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

[perchie.girl]

I opened my heating pad and turned it on to check it out. Did any one else notice an odor when first turning on their MHP? It doesn't smell like anything is burning, just a very chemically smell from the plastic cover.
This is the one I got:


http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00075M1T6?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=od_aui_detailpages00

some plastics have a strong odor when they are opened up to the air. Some not so plesant too. Not to worry it will out gass and be gone in a few hours.

My drafting templates smelled like Barf the first few days....

....

deb

 

[bruceha2000]

I am in north central Montana. I was mostly concerned with the overnight temps, but also found a thread on here where someone uses feather dusters as a place for the chicks to gather under too. The coop is very well insulated, and stays at a good 50-60* without any kind of extra heat. Just makes me very nervous to use the lamp, and I want to use the natural day/night light more than anything artificial

If the coop is 50F to 60F with no extra heat (I am assuming sun warming through the windows) I am concerned that there isn't enough ventilation in the coop.

The chicks will be fine with a MHP in the coop and no heat lamp. I would remove it, lock it away and lose the key so you don't pull it back out when you get nervous

And check the coop page to read about the importance of ventilation.

 

[NotAFarm]

Quote: Thanks, deb! I'm glad I opened it early so it has time to air out before the chicks are under it.

 

[attimus]

some plastics have a strong odor when they are opened up to the air.  Some not so plesant too.  Not to worry it will out gass and be gone in a few hours.

My drafting templates smelled like Barf the first few days.... ....

deb

when I got my gorilla cart in the mail, it smelled like it literally just came from the factory. Took a few weeks for that to go away.

 

[Redwolf141]

My 8 chicks are 5 days old a question for this group my MHP is set on 5 for heat when would I turn it down. They all seem comfortable.

 

[dyorto]

This is off topic of the MHP, but I'm having an Amish coop built. Does each chicken need its own nesting box? I have 6 chicks now. And I'm sure we will get about 6 more in a year or so. I want to plan ahead to have enough.....

 

[aart]

This is off topic of the MHP, but I'm having an Amish coop built. Does each chicken need its own nesting box? I have 6 chicks now. And I'm sure we will get about 6 more in a year or so. I want to plan ahead to have enough.....

1 nest per 3-4 birds.
If you're buying a coop sized for 6 chickens and it has 6 nests, they don't know what they are doing IMO.....
....even if they are using a cultures name for advertising(pet peeve).

 

[azygous]

I have nineteen hens and five individual nest boxes, and one four-foot long communal nest box. Guess how many nest boxes are actually used. Four on a busy day, two most days.

Fickle beasts.

 

[dyorto]

1 nest per 3-4 birds.
If you're buying a coop sized for 6 chickens and it has 6 nests, they don't know what they are doing IMO.....
....even if they are using a cultures name for advertising(pet peeve).

The coop we were looking at had 5 boxes. It's like the size of a pretty big deer blind. I wasn't really sure how many I could put in there in the long run.

 

[aart]

I have nineteen hens and five individual nest boxes, and one four-foot long communal nest box. Guess how many nest boxes are actually used. Four on a busy day, two most days.

Fickle beasts.

I Know, Right?!
I have 4 for 14 hens, they use them all if I leave the fake eggs in all.....otherwise they fight over the fav of the day.

Quote: Need to know the actual dimensions.