 60 at night right now. I've read through the whole thread and need to buy/order my heating pads, Just wanted to get some feedback first on the size(s) of the cave(s) first. Any suggestions are appreciated/welcome. So excited to be joining the backyard chicken club.

 

[10AcreChick]

Good morning, y'all! We're expecting our first chicks in less than two weeks and I'm super excited! The coop arrived on Tuesday and we're building the run tomorrow. I plan on brooding the chicks in the coop using the MHP and am anxious to get everything set up. We have 18 chicks arriving and I'm trying to figure out how large of a cave I need to make or if I'm better off to make two smaller caves for the chicks. We live in FL and the temperatures are averaging 80 during the day and 60 at night right now. I've read through the whole thread and need to buy/order my heating pads, Just wanted to get some feedback first on the size(s) of the cave(s) first. Any suggestions are appreciated/welcome. So excited to be joining the backyard chicken club.

I am using one 12X 24 heating pad for 23 chicks, and it is plenty big. With those temperatures, they'll barely need it. I'm in Missouri, with night temps around 45-55 and days 60-70, and they (almost 2 weeks old) sleep only half in the cave, set on number 5 out of 6 settings. I'll probably get "Blooied" by Blooie by the time this posts and she'll tell you your membership dues are pictures of the chicks! I still owe some dues, cause I promised some pics of my coop brooder and haven't delivered yet.

Last night was my first experience in chicken "husbandry", drowned and smothered some scaly leg mites on my lone Australorp with soapy water and Vaseline. It went fabulous, they really don't do ANYTHING when you put a towel over their heads! I couldn't believe how easy it was!

Good morning, Everyone!

 

[Coop de Grass]

@bruceha2000 I am running out the door, but I have to read your set up in detail! It looks fantastic.

Today's task is to build the coolerbator!

I am seriously Chicken-crazy!

 

[aart]

I am using one 12X 24 heating pad for 23 chicks, and it is plenty big. With those temperatures, they'll barely need it. I'm in Missouri, with night temps around 45-55 and days 60-70, and they (almost 2 weeks old) sleep only half in the cave, set on number 5 out of 6 settings. I'll probably get "Blooied" by Blooie by the time this posts and she'll tell you your membership dues are pictures of the chicks! I still owe some dues, cause I promised some pics of my coop brooder and haven't delivered yet.

Last night was my first experience in chicken "husbandry", drowned and smothered some scaly leg mites on my lone Australorp with soapy water and Vaseline. It went fabulous, they really don't do ANYTHING when you put a towel over their heads! I couldn't believe how easy it was!

Good morning, Everyone!

That's great to hear!
That many 2 week old chicks only fill half the cave....or half of them sleep outside the cave?
Do you have it set flat or curved?

Night time is the best time to tend the birds for that kind of stuff.....picturing a mixture of soapy water and vaseline...ewww.
Or maybe you washed the legs, then applied the vaseline.
I did a bunch of mine with bag balm, didn't wash them first, it was gooey mess.
Took lots of paper towels and wore an apron and an old sweatshirt to keep the stuff off my 'good' clothes.

 

[MesMama]

It won't take long to make a brooder for the coop. I made mine out of scrap wood I had. 6' long, 2' deep and 18" high. Since I built it into the corner, I only had to make 2 sides (1/2" hardware cloth) with a board on the open end (for attaching to the wall and holding up that end of the top) and a removable top (2x4 wire on a wood frame)

Zorra moved the kids out to a nest box at 2 weeks but I made a hole in the side of the brooder so the chicks could get to their food and water from the coop. After a bit they decided to eat from the hens' feeder instead so I removed the brooder (attached to the walls with 4 screws) and dumped the rest of the chick starter into the layer feed bin.

The hole in the wall goes to the external closed community nest box, and you can see the access perch. I stuck a piece of plywood about 2' wide over the brooder top so the girls heading into the nest box wouldn't be pooping in the brooder. I don't recall seeing much poop in the board though. The door on the lower left of the brooder is the original chicken door for the coop. The auto door I got later didn't fit there so it is on the other side of the people door (extreme lower left) and the original door made a convenient door from the run into the brooder. I'm not sure, but I think maybe Zorra moved the chicks to one of the open nest boxes in the coop because she got tired of waiting for me to come let them out in the morning. After all, the other girls got out as soon as the sun came up.

Thank you for the info! I love Zorra with her chicks, mama hens are just awesome creatures to watch

Our brooder will be very simple too, similar to yours in size, I like the perch idea in there too! We were thinking of making the top slanted so the bigs can't sit on top and poop and then we're going to do the portals like azygous has. I would like to be able to use the brooder for any hens that go broody at some point, figure out someway to divide it so they have their own space. Last year I had 4 that went broody and was NOT prepared, I let them just do their thing and yeah...will NEVER do that again. Had 2 in the nesting boxes and 2 on the floor, underneath and a little to the side of the nesting boxes. So when the babies left the boxes they landed right where the other mamas were, which led to one of the hens jumping up and grabbing a chick hard, I grabbed her by the leg and turned her upside down and gave her a toss. She came back after that chick with a vengeance...and she was in the freezer that night. Hated to lose a hen but can NOT have that. Anyway, I said all that to say that I realized the hard way that they need their own space, it's just not worth it. I saw someone on here has some kind of pod looking things for nesting boxes and then when they have a broody they can just take the box and everything to the brooder, LOVE that! But, wish I had known that before we built our set up ;P

 

[mobius]

OOoooohhhhhh, this is so exciting, everyone getting baby chicks...uber-fun!!

I wanted to post about another possible HUGE advantage to the MHP, having to do with chicken crops >>>

Yesterday I thought one of my two-week old chick's crop was unusually big. This led me to do all kinds of crop research cause I AM really new at this...so I learned a lot about crops:

Chickens are supposed to fill them up (sometimes quickly and rather early in the morning) and then the crop empties along the day and often mostly overnight. So the only way to get a good read is to check and see if they are empty the next morning before they eat. If they are eating all the time, there isn't really a great way to figure this out....

Hmmm, methinks, this sounds like even MORE reason to establish the day/night cycle. Otherwise chicks are eating 24/7 and maybe never fully emptying crops.

Sooooo....chickies were under MHP all night for second night. No peeping, lol. I went to "wake them up" and removed food tray. I got the six baby girls out and checked each, front and rear...guess what? All crops were empty.

They are eating away happily right now with a relieved new chickie

mommy (me).