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

[Blooie]

@blooie: No discouragement! I went back down and was able to squash the dome so now it is quite low at back and along roof, just big enough for the chicks, with plenty of room for everyone to put backs against the heating pad, but it very gradually gets taller to the door of about 3 to 4 inches. Ill post picture tomorrow. I think they will be good for the night. They were all under the taller version and sleepng, but came out for snacks and drinks when i turned the light on for my reengineering. I love that they get normal day night cycle. Thank you so much for the advice!

@blooie: I did have that cooling rack and tried it, but it took up too much room in the very large bin. Then I bent and taped sharp edges f hardware cloth in a sloping shape, but didnt like it as well as the igloo because it didnt seem sturdy. Went back to see if the igloo squashed and it DID! So i'm all set. What, exactly, should temperature be inside? I guess tIts up to the chicks to be as warm as they want? One was nearer the door when the igloo was taller, so I guess they know how to work it out.

Well, there ya go! You've got this! Lower in the back and a little higher toward the front is the way I've found the cave to work best for me. They should do very well! I love the natural day/night cycle of this. And so do the chicks, I'm convinced of that! Imagine running around like crazy all day long, collapsing in a heap on the brooder floor in exhaustion, only to have some wide awake siblings start pulling your feathers, pecking at you, and stomping on you!! While it's nice to be reminded of my childhood in a houseful of siblings, I wasn't too crazy about it either, especially when one would come in late, flip on the lights, and wake us all up first!

Don't worry about the temperature under the cave. It's a number. The one time I took it it was 82.5 in a 69 degree room and they were thriving. The chicks will tell you what they need. If you can't get 'em under there, it's probably too warm. Either bend the center up a little or turn the heat down a notch. They get really good at self regulating! Oh, and you are so very welcome!

Hello! Not sure if this was mentioned or discussed on this thread (my apologies of it was) -- Was the Sunbeam 12" x15" heating pad the "large" one you were using or is it the smaller one? You really got my mind going with this interestingly close to "natural" method! I just may have to try it myself! So cool! Thanks for sharing!

You can use either one. I have both. I use the small one if I have to keep them in the house for a day or so, which I do with shipped chicks for the first 24 hours just to make sure none are suffering from shipping stress. I use the large one outside. The critical thing is to be able to either bypass the "auto-shut off" feature (there'll be a switch that says "Stay on") or the pad will keep shutting itself off every couple of hours!

Glad that you're thinking about this...those of us who do it this way love it so you'll be in good company! I even brood outdoors in the run with temps in the teens and twenties! If you decide to give it a shot, your membership dues are photos of your chicks - so we can get all get our chick fixes!

 

[Kmhv04]

I will sift through this thread and try to get as much info as I can. If I have questions I will post after if I can't find the answer. I may be going to Walmart this week to pick up some hardware cloth, a heat pad with auto shut-off override, and a big bin/tote.

Thanks!

Oh, and yes....pictures will come as I go...

 

[ShrekDawg]

I think the 12x24 is the large size, i had the large one

 

[Redufresne]

The six chicks dod great overnight n the heating pad cave. I promised a photo of the squashed down cave (thank you for that advice). They have already been standing on it, as evidenced by the need for cleanup:

 

[duluthralphie]

12x15 is the little one, I am using it in one of my cages.

 

[Blooie]

Looks good to me, @Redufresne ! Cute chicks!! I didn't think it would be long before they'd want to be on top of it! And now as they get bigger you can just raise the center of the cave a bit for them. See? Easy Peasy. Your dues are paid!

 

[aart]

Got my @azygous portal installed in the partition wall base today,
still need a latch of sorts to hold it closed and open.
You can see 2 other sliding 'chick' doors that have never been tested,
got chicks outside too late last year - can't remember why.

......and to keep on topic(haha) installed an extension cord for MHP in coop too.
Will still probably use my cadillac brooder inside for a few days before moving them out to coop.

Decided I didn't like the hinge (didn't really even to begin with) and couldn't come up with a good latch system,
problem with working with the thin luan is it can be a challenge to attach anything.....
.......so.....ReDesign!

Got out the router and cut a couple of slide channels from some scrap, reworked the HC on door, and 45 minutes later....
...Viola!!






There's enough friction from the slightly warped door material and that I don't think I'll even need a hook to hold it open,
but probably will so no one gets trapped in big bird territory, and it still moves quite easily.
Hopefully it won't need much if any tweaking once installed and in operation.

Can't wait to try it, and the MHP, out for a new to me chick brooding in the coop and integration technique!

 

[Blooie]

@aart that looks fantastic!!! Ken got our portals done too, but they are just openings in the x-pen bars framed with wood on each side to cover pokey outy things and provide an attachment place for the little doors. But I think it will work just fine....like MHP it's the design and intent that makes the difference and for me the portals will make a huge difference. No more twisting wire and using long bungee cords to try to keep the door to the pen open just enough for the Littles but too tight for the Bigs to wiggle in! And the doorways will be so much easier for a scared chick to spot clearly - before sometimes they'd run the entire length of the pen almost getting to the door, then panic and run the other way. Took them a few times to figure out how far they still had to go to get in there!

Yayy for portals!!

 

[eagrbeavr]

Good morning everybody. Here's a couple snaps of my brooder. Its' 4x8. I just took out the cardboard I had around the perimeter and added a little ladder. Hope it meets everyone's approval.





The 3 babies are busy hiding.

 

[eagrbeavr]

aart thats really nice.